Status and path forward for the large ultraviolet/optical/infrared surveyor (LUVOIR) mission concept study

Crooke, Julie A.; Roberge, Aki; Domagal-Goldman, Shawn; Mandell, Avi M.; Bolcar, Matthew R.; Rioux, Norman; Pérez, M. R.; Smith, Erin C.

doi:10.1117/12.2233084

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…The NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS, slated to launch in spring 2018) will identify small exoplanets orbiting bright stars with a range of stellar types. Many of these targets will be favorable for follow-up characterization from the ground with future ELTs, as well as from space-based observatories like the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST, slated to launch in the mid-2020s) and potential future large astrophysics mission facilities like the Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR; Crooke et al 2016), the Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx; Mennesson et al 2016), and the Origins Space Telescope (OST; Meixner et al 2016). WFIRST, HabEx and LUVOIR would directly image planets in reflected light over UV-optical wavelengths, while OST would probe the thermal emission of transiting exoplanets in the near-to far-infrared (IR).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric Circulation, Chemistry, and Infrared Spectra of Titan-like Exoplanets around Different Stellar Types

Lora

Kataria

2018

ApJ

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With the discovery of ever smaller and colder exoplanets, terrestrial worlds with hazy atmospheres must be increasingly considered. Our Solar System's Titan is a prototypical hazy planet, whose atmosphere may be representative of a large number of planets in our Galaxy. As a step towards characterizing such worlds, we present simulations of exoplanets that resemble Titan, but orbit three different stellar hosts: G-, K-, and M-dwarf stars. We use general circulation and photochemistry models to explore the circulation and chemistry of these Titan-like planets under varying stellar spectra, in all cases assuming a Titan-like insolation. Due to the strong absorption of visible light by atmospheric haze, the redder radiation accompanying later stellar types produces more isothermal stratospheres, stronger meridional temperature gradients at mbar pressures, and deeper and stronger zonal winds. In all cases, the planets' atmospheres are strongly superrotating, but meridional circulation cells are weaker aloft under redder starlight. The photochemistry of hydrocarbon and nitrile species varies with stellar spectra, with variations in the FUV/NUV flux ratio playing an important role. Our results tentatively suggest that column haze production rates could be similar under all three hosts, implying that planets around many different stars could have similar characteristics to Titan's atmosphere. Lastly, we present theoretical emission spectra. Overall, our study indicates that, despite important and subtle differences, the circulation and chemistry of Titan-like exoplanets are relatively insensitive to differences in host star. These findings may be further probed with future space-based facilities, like WFIRST, LUVOIR, HabEx, and OST.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric Circulation, Chemistry, and Infrared Spectra of Titan-like Exoplanets around Different Stellar Types

Lora

Kataria

2018

ApJ

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“…The LUVOIR telescope is a concept study for a large nextgeneration space telescope (Crooke et al 2016). The size of LUVOIR is not defined yet, but will likely be in the 10-16 m range.…”

Section: Speckle Noise and Its Chromaticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Observing Exoplanets with High Dispersion Coronagraphy. I. The Scientific Potential of Current and Next-generation Large Ground and Space Telescopes

et al. 2017

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Direct imaging of exoplanets presents a formidable technical challenge owing to the small angular separation and high contrast between exoplanets and their host stars. High Dispersion Coronagraphy (HDC) is a pathway to achieve unprecedented sensitivity to Earth-like planets in the habitable zone. Here, we present a framework to simulate HDC observations and data analyses. The goal of these simulations is to perform a detailed analysis of the trade-off between raw star light suppression and spectral resolution for various instrument configurations, target types, and science cases. We predict the performance of an HDC instrument at Keck observatory for characterizing directly imaged gas-giant planets in near-infrared bands. We also simulate HDC observations of an Earth-like planet using next-generation ground-based (TMT) and spaced-base telescopes (HabEx and LUVOIR). We conclude that ground-based ELTs are more suitable for HDC observations of an Earth-like planet than future space-based missions owing to the considerable difference in collecting area. For ground-based telescopes, HDC observations can detect an Earth-like planet in the habitable zone around an M-dwarf star at 10 −4 star light suppression level. Compared to the 10 −7 planet/star contrast, HDC relaxes the star light suppression requirement by a factor of 10 3 . For space-based telescopes, detector noise will be a major limitation at spectral resolutions higher than 10 4 . Considering detector noise and speckle chromatic noise, R=400 (1600) is the optimal spectral resolutions for HabEx (LUVOIR). The corresponding star light suppression requirement to detect a planet with planet/star contrast=´-6.1 10 11 is relaxed by a factor of 10 (100) for HabEx (LUVOIR).

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“…Observations of rocky planets in the habitable zones of more Sun-like stars will likely require space-based telescopes that are designed from the start with characterization of rocky worlds in mind. Two such mission concepts are currently being studied: the habitable exoplanet observatory (HabEx) (Mennesson and Mawet 2016) and the large ultraviolet/optical/infrared telescope (LUVOIR) (France et al 2015;Crooke et al 2016). Both of these missions, as well as the Origins Space Telescope (Cooray et al 2017), and the Lynx X-ray Observatory (Gaskin et al 2017;Branduardi-Raymont et al 2017) would conduct transit spectroscopy at complementary wavelengths to the targets ground-based facilities may observe.…”

Section: Leave No Stone Unturnedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…And the next generation of flagship space-based telescopes is being designed from the start with a biosignature search, and elimination of false positives for those biosignatures, in mind. These missions -HabEx (Mennesson and Mawet 2016) and LUVOIR (France et al 2015;Crooke et al 2016) -will have both the UV capability required for host star characterization and starlight suppression to allow for direct imaging spectroscopy of potentially habitable planets. This will provide reflectedlight spectroscopy from 0.3 μm to 1.8 (for HabEx) or 2.5 μm (for LUVOIR), including most of the false-positive discriminators.…”

Section: Where the Rubber Meets The Roadmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biosignature False Positives

Harman¹,

Domagal-Goldman²

2018

Handbook of Exoplanets

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Status and path forward for the large ultraviolet/optical/infrared surveyor (LUVOIR) mission concept study

Cited by 9 publications

References 1 publication

Atmospheric Circulation, Chemistry, and Infrared Spectra of Titan-like Exoplanets around Different Stellar Types

Atmospheric Circulation, Chemistry, and Infrared Spectra of Titan-like Exoplanets around Different Stellar Types

Observing Exoplanets with High Dispersion Coronagraphy. I. The Scientific Potential of Current and Next-generation Large Ground and Space Telescopes

Biosignature False Positives

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