Science yield estimate with the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope coronagraph
Abstract
The coronagraph instrument (CGI) on the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope will directly image and spectrally characterize planets and circumstellar disks around nearby stars. Here we estimate the expected science yield of the CGI for known radial-velocity (RV) planets and potential circumstellar disks. The science return is estimated for three types of coronagraphs: the hybrid Lyot and shaped pupil are the currently planned designs, and the phase-induced amplitude apodizing complex mask coronagraph is the backup design. We compare the potential performance of each type for imaging as well as spectroscopy. We find that the RV targets can be imaged in sufficient numbers to produce substantial advances in the science of nearby exoplanets. To illustrate the potential for circumstellar disk detections, we estimate the brightness of zodiacal-type disks, which could be detected simultaneously during RV planet observations.
Additional Information
© 2016 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. Received June 15, 2015; Accepted February 22, 2016. Published online Mar. 18, 2016. We thank the referee for valuable comments, which led to significant improvements in the text. This research has made use of the Exoplanet Orbit Database and the Exoplanet Data Explorer at exoplanets.org. This research has made use of the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which is operated by the California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under the Exoplanet Exploration Program. The research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.Attached Files
Published - JATIS_2_1_011020.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 71198
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20161018-070312790
- NASA/Caltech
- NASA/JPL/Caltech
- Created
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2016-10-18Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-11Created from EPrint's last_modified field