Detection of Planetary Spectral Features through Circumstellar Dust — A Monte Carlo Simulation

Abstract

One of the methods envisaged to detect planets outside of our solar system assumes that certain spectroscopic features at 10 and below 20 µm wavelength are typical of planets. Their detection would then be an unambiguous sign of the presence of Earth-like planets. In these spectral regions, there might be interference with other features being generally typical of circumstellar material: the silicate features of dust. In order to get an estimate of this effect, we used our 3D Monte Carlo radiation transport code to model the spectrum of a Keplerian disk with embedded artificial planets encircling a central star of solar luminosity and temperature. The disk structure and the grain model resemble real properties in protoplanetary disks. The model was calculated for a set of different optical depths at various positions of the observer with respect to the configuration, the detectability of the embedded planetary sources is discussed.