Number of exoplanets detectable with the ngVLA

Determine how many Neptune-like planets and Super-Earths around nearby stars at approximately 10 pc, and Jupiter-like planets around stars in nearby star-forming regions at approximately 140 pc, can be detected with the next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) at an astrometric accuracy of 1 microarcsecond.

Background

The paper discusses the next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) as a forthcoming radio interferometric facility expected to achieve approximately 1 microarcsecond astrometric accuracy. Such precision could extend astrometric planet searches to lower-mass planets than are currently accessible, including Neptune-like planets and Super-Earths around nearby stars and Jupiter-like planets in nearby star-forming regions. However, the paper does not quantify the number of planets that would actually be detectable under these observational capabilities, leaving the expected yield unresolved.

References

An analysis similar to that presented in Fig. 2 suggests that, with this level of accuracy, the ngVLA should be able to detect the signatures of Neptune-like planets and Super-Earths around nearby stars (d ∼ 10 pc) and Jupiter-like planets around stars located in nearby star-forming regions (d ∼ 140 pc), although it is not clear how many of these planets can be detected.

— Characterization of Planetary Systems with Astrometry  (2609.26664 - Ortiz-Leon, 22 Sep 2026) in Section 3, paragraph preceding Section 3.1