Extra-solar planetary imager (ESPI) for space-based Jovian planetary detection

Richard G. Lyon; Daniel Y. Gezari; Gary J. Melnick; Peter Nisenson; Costas D. Papaliolios; Stephen T. Ridgway; Edward J. Friedman; Martin Harwit; Paul Graf

doi:10.1117/12.457843

3 March 2003 Extra-solar planetary imager (ESPI) for space-based Jovian planetary detection

Richard G. Lyon, Daniel Y. Gezari, Gary J. Melnick, Peter Nisenson, Costas D. Papaliolios, Stephen T. Ridgway, Edward J. Friedman, Martin Harwit, Paul Graf

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4860, High-Contrast Imaging for Exo-Planet Detection; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.457843
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2002, Waikoloa, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

The Extra-Solar Planetary Imager (ESPI) is envisioned as a space based, high dynamic range, visible imager capable of detecting Jovian like planets. Initially proposed as a NASA Midex (NASA/Medium Class Explorer) mission (PI:Gary Melnick), as a space-based 1.5 x 1.5 m2 Jacquinot apodized square aperture telescope. The combination of apodization and a square aperture telescope reduces the diffracted light from a bright central source increasing the planetary to stellar contrast over much of the telescope focal plane. As a result, observations of very faint astronomical objects next to bright sources with angular separations as small as 0.32 arcseconds become possible. This permits a sensitive search for exo-planets in reflected light. ESPI is capable of detecting a Jupiter-like planet in a relatively long-period orbit around as many as 160 to 175 stars with a signal-to-noise ratio > 5 in observations lasting maximally 100 hours per star out to ~16 parsecs. We discuss the scientific ramifications, an overview of the system design including apodizing a square aperture, signal to noise issues and the effect of wavefront errors and the scalability of ESPI with respect to NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder mission.

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Richard G. Lyon, Daniel Y. Gezari, Gary J. Melnick, Peter Nisenson, Costas D. Papaliolios, Stephen T. Ridgway, Edward J. Friedman, Martin Harwit, and Paul Graf "Extra-solar planetary imager (ESPI) for space-based Jovian planetary detection", Proc. SPIE 4860, High-Contrast Imaging for Exo-Planet Detection, (3 March 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.457843

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