parent star. However, such high-contrast imaging (e.g., a part in $10^{7-10}$ in the visible) has not to date been achieved. Instead, the vast majority of known extrasolar giant planets (EGPs) have been discovered from the ground using the indirect technique of high-precision stellar spectroscopy[@MayorQueloz95; @mb96; @encycl]. Due to gravitational attraction, an orbiting planet induces a Doppler wobble in its parent star. If the planet is massive and close enough, the periodic variation in the stellar spectral lines can be measured. The planet’s period ($P$), eccentricity ($e$), orbital semi-major axis ($a$), and projected mass (M$_{\rm p}\sin(i)$), where $i$ is the inclination of the orbit, can thereby be determined. The larger M$_{\rm p}\sin(i)$, the larger the signal. This is the reason the first planets detected were the EGPs. Terrestrial planets, such as Earth and Venus, are $\sim$300 times lighter than Jupiter, while ice giants, such as Uranus and Neptune, are $\sim$20 times lighter.

Before I delve into the physical theory of EGPs and their direct detection, I summarize the basic facts of the known members of the EGP family. The first extrasolar giant planet culled was 51 Peg b [@MayorQueloz95] and it is in a tight 4.2-day orbit, one hundred times closer 