Direct Imaging Detection of the Protoplanet AB Aur b at Wavelengths Covering Paβ

Abstract

Recently, Biddle et al. claimed a non-detection of the protoplanet AB Aurigae b in Keck/NIRC2 Paβ imaging. I reprocess these newly public data and compare them to data from the extreme AO platform (SCExAO/CHARIS) used to discover AB Aur b. AB Aur b is decisively imaged with SCExAO/CHARIS at wavelengths covering Paβ. The Biddle et al. non detection of AB Aur b results from a far poorer image quality that is non competitive with SCExAO/CHARIS. Their contrast limits and thus constraints on accretion are overestimated due to an inaccurate AB Aur b source model. Irrespective of image quality, single-band Paβ imaging is ill suited to conclusively identify accretion onto AB Aur b. Instead, high-resolution Hα spectroscopy may provide accretion signatures. Aside from PDS 70, AB Aurigae remains the system with the strongest evidence for having a directly imaged protoplanet.