A Binary Flux Calibrator Reveals the Scientific Potential of Short-integration JWST MIRI Imaging to Directly Detect sub-Jupiter Exoplanets
Abstract
We report the direct imaging detection of a stellar companion to HD 101452 (HIP 56925; Gaia DR3 5384905720847544192), an A star historically used as an infrared flux calibrator. The companion was identified from an asymmetry in the stellar PSF using short-integration (<1 min), noncoronagraphic JWST MIRI imaging from 15 - 25.5μm that was obtained as part of the absolute flux calibration program CAL 4496. We detect the stellar companion in four MIRI imaging filters at a projected separation of 1.3 arcsec with a mid-infrared flux ratio of approximately 27× warranting its removal from the ensemble of JWST flux calibrator systems. This detection also demonstrates that noncoronagraphic MIRI imaging can recover companions at separations below 3λ/D when a reference star with a closely matched flux level to the science target is available. Using the measured contrast curves from the calibration data, we evaluate the predicted sensitivity achievable with similar short MIRI observations for nearby stars (<30 pc) that are of interest to the direct-imaging community with comparable brightness to HD 101452 (W4 ~ 6.8 mag). We find that integrations of only 17-42 s are be capable of detecting sub-Jupiter-mass planets at solar system-like separations around a subset of neighboring systems if the PSF subtraction is conducted with closely flux-matched references. These results demonstrate that minutes-length, noncoronagraphic MIRI observations can provide a powerful and efficient new avenue for exploring the cold giant planet population around nearby stars.
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BibTeX
@misc{bowensrubin2026binary,
title = {{A Binary Flux Calibrator Reveals the Scientific Potential of Short-integration JWST MIRI Imaging to Directly Detect sub-Jupiter Exoplanets}},
author = {Rachel Bowens-Rubin and Mary Anne Limbach and Alexander Venner and Kyle Franson and Emily K. Pass and Andrew Vanderburg and Kevin B. Stevenson and Logan Pearce and Taylor L. Tobin and Elisabeth Matthews and Aiza Kenzhebekova and Beth Biller and Ben J. Sutlieff and Klaus Subbotina Stephenson},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.19133},
eprint = {2609.19133},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19133},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A Binary Flux Calibrator Reveals the Scientific Potential of Short-integration JWST MIRI Imaging to Directly Detect sub-Jupiter Exoplanets
AU - Rachel Bowens-Rubin
AU - Mary Anne Limbach
AU - Alexander Venner
AU - Kyle Franson
AU - Emily K. Pass
AU - Andrew Vanderburg
AU - Kevin B. Stevenson
AU - Logan Pearce
AU - Taylor L. Tobin
AU - Elisabeth Matthews
AU - Aiza Kenzhebekova
AU - Beth Biller
AU - Ben J. Sutlieff
AU - Klaus Subbotina Stephenson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.19133
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19133
AB - We report the direct imaging detection of a stellar companion to HD 101452 (HIP 56925; Gaia DR3 5384905720847544192), an A star historically used as an infrared flux calibrator. The companion was identified from an asymmetry in the stellar PSF using short-integration (<1 min), noncoronagraphic JWST MIRI imaging from 15 - 25.5μm that was obtained as part of the absolute flux calibration program CAL 4496. We detect the stellar companion in four MIRI imaging filters at a projected separation of 1.3 arcsec with a mid-infrared flux ratio of approximately 27× warranting its removal from the ensemble of JWST flux calibrator systems. This detection also demonstrates that noncoronagraphic MIRI imaging can recover companions at separations below 3λ/D when a reference star with a closely matched flux level to the science target is available. Using the measured contrast curves from the calibration data, we evaluate the predicted sensitivity achievable with similar short MIRI observations for nearby stars (<30 pc) that are of interest to the direct-imaging community with comparable brightness to HD 101452 (W4 ~ 6.8 mag). We find that integrations of only 17-42 s are be capable of detecting sub-Jupiter-mass planets at solar system-like separations around a subset of neighboring systems if the PSF subtraction is conducted with closely flux-matched references. These results demonstrate that minutes-length, noncoronagraphic MIRI observations can provide a powerful and efficient new avenue for exploring the cold giant planet population around nearby stars.
ER -