From brown dwarfs to exo-planets: ideas for a study of sub-stellar objects based on mid-infrared photometry at Dome-C

The installation of the InfraRed Antarctic Italian Telescope (IRAIT) at Dome-C will allow astronomical observations that could not be performed elsewhere. We consider here the search of cool objects around nearby stars. Starting from the importance of their emission at long wavelengths, we propose a purely photometric method to infer their fundamental properties such as radius and temperature. The method proves itself powerful also in disentangling the presence of planets from stellar variability. We analyze its feasibility and conclude that the best results are obtained at mid-infrared wavelengths. Therefore, we propose it as a science case for a future antarctic mid-infrared camera mounted at the focus of the IRAIT telescope.