SAM detection limits of 8 debris disks

We aim to study debris disks with aperture masking to probe the close environment of the stars. Our goal is either to find low-mass companions, or to set detection limits. We observed eight stars presenting debris disks ({beta} Pictoris, AU Microscopii, 49 Ceti, {eta} Telescopii, Fomalhaut, g Lupi, HD 181327, and HR 8799) with SAM technique on the NaCo instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT).

No close companions were detected using closure phase information under 0.5" of separation from the parent stars. We obtained magnitude detection limits that we converted to Jupiter masses detection limits using theoretical isochrones from evolutionary models. We derived upper mass limits on the presence of companions in the area of a few times the telescope's diffraction limits around each target star.