Direct Imaging of Exoplanets (IAU C200): Science and Techniques (Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union Symposia and Colloquia) Book

The direct detection and analysis of exoplanets, planets orbiting distant stars, is considered to be the next great frontier in astrophysics. This volume reports the communications of the first IAU conference devoted to the direct imaging of exoplanets. It focuses both on the presentation of science goals for the direct detection of terrestrial and giant exoplanets, and on the analysis of instrumentation and important techniques to achieve that goal. IAU C200 describes the latest theoretical developments in understanding the formation and evolution of planetary systems and presents state of the art instrumental concepts and data analysis methods. It also discusses trends in future ground-based and space instrumentation, including the current major international projects. This volume provides researchers and graduate students with a wealth of information on the current state of exoplanetary astrophysics and its future prospects.