Characterization of Planetary Systems with Astrometry

Abstract: Astrometry is the oldest method used to search for extrasolar planets. This technique provides key information about a planetary system, like the true mass of planets and its three-dimensional orbital architecture. Nowadays, the space-based mission Gaia, on one hand, and ground-based interferometry at infrared and radio wavelengths, on the other hand, can achieve astrometric accuracies of tens of micro-arseconds. Thanks to this unprecedented level of accuracy, the number of astrometrically discovered exoplanets has started to grow. In this chapter, I review the basic principles for orbital characterization of unseen planetary companions using astrometric data. I also review the properties of the exoplanets discovered so far with astrometric methods and comment on the contributions that this technique can make to the exoplanet field.