Computer Science – Operating Systems
Scientific paper
Dec 2004
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004aas...20517103h&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society Meeting 205, #171.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 37, p.375
Computer Science
Operating Systems
Scientific paper
The primary objectives of the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C) are to survey at least 35 nearby main-sequence stars in search of earth-like planets, and if found, to characterize them. TPF-C is unusual in that the target is not a specific object but a circumstellar region, the ``habitable zone'' = 0.7-1.5 Lbol.5 AU, which may contain several planets whose positions and (phase-dependent) brightnesses are constantly changing. In order to explore observing strategies for TPF-C, one of us (DJL) has developed a visual software tool called {\textit tpf_planner} that enables the user to try out different approaches. We have used {\textit tpf_planner} to simulate observations of about 50 likely TPF-C target stars. Some preliminary results include: \begin{itemize}
Planets are easier to detect around late-type stars than around early-type stars;
Surveys of late-type stars can be accomplished in one observing season (6 months), whereas surveys of early-F stars could take up to four years;
Many stars require only 3 visits to survey at least 90% of the habitable zone;
Exo-zodi background is often the limiting factor for planet detection, but CCD read noise is usually the limiting factor for spectroscopy.
The development of {\textit tpf_planner} was funded by the TPF project. The software, which runs under most operating systems, is freely available. Please contact lindler@rockit.gsfc.nasa.gov.
Heap Sally R.
Lindler Don J.
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