Optical design for Terrestrial Planet Finder
Abstract
We describe the features of the optical system for Terrestrial Planet Finder, a space-based, cryogenic interferometer for direct detection of Earth-type planets around nearby stars. Destructive interference in a stellar interferometer suppresses stellar glare by a factor of several thousand or more, and phase chopping distinguishes planet light from symmetric backgrounds. The mid-IR is favorable for detecting planetary emission relative to that from the star, and this spectral region also offers important molecular signatures indicative of key atmospheric gases.
- Publication:
-
Current Developments in Optical Design and Optical Engineering VIII
- Pub Date:
- October 1999
- DOI:
- 10.1117/12.368226
- Bibcode:
- 1999SPIE.3779...40N