Program: GN-2009B-Q-17

Following our HR 8799 3-planet system discovery at Gemini, we propose to search for an additional planet at ~10 AU in this system and to pursue our ongoing volume-limited (<55 pc) deep AO/ADI A- & F-type star IDPS survey. Analyzes of star forming regions have shown that A-type stars have more frequent/massive disks than less massive stars, potentially triggering more massive planet formation on wider orbits. Stars as massive as A-type stars have been neglected in AO searches, including the Gemini Deep Planet Survey, while radial velocity surveys have reduced sensitivity for such stars. Thus planet/BD formation around more massive stars remains unconstrained. After combining this A-type star survey with our previous GDPS survey and new FGKM proposed targets for NICI, we will have, for the first time, a broader picture of the population of massive planets at large semi-major axes around a wide range of stellar mass.