Related papers: Mining Planet Search Data for Binary Stars: The $\…
Direct imaging has led to the discovery of several giant planet and brown dwarf companions. These imaged companions populate a mass, separation and age domain (mass>1MJup, orbits>5AU, age<1Gyr) quite distinct from the one occupied by…
This paper explores the stability of an Earth-like planet orbiting a solar-mass star in the presence of a stellar companion using ~ 400,000 numerical integrations. Given the chaotic nature of the systems being considered, we perform a…
The discovery of extra-solar planets is one of the greatest achievements of modern astronomy. The detection of planets with a wide range of masses demonstrates that extra-solar planets of low mass exist. In this paper we describe a mission,…
We report on the detection of a planetary companion in orbit around the primary star of the binary system $\gamma$ Cephei. High precision radial velocity measurements using 4 independent data sets spanning the time interval 1981--2002…
If it is commonly agreed that the presence of a (moderately) close stellar companion affects the formation and the dynamical evolution of giant planets, the frequency of giant planets residing in binary systems separated by less than 100 AU…
All available mid-eclipse times of the eclipsing binary Z Draconis are analysed, and three sets of cyclic variations with periods of 20.1, 29.96 and 59.88 yr are found. The low-amplitude variations with the period of 20.1 yr may be…
Overcontact binary stars are systems of two stars where the component stars are in contact with each other. This implies that they share a common envelope of gas. In this work we seek signatures of nonlinearity and chaos in these stars by…
We present preliminary results from our long-baseline interferometry (LBI) survey to constrain the multiplicity properties of intermediate-mass A-type stars within 80pc. Previous multiplicity studies of nearby stars exhibit orbital…
We present a high-contrast imaging survey of intermediate-mass (1.75--4.5 $M_\odot$) stars to search for the most extreme stellar binaries, i.e., for the lowest mass stellar companions. Using adaptive optics at the Lick and Gemini…
Directly imaged exoplanets in wide orbits challenge current gas giant formation theories. They need to form quickly and acquire enough material before the disk dissipates, which cannot be accommodated by in-situ formation by core accretion.…
Breakthrough direct detections of planetary companions orbiting A-type stars confirm the existence of massive planets at relatively large separations, but dedicated surveys are required to estimate the frequency of similar planetary…
We present preliminary results of a radial-velocity search for companions to a volume limited sample of M dwarfs. Typical accuracy range between 10m/s for the brighter stars and 70m/s at our limiting magnitude. We complement the radial…
It is well established that roughly half of all nearby solar-type stars have at least one companion. Stellar companions can have significant implications for the detection and characterization of exoplanets, including triggering false…
Detecting compact objects by means of their gravitational lensing effect on an observed companion in a binary system has already been suggested almost four decades ago. However, these predictions were made even before the first observations…
Up to now, most planet search projects have concentrated on F to K stars. In order to considerably widen the view, we have stated a survey for planets of old, nearby brown dwarfs and very low mass stars. Using UVES, we have observed 26…
This paper explores the stability of an Earth-like planet orbiting a solar mass star in the presence of an outer-lying intermediate mass companion. The overall goal is to estimate the fraction of binary systems that allow Earth-like planets…
The aim of the project is to improve our knowledge on the multiplicity of planet-host stars at wide physical separations. We cross-matched approximately 6200 square degree area of the Southern sky imaged by the Visible Infrared Survey…
As part of an ongoing collaboration between student groups at high schools and professional astronomers, we have searched for the presence of circum-binary planets in a bona-fide unbiased sample of twelve post-common envelope binaries…
We present an extensive search in the literature and Gaia DR2 for visual co-moving binary companions to stars hosting exoplanets and brown dwarfs within 200 pc. We found 218 planet hosts out of 938 to be part of multiple-star systems, with…
Using Non-Redundant Mask interferometry (NRM), we searched for binary companions to objects previously classified as Transitional Disks (TD). These objects are thought to be an evolutionary stage between an optically thick disk and…