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Title:
Worlds Beyond: A Strategy for the Detection and Characterization of Exoplanets
Authors:
Lunine, Jonathan I.; xoPlanet Task Force, E.
Affiliation:
AA(Univ. of Arizona), AB(http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/exoptf.jsp)
Publication:
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #40, #1.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 40, p.385
Publication Date:
09/2008
Origin:
AAS
Bibliographic Code:
2008DPS....40.0101L

Abstract

We summarize the recent report of the Exoplanet Task Force, which was charged by NASA and NSF through the Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committtee to develop a 15-year scientific strategy for the detection and characterization of exoplanets down to the size of Earth. The raw material for the strategy was provided in the form of invited briefings and 85 white papers received from the community. The time horizon for the strategy is divided into three epochs, 1-5, 6-10 and 11-15 years. A two-pronged effort is recommended, one focused on ultimately detecting and characterizing Earth-size/Earth-mass planets around M-dwarfs using ground-based and space assets in place or under development today, and the second with the ultimate goal of detecting and characterizing Earth-size/Earth-mass planets around stars like our Sun with new capabilities whose technologies are under development today. A pivot point in the strategy is deployment in the second epoch of an astrometric facility in space with the sensitivity to survey at 0.2 microarcsecond accuracy for one Earth-mass planets around 60-100 solar-type stars in our cosmic neighborhood, providing a target list for a direct-detection mission to be deployed in the final epoch. Following this, in the third epoch, a direct-detection mission is deployed capable of doing a spectroscopic examination of Earth-mass planets identified by the astrometric mission. In this paper we explain the importance of obtaining mass and orbital information on potential Earth-sized planets and derive the required accuracies. Because the charter of the DPS now includes the study of exoplanets, it is to be hoped that the DPS membership will consider carefully this strategy as a means to the end of the long search for planets like our own around other suns.
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