Justin Crepp (Caltech) - Ground-based Exoplanet Imaging: New Science Programs and the Prospects for Discovery

High-contrast imaging observations have recently revealed the presence of massive planets orbiting at wide separations around nearby stars. New instruments are being assembled that will come on-line within the next year and generate contrast levels two orders of magnitude deeper than the current state-of-the-art. These instruments will also provide spectra for each planet that they detect. In this talk, I will explain why planets have thus far been imaged preferentially around MK,A stars but not spectral-types in between, despite concerted efforts targeting F and G stars. I will then discuss the prospects for ground-based surveys to make additional discoveries, and to perform characterization studies of unprecedented detail, highlighting new science programs at Palomar, Keck, and elsewhere.