9 research outputs found
Darwin -— an experimental astronomy mission to search for extrasolar planets
As a response to ESA call for mission concepts for its Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 plan, we propose a mission called Darwin. Its primary goal is the study of terrestrial extrasolar planets and the search for life on them. In this paper, we describe different characteristics of the instrument
Interferometric Space Missions for the Search for Terrestrial Exoplanets: Requirements on the Rejection Ratio
The requirements on space missions designed to study Terrestrial exoplanets
are discussed. We then investigate whether the design of such a mission,
specifically the Darwin nulling interferometer, can be carried out in a
simplified scenario. The key element here is accepting somewhat higher levels
of stellar leakage. We establish detailed requirements resulting from the
scientific rationale for the mission, and calculate detailed parameters for the
stellar suppression required to achieve those requirements. We do this
utilizing the Darwin input catalogue. The dominating noise source for most
targets in this sample is essentially constant for all targets, while the
leakage diminishes with the square of the distance. This means that the stellar
leakage has an effect on the integration time only for the nearby stars, while
for the more distant targets its influence decreases significantly. We assess
the impact of different array configurations and nulling profiles and identify
the stars for which the detection efficiency can be maximized.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures; TBP in Astrophysics and Space Science 200
New technologies for exoplanet detection with mid-IR interferometers
This paper provides an overview of technology development for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPF-I). TPF-I is a mid-infrared space interferometer being designed with the capability of detecting Earth-like planets in the habitable zones around nearby stars
Technology for a Mid-IR Flagship Mission to Characterize Earth-like Exoplanets
Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Astro 2010. Astro2010: The Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. vol. 2010.Not Availabl
Technology for a Mid-IR Flagship Mission to Characterize Earth-like Exoplanets
Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Astro 2010. Astro2010: The Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. vol. 2010.Not Availabl