Origins Space Telescope Mission Concept Study Report

Meixner, Margaret; Cooray, Asantha; Leisawitz, David; Staguhn, Johannes; Armus, L.; Battersby, Cara; Bauer, J. M.; Bergin, Edwin A.; Bradford, C. M.; Ennico-Smith, Kimberly; Fortney, J. J.; Kataria, Tiffany; Melnick, Gary J.; Milam, Stephanie; Narayanan, Desika; Padgett, Deborah; Pontoppidan, K. M.; Pope, Alexandra; Roellig, Thomas L.; Sandström, Karin; Stevenson, Kevin B.; Su, K. Y. L.; Vieira, J. D.; Wright, E. L.; Žmuidzinas, J.; Sheth, Kartik; Benford, Dominic J.; Mamajek, Eric E.; Neff, Susan G.; Beck, E. De; Gérin, M.; Helmich, Frank; Sakon, Itsuki; Scott, Danica R.; Vavrek, R.; Wiedner, Martina C.; Carey, Sean; Burgarella, D.; Moseley, S. H.; Amatucci, Edward; Carter, R.C.; DiPirro, Michael; Wu, C.; Beaman, B.; Beltran, P.; Bolognese, J.; Bradley, Damon; Corsetti, James A.; D'Asto, T.; Denis, Kevin; Derkacz, C.; Earle, C. P.; Fantano, Louis G.; Folta, D.; Gavares, Benjamin J.; Generie, J.; Hilliard, L.; Howard, Joseph M.; Jamil, A.; Jamison, Tracee L.; Martins, Gregory E.; Petro, Susanna; Ramspacher, D.; Rao, A.; Sandin, C.; Stoneking, Eric; Tompkins, Steve; Webster, Cassandra

doi:10.48550/arxiv.1912.06213

Cited by 38 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 497 publications

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“…Moreover, the accumulation of biogenic oxygen in planetary atmospheres, as has occurred on Earth (Holland, 2006;Lyons et al, 2014), is readily detectable over interstellar distances thanks to absorption features in the visible, near IR, and (for ozone) thermal infrared (reviewed by Meadows et al, 2018). Indeed, three of the four proposed mission concepts currently under consideration by the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey are specifically designed to be capable of life detection via oxygen or ozone (Fischer et al, 2019;Gaudi et al, 2020;Meixner et al, 2019). Ground-based Extremely Large Telescopes may also be capable of oxygen detection via high resolution spectroscopy (Leung et al, 2020;Rodler & López-Morales, 2014;Snellen et al, 2013).…”

Section: Agu Advancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxygen False Positives on Habitable Zone Planets Around Sun‐Like Stars

et al. 2021

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The search for life beyond Earth is a key motivator for exoplanet astronomy. Among the various life detection approaches that have been proposed, atmospheric oxygen is arguably the most promising biosignature. This is because any organism that adapts to exploit free energy from starlight will have a competitive advantage over organisms that are limited by geochemical sources of free energy. The earliest incontrovertible evidence for life on Earth around 3.5 Ga coincides with fossilized photosynthetic stromatolites (Buick, 2008). While it is unknown whether the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis is contingent-the metabolism emerged only once in Earth's history (Mulkidjanian et al., 2006)-oxygenic photosynthesis confers a unique evolutionary advantage over other forms of photosynthesis since the required substrates, carbon dioxide

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Section: Agu Advancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxygen False Positives on Habitable Zone Planets Around Sun‐Like Stars

et al. 2021

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“…The growing excitement of the chance to discover signs of life on exoplanets by way of exoplanet atmosphere biosignature gases is motivating many new simulations to assess detectability. The excitement is tempered by the reality that only a small number of potentially habitable rocky planets will be accessible for such observations with the next-generation telescopes expected in the next two decades, including the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) [1], the "extremely large" ground-based telescopes now under construction [2][3][4], and possible space observatories such as the Starshade Rendezvous Probe [5], The HabEx Observatory [6], the LUVOIR telescope [7], or the Origins Space Telescope [8].…”

Section: Motivation To Expand the Pool Of Planets Considered To Be Po...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Possibilities for an Aerial Biosphere in Temperate Sub Neptune-Sized Exoplanet Atmospheres

et al. 2021

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The search for signs of life through the detection of exoplanet atmosphere biosignature gases is gaining momentum. Yet, only a handful of rocky exoplanet atmospheres are suitable for observation with planned next-generation telescopes. To broaden prospects, we describe the possibilities for an aerial, liquid water cloud-based biosphere in the atmospheres of sub Neptune-sized temperate exoplanets, those receiving Earth-like irradiation from their host stars. One such planet is known (K2-18b) and other candidates are being followed up. Sub Neptunes are common and easier to study observationally than rocky exoplanets because of their larger sizes, lower densities, and extended atmospheres or envelopes. Yet, sub Neptunes lack any solid surface as we know it, so it is worthwhile considering whether their atmospheres can support an aerial biosphere. We review, synthesize, and build upon existing research. Passive microbial-like life particles must persist aloft in a region with liquid water clouds for long enough to metabolize, reproduce, and spread before downward transport to lower altitudes that may be too hot for life of any kind to survive. Dynamical studies are needed to flesh out quantitative details of life particle residence times. A sub Neptune would need to be a part of a planetary system with an unstable asteroid belt in order for meteoritic material to provide nutrients, though life would also need to efficiently reuse and recycle metals. The origin of life may be the most severe limiting challenge. Regardless of the uncertainties, we can keep an open mind to the search for biosignature gases as a part of general observational studies of sub Neptune exoplanets.

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“…between 10µm and 300µm). Possible candidate missions include the very ambitious Origins Space Telescope (OST, Meixner et al, 2019) and the smaller size Galaxy Evolution Probe telescope (GEP, Glenn et al, 2021), which has the main goal to map the history of galaxy growth through star formation and accretion by supermassive black holes and to characterize the relationship between these two processes. The pioneering study of the scientific potential of an IR space telescope for galaxy evolution studies throughout cosmic time has been provided by Spinoglio et al (2017Spinoglio et al ( , 2021a, based on the SPICA mission project (Swinyard et al, 2009;Roelfsema et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Galaxy evolution through infrared and submillimeter spectroscopy: Measuring star formation and black hole accretion with JWST and ALMA

Mordini,

Spinoglio,

Fernández-Ontiveros

2021

Preprint

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Origins Space Telescope Mission Concept Study Report

Cited by 38 publications

References 497 publications

Oxygen False Positives on Habitable Zone Planets Around Sun‐Like Stars

Oxygen False Positives on Habitable Zone Planets Around Sun‐Like Stars

Possibilities for an Aerial Biosphere in Temperate Sub Neptune-Sized Exoplanet Atmospheres

Galaxy evolution through infrared and submillimeter spectroscopy: Measuring star formation and black hole accretion with JWST and ALMA

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