56 research outputs found
The EXoplanetary Circumstellar Environments and Disk Explorer (EXCEDE)
We present an overview of the EXoplanetary Circumstellar Environments and
Disk Explorer (EXCEDE), selected by NASA for technology development and
maturation. EXCEDE will study the formation, evolution and architectures of
exoplanetary systems, and characterize circumstellar environments into stellar
habitable zones. EXCEDE provides contrast-limited scattered-light detection
sensitivities ~ 1000x greater than HST or JWST coronagraphs at a much smaller
effective inner working angle (IWA), thus enabling the exploration and
characterization of exoplanetary circumstellar disks in currently inaccessible
domains. EXCEDE will utilize a laboratory demonstrated high-performance Phase
Induced Amplitude Apodized Coronagraph (PIAA-C) integrated with a 70 cm
diameter unobscured aperture visible light telescope. The EXCEDE PIAA-C will
deliver star-to-disk augmented image contrasts of < 10E-8 and a 1.2 L/D IWA or
140 mas with a wavefront control system utilizing a 2000-element MEMS DM and
fast steering mirror. EXCEDE will provide 120 mas spatial resolution at 0.4
microns with dust detection sensitivity to levels of a few tens of zodis with
two-band imaging polarimetry. EXCEDE is a science-driven technology pathfinder
that will advance our understanding of the formation and evolution of
exoplanetary systems, placing our solar system in broader astrophysical
context, and will demonstrate the high contrast technologies required for
larger-scale follow-on and multi-wavelength investigations on the road to
finding and characterizing exo-Earths in the years ahead
Wage Inequality and Offshoring: Are They Related?
The objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of offs ho ring on wage inequality and labor productivity in the U.S. Short-run and long-run data tests are undertaken to analyze the relationship among off shoring, wage inequality, and labor productivity in the U.S. Cointegration tests indicate that these three variables are related in the long-run. The main contribution of this paper lies in its focus on the short-run investigation of the relationship among these three variables. This investigation is conducted using the vector error correction (VEC) testing framework. VEC tests indicate that offshoring has had a statistically significant impact on both labor productivity and wage inequality in the U.S
Planet Discoverer Interferometer (PDI) I: a potential precursor to Terrestrial Planet Finder
We consider a possible precursor interferometer to Terrestrial Planet Finder. The precursor called Planet Discoverer Interferometer (PDI) would search for broadband 10 μm radiation from possible terrestrial planets orbiting stars out to a distance of 8-10pc and at an angular separation of at least 0.1 arcseconds. There are about 20 stars of types A,F,G and K around which an Earth-analog might be detected. PDI would be able to confirm such planets by seeing their orbital motion. PDI would also be able to observe 5 μm radiation from the more massive and younger gas-giant planets around stars up to distances ∼ 150 pc, separated from their star by more than 0.05 arc seconds. It would also see the re-radiated thermal radiation of Jupiter-like planets at temperatures above ∼130K. The device would be a 15m long truss with four SIRTF-like telescopes. It would need to be in a SIRTF-like Earth-trailing orbit, and would be radiatively cooled. A very preliminary design suggest that PDI could fit into the shroud of a Delta II rocket. Similar preliminary calculations suggest that the total lifetime cost of such a mission would be under $300M. Detailed studies of this concept are in process
The Galactic Exoplanet Survey Telescope (GEST)
The Galactic Exoplanet Survey Telescope (GEST) will observe a 2 square degree
field in the Galactic bulge to search for extra-solar planets using a
gravitational lensing technique. This gravitational lensing technique is the
only method employing currently available technology that can detect Earth-mass
planets at high signal-to-noise, and can measure the frequency of terrestrial
planets as a function of Galactic position. GEST's sensitivity extends down to
the mass of Mars, and it can detect hundreds of terrestrial planets with
semi-major axes ranging from 0.7 AU to infinity. GEST will be the first truly
comprehensive survey of the Galaxy for planets like those in our own Solar
System.Comment: 17 pages with 13 figures, to be published in Proc. SPIE vol 4854,
"Future EUV-UV and Visible Space Astrophysics Missions and Instrumentation
Planet Discoverer Interferometer (PDI) I: a potential precursor to Terrestrial Planet Finder
We consider a possible precursor interferometer to Terrestrial Planet Finder. The precursor called Planet Discoverer Interferometer (PDI) would search for broadband 10 μm radiation from possible terrestrial planets orbiting stars out to a distance of 8-10pc and at an angular separation of at least 0.1 arcseconds. There are about 20 stars of types A,F,G and K around which an Earth-analog might be detected. PDI would be able to confirm such planets by seeing their orbital motion. PDI would also be able to observe 5 μm radiation from the more massive and younger gas-giant planets around stars up to distances ∼ 150 pc, separated from their star by more than 0.05 arc seconds. It would also see the re-radiated thermal radiation of Jupiter-like planets at temperatures above ∼130K. The device would be a 15m long truss with four SIRTF-like telescopes. It would need to be in a SIRTF-like Earth-trailing orbit, and would be radiatively cooled. A very preliminary design suggest that PDI could fit into the shroud of a Delta II rocket. Similar preliminary calculations suggest that the total lifetime cost of such a mission would be under $300M. Detailed studies of this concept are in process
Telescope to Observe Planetary Systems (TOPS): a high throughput 1.2-m visible telescope with a small inner working angle
The Telescope to Observe Planetary Systems (TOPS) is a proposed space mission
to image in the visible (0.4-0.9 micron) planetary systems of nearby stars
simultaneously in 16 spectral bands (resolution R~20). For the ~10 most
favorable stars, it will have the sensitivity to discover 2 R_E rocky planets
within habitable zones and characterize their surfaces or atmospheres through
spectrophotometry. Many more massive planets and debris discs will be imaged
and characterized for the first time. With a 1.2m visible telescope, the
proposed mission achieves its power by exploiting the most efficient and robust
coronagraphic and wavefront control techniques. The Phase-Induced Amplitude
Apodization (PIAA) coronagraph used by TOPS allows planet detection at 2
lambda/d with nearly 100% throughput and preserves the telescope angular
resolution. An efficient focal plane wavefront sensing scheme accurately
measures wavefront aberrations which are fed back to the telescope active
primary mirror. Fine wavefront control is also performed independently in each
of 4 spectral channels, resulting in a system that is robust to wavefront
chromaticity.Comment: 12 pages, SPIE conference proceeding, May 2006, Orlando, Florid
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