  Measurements of the frequency with which short-period planets occur around
main sequence stars allows a direct prediction of the number and types of such
planets that will be amenable to characterization by high-contrast instruments
on future giant segmented- mirror telescopes (GSMTs). Adopting conservative
assumptions, I predict of order 10 planets with radii R_P=1-8 R_Earth and
equilibrium temperatures <400 K should be accessible around stars within 8 pc
of the Sun. These numbers are roughly the same for both near-infrared
observations of scattered starlight and mid-infrared observations of planetary
thermal emission, with the latter observations demonstrating greater relative
sensitivity to smaller and cooler planets. Adopting the conservative assumption
that planets with R_P=1-2 R_E and 2-4 R_E occur with equal frequency, I predict
a 40% chance that a planet with R_P=1-2 R_E and equilibrium temperature 200-250
K will accessible to high-contrast thermal infrared characterization; this
would be a compelling object for further study. To validate these predictions,
more detailed analyses are needed of the occurrence frequencies of low-mass
planets around M dwarfs, both in the Kepler field and in the solar
neighborhood. Several planets already discovered by radial velocity surveys
will be accessible to near-infrared high-contrast GSMT observations, including
the low-mass planets alpha Cen Bb and (depending on their albedos) GJ 139c and
d, GJ 876b and c, and tau Cet b, c, and d; tau Cet f would be amenable to
thermal infrared characterization. Further efforts to model the near-infrared
reflectance and mid-infrared emission of these and other short-period planets
are clearly warranted, and will pave the way for the interpretation of future
high-contrast characterization of a variety of planets around the nearest
stars.
