Making good use of JWST's coronagraphs: tools and strategies from a user's perspective

Girard, J.; Blair, William P.; Brooks, Brian; Brooks, Keira; Brown, Robert A.; Bushouse, H.; Canipe, Alicia; Chen, Christine; Correnti, Matteo; Hagan, J.; Hilbert, B.; Hines, Dean C.; Leisenring, Jarron; Long, Joseph D.; Nickson, Bryony; Perrin, Marshall D.; Pontoppidan, K. M.; Pueyo, Laurent; Rajan, Abhijith; Riedel, Adric R.; Soummer, Rémi; Stansberry, J.; Stark, Christopher C.; Gorkom, Kyle Van; York, Brian

doi:10.1117/12.2314198

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 21 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…All simulations are performed using the package PanCAKE 1 (Van Gorkom et al 2016;Perrin et al 2018;Girard et al 2018), which is based on the official JWST exposure time calculator Pandeia (Pontoppidan et al 2016). Given a desired input scene, PanCAKE is capable of producing corresponding 2D simulated images for all coronagraphic observations with the NIRCam and MIRI instruments aboard JWST.…”

Section: Pancake Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct imaging of sub-Jupiter mass exoplanets with James Webb Space Telescope coronagraphy

Carter

Hinkley

Bonavita

et al. 2020

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), currently scheduled to launch in 2021, will dramatically advance our understanding of exoplanetary systems with its ability to directly image and characterise planetary-mass companions at wide separations through coronagraphy. Using state-of-the-art simulations of JWST performance, in combination with the latest evolutionary models, we present the most sophisticated simulated mass sensitivity limits of JWST coronagraphy to date. In particular, we focus our efforts towards observations of members within the nearby young moving groups β Pictoris and TW Hya. These limits indicate that whilst JWST will provide little improvement towards imaging exoplanets at short separations, at wide separations the increase in sensitivity is dramatic. We predict JWST will be capable of imaging sub-Jupiter mass objects beyond ∼30 au, sub-Saturn mass objects beyond ∼50 au, and that beyond ∼100 au, JWST will be capable of directly imaging companions as small as 0.1 MJ − at least an order of magnitude improvement over the leading ground-based instruments. Probing this unexplored parameter space will be of immediate value to modelling efforts focused on planetary formation and population synthesis. JWST will also serve as an excellent complement to ground based observatories through its unique ability to characterise previously detected companions across the near- to mid-infrared for the first time.

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Section: Pancake Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct imaging of sub-Jupiter mass exoplanets with James Webb Space Telescope coronagraphy

Carter

Hinkley

Bonavita

et al. 2020

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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The JWST Early Release Science Program for the Direct Imaging and Spectroscopy of Exoplanetary Systems

Hinkley

Carter

Ray

et al. 2022

PASP

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The direct characterization of exoplanetary systems with high-contrast imaging is among the highest priorities for the broader exoplanet community. As large space missions will be necessary for detecting and characterizing exo-Earth twins, developing the techniques and technology for direct imaging of exoplanets is a driving focus for the community. For the first time, JWST will directly observe extrasolar planets at mid-infrared wavelengths beyond 5 μm, deliver detailed spectroscopy revealing much more precise chemical abundances and atmospheric conditions, and provide sensitivity to analogs of our solar system ice-giant planets at wide orbital separations, an entirely new class of exoplanet. However, in order to maximize the scientific output over the lifetime of the mission, an exquisite understanding of the instrumental performance of JWST is needed as early in the mission as possible. In this paper, we describe our 55 hr Early Release Science Program that will utilize all four JWST instruments to extend the characterization of planetary-mass companions to ∼15 μm as well as image a circumstellar disk in the mid-infrared with unprecedented sensitivity. Our program will also assess the performance of the observatory in the key modes expected to be commonly used for exoplanet direct imaging and spectroscopy, optimize data calibration and processing, and generate representative data sets that will enable a broad user base to effectively plan for general observing programs in future Cycles.

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The Feasibility of Directly Imaging Nearby Cold Jovian Planets with MIRI/JWST

Brande

Barclay

Schlieder

et al. 2019

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The upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will dramatically increase our understanding of exoplanets, particularly through direct imaging. Microlensing and radial velocity surveys indicate that some M-dwarfs host long period giant planets. Some of these planets will likely be just a few parsecs away and a few AU from their host stars, a parameter space that cannot be probed by existing high-contrast imagers. We studied whether the coronagraphs on the Mid-Infrared Instrument on JWST can detect Jovian-type planets around nearby M-dwarfs. For a sample of 27 very nearby M-dwarfs, we simulated a sample of Saturn-Jupiter-mass planets with three atmospheric configurations, three orbital separations, observed in three different filters. We found that the f1550c 15.5µm filter is best suited for detecting Jupiter-like planets. Jupiter-like planets with patchy cloud cover, 2 AU from their star, are detectable at 15.5µm around 14 stars in our sample, while Jupiters with clearer atmospheres are detectable around all stars in the sample. Saturns were most detectable at 10.65 and 11.4µm (f1065c and f1140c filters), but only with cloud-free atmospheres and within 3 pc (6 stars). Surveying all 27 stars would take < 170 hours of JWST integration time, or just a few hours for a shorter survey of the most favorable targets. There is one potentially detectable known planet in our sample -GJ 832 b. Observations aimed at detecting this planet should occur in 2024-2026, when the planet is maximally separated from the star. Sellers Exoplanet Environments Collaboration requires very high-contrast imaging capabilities, which make direct imaging very challenging for all but the most favorable targets. Ground-based, adaptive opticsequipped, large-diameter telescopes and high-contrast coronagraphs are the main drivers of direct imaging exoplanet detection, accounting for most of the directly imaged exoplanets currently known. These include notable discoveries such as four planets orbiting HR 8799 (Marois et al. 2008(Marois et al. , 2010, Beta Pictoris b (Lagrange et al. 2009), HD 95086 b (Rameau et al. 2013a,b), HIP 65426 b (Chauvin et al. 2017), 51 Eridani b (Macintosh et al. 2015), and the first directly imaged protoplanet, PDS 70 b (Keppler et al. 2018). Space-based direct imaging has also been successfully demonstrated: planets have been directly imaged with the Spitzer Space Telescope (HN Pegasi b, FU Tauri b,

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Making good use of JWST's coronagraphs: tools and strategies from a user's perspective

Cited by 5 publications

References 21 publications

Direct imaging of sub-Jupiter mass exoplanets with James Webb Space Telescope coronagraphy

Direct imaging of sub-Jupiter mass exoplanets with James Webb Space Telescope coronagraphy

The JWST Early Release Science Program for the Direct Imaging and Spectroscopy of Exoplanetary Systems

The Feasibility of Directly Imaging Nearby Cold Jovian Planets with MIRI/JWST

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