Coronagraphy on AFTA-WFIRST
Abstract
When approving pre-formulation studies of WFIRST-AFTA (for Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets), NASA included a baseline coronagraph instrument for exoplanet and debris disk imaging. The instrument is expected to obtain multiband photometry of tens of extrasolar planets in 1-5 AU orbits, and spectroscopically characterize a dozen or more. These will include known Doppler planets and potential new discoveries, with a strong goal of imaging some of the large population of 2-4 RE super-earths or sub-neptune planets implied by Kepler statistics. It will also provide unprecedented resolution and contrast on transitional and late-stage debris disks. In this talk I'll describe the baseline coronagraph and wavefront control architecture, the technology requirements, and the expected performance, emphasizing the challenges and solutions for coronagraphy with an obscured aperture such as AFTA.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #223
- Pub Date:
- January 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014AAS...22334103K