(Proposal ID) S17A-118

(PI) Konishi, Mihoko

(Proposal Title)
Detecting Giant Planets in Transitional Disks using AO188+SCExAO+CHARIS

(Abstract)
Approximately a dozen directly imaged planets have been identified in 
circumstellar disks associated with stars older than 10~Myr.  Except for 
HD 106906b, the planets are up to 60 AU from their stars, challenging popular 
giant planet formation models, yet the debris disks show little evidence of 
outward scattering events. The immediate precursors of young debris disks are 
believed to be transitional (e.g., gapped) disks. We need to know when planets 
can be directly imaged in transitional disks, where they are located, and what 
their spectra look like to compare with the planets in young debris disks. 
The Strategic Exploration of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru discovered 
flamboyant disk structure, but planets have been found in only two systems. 
The new generation of extreme AO-assisted integral field systems can reach 1 
Jupiter Mass, and use IFS spectra to separate the planet from the disk. 
We propose using CHARIS to observe the inner arcsecond of 5 Herbig Ae 
transitional disks and 2 young, gas-rich debris disks in broadband mode (R=18).
The proposed observations can potentially triple the number of imaged planets 
in these systems. As shared-risk observations, our program will also assess of 
what kind of contrast can be achieved in face-on and edge-on disks.