Transits against Fainter Stars: The Power of Image Deconvolution

Abstract

Compared to bright star searches, surveys for transiting planets against fainter (V = 12-18) stars have the advantage of much higher sky densities of dwarf star primaries, which afford easier detection of small transiting bodies. Furthermore, deep searches are capable of probing a wider range of stellar environments. On the other hand, for a given spatial resolution and transit depth, deep searches are more prone to confusion from blended eclipsing binaries. We present a powerful mitigation strategy for the blending problem that includes the use of image deconvolution and high-resolution imaging. The techniques are illustrated with Lupus-TR-3 and very recent IR imaging with PANIC on Magellan. The results are likely to have implications for the CoRoT and KEPLER missions designed to detect transiting planets of terrestrial size. © 2009 International Astronomical Union.