Program: GN-2005B-Q-19

We propose to continue our programme of obtaining deep, near-IR images of nearby white dwarfs to search for massive planetary companions (>5Mjup). Radial velocity surveys are currently biased towards massive, short period planets that cannot be imaged by any currently available techniques. By targeting white dwarfs, we obtain 1000-10,000 times better contrast than surveys around solar-like stars. Due to outward migration during primary mass loss, we expect to find planets in orbits between 10 and >100AU (100AU=10" at 10 pc). Thus, we are probing a region not currently covered by radial velocity surveys. These observations will also provide some of the first extra-solar planets that can be directly observed (and hence examined spectroscopically), constrain the frequency of stars more massive than the Sun (1.5-8Msun) with planetary companions, and constrain the frequency of solar systems dynamically similar to our own.