Direct Imaging of Nearby Exoplanets with a Small Size Space Telescope: Telescope to Observe Planetary System (TOPS)

Details Direct Imaging of Nearby Exoplanets with a Small Size Space Telescope: Telescope to Observe Planetary System (TOPS) Direct Imaging of Nearby Exoplanets with a Small Size Space Telescope: Telescope to Observe Planetary System (TOPS)

Jun 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007lyot.confe..37g&link_type=abstract

Proceedings of the conference In the Spirit of Bernard Lyot: The Direct Detection of Planets and Circumstellar Disks in the 21s

Physics

Scientific paper

The Telescope to Observe Planetary Systems (TOPS) is a proposed space mission to image in the visible (0.4-0.9 micron) planetary systems of nearby stars and provide low resolution spectrophotometry with a small size telescope (2m or less). TOPS incorporates a highly efficient Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization (PIAA) coronagraph, high accuracy wavefront control techniques and a thermally actuated primary mirror. TOPS can detect planets within 2 lambda/d with nearly 100% throughput and preserves the full angular resolution of the telescope. An ongoing laboratory experiment has successfully demonstrated high contrast coronagraphic imaging within 2 lambda/d with the PIAA coronagraph and focal plane wavefront sensing scheme envisioned for TOPS. The same techniques are currently being developed for ground-based high dynamical range imaging on the Subaru Telescope. For the ~10 most favorable stars, a 1.2m TOPS would have the sensitivity to discover 2 R_E rocky planets within habitable zones and characterize their surfaces or atmospheres through spectrophotometry. Many more massive planets and debris discs will be imaged and characterized for the first time. TOPS2, a 2m version of TOPS, would allow direct imaging and spectrophotometry of Earth-sized planets around at least 20 nearby stars.

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