Optimized Bandpasses for the Habitable Worlds Observatory's ExoEarth Survey

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Stark, Christopher C., Latouf, Natasha, Mandell, Avi M., Young, Amber
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Stark, Christopher C.
Latouf, Natasha
Mandell, Avi M.
Young, Amber
author_facet Stark, Christopher C.
Latouf, Natasha
Mandell, Avi M.
Young, Amber
contents A primary scientific goal of the future Habitable Worlds Observatory will be the direct detection and characterization of Earth-like planets. Estimates of the exoplanet yields for this concept will help guide mission design through detailed trade studies. It is therefore critical that yield estimation codes optimally adapt observations to the mission's performance parameters to ensure accurate trade studies. To aid in this, we implement wavelength optimization in yield calculations for the first time, allowing the yield code to determine the ideal detection and characterization bandpasses. We use this new capability to confirm the observational wavelength assumptions made for the LUVOIR-B study, namely that the optimum detection wavelength is 500 nm for the majority of targets and the optimum wavelength to detect water is near 1000 nm, given LUVOIR-B's assumed instrument performance parameters. We show that including the wavelength dependent albedo of an Earth twin as a prior provides no significant benefit to the yields of exoEarth candidates and caution against tuning observations to modern Earth twins. We also show that coronagraphs whose inner working angles are similar to step functions may benefit from wavelength optimization and demonstrate how wavelength-dependent instrument performance can impact the optimum wavelengths for detection and characterization. The optimization methods we implement automate wavelength selection and remove uncertainties regarding these choices, helping to adapt the observations to the instrument's performance parameters.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2404_05654
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Optimized Bandpasses for the Habitable Worlds Observatory's ExoEarth Survey
Stark, Christopher C.
Latouf, Natasha
Mandell, Avi M.
Young, Amber
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
A primary scientific goal of the future Habitable Worlds Observatory will be the direct detection and characterization of Earth-like planets. Estimates of the exoplanet yields for this concept will help guide mission design through detailed trade studies. It is therefore critical that yield estimation codes optimally adapt observations to the mission's performance parameters to ensure accurate trade studies. To aid in this, we implement wavelength optimization in yield calculations for the first time, allowing the yield code to determine the ideal detection and characterization bandpasses. We use this new capability to confirm the observational wavelength assumptions made for the LUVOIR-B study, namely that the optimum detection wavelength is 500 nm for the majority of targets and the optimum wavelength to detect water is near 1000 nm, given LUVOIR-B's assumed instrument performance parameters. We show that including the wavelength dependent albedo of an Earth twin as a prior provides no significant benefit to the yields of exoEarth candidates and caution against tuning observations to modern Earth twins. We also show that coronagraphs whose inner working angles are similar to step functions may benefit from wavelength optimization and demonstrate how wavelength-dependent instrument performance can impact the optimum wavelengths for detection and characterization. The optimization methods we implement automate wavelength selection and remove uncertainties regarding these choices, helping to adapt the observations to the instrument's performance parameters.
title Optimized Bandpasses for the Habitable Worlds Observatory's ExoEarth Survey
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.05654