Searching for Planets Orbiting Fomalhaut with JWST/NIRCam

• Published in: The Astronomical journal 2024-01, Vol.167 (1), p.26
• Main Authors: Ygouf, Marie, Beichman, Charles A., Llop-Sayson, Jorge, Bryden, Geoffrey, Leisenring, Jarron M., Gáspár, András, Krist, John E., Rieke, Marcia J., Rieke, George H., Wolff, Schuyler Grace, Roellig, Thomas L., Su, Kate, Hainline, Kevin N., Hodapp, Klaus W., Greene, Thomas P., Meyer, Michael R., Kelly, Douglas M., Misselt, Karl, Stansberry, John, Boyer, Martha, Johnstone, Doug, Horner, Scott, Greenbaum, Alexandra Z.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Albedo; Circumstellar disks; Coronagraphic imaging; Coronagraphs; Debris; Debris disks; Direct imaging; Dust; Dust clouds; Dwarf galaxies; Exoplanet astronomy; Exoplanet detection methods; Exoplanets; Galaxies; High contrast techniques; Hubble Space Telescope; Infrared instruments; Infrared observatories; Infrared photometry; James Webb Space Telescope; Planet detection; Planets; Satellite observation; Space observatories; Space telescopes
• ISSN: 0004-6256; 1538-3881
• DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ad08c8

We report observations with the JWST/NIRCam coronagraph of the Fomalhaut ( α PsA) system. This nearby A star hosts a complex debris disk system discovered by the IRAS satellite. Observations in F444W and F356W filters using the round 430R mask achieve a contrast ratio of ∼4 × 10 −7 at 1″ and ∼4 × 10 −8 outside of 3″. These observations reach a sensitivity limit of 0.7 mag (Vega) color. Whether this object is a background galaxy, brown dwarf, or a Jovian-mass planet in the Fomalhaut system will be determined by an approved Cycle 2 follow-up program. Finally, we set upper limits to any scattered light from the outer ring, placing a weak limit on the dust albedo at F356W and F444W.