remote sensing of life and habitable worlds: habstars, earthshine, and tpf margaret c turnbull...
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Remote Sensing of Life and Habitable Worlds:
Habstars, Earthshine, and TPF
Margaret C Turnbull
Carnegie Institution of Washington
NRC/NAI Postdoctoral Fellow
ee cummings
The Big Question: To what extent is the Universe alive?
What is “life?”Where is life found?
How does life originate?
Is all life carbon/water based?
What are the environmental limits of
Earth-like life?
What is the range of complexity for life?
Are there other technological civilizations?
Are there other inhabited planets in the
Solar System?
Is life “originating” on Earth now?
Can life spread between planets/stars?
Do we have cosmic ancestors/cousins?
Is there a habitable “belt” within the Galaxy?
What is a “habitable” planet?
Why aren’t clouds green?
The Big Question: To what extent is the Universe alive?
What is “life?”Where is life found?
How does life originate?
Is all life carbon/water based?
What are the environmental limits of Earth-like life?
What is the range of complexity for life?
Are there other technological civilizations?
Are there other inhabited planets in the
Solar System?
Is life “originating” on Earth now?
Can life spread between planets/stars?
Do we have cosmic ancestors/cousins?
Is there a habitable “belt” within the Galaxy?
What is a “habitable” planet?
Slightly Smaller Question: Are there habitable terrestrial planets orbiting
nearby stars?
What is a “habitable” planet?
Slightly Smaller Question: Are there habitable terrestrial planets orbiting
nearby stars?
Habitable Zones 101
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(In reality, HZ depends on planet characteristics, too.)
0.7 to 1.5 AU, L*1/2
The Terrestrial Planet Finder
Mission Objectives:
1. Directly image terrestrial planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars
2. Characterize atmospheres and look for indicators of life
3. Do comparative planetology
The Terrestrial Planet Finder
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2014
2019
4m x 6m
3-4m x 3-46.5-17 um
10-6 starlight suppression
Darwin?
40 mas IWA
10-10 starlight suppression
Opticalwavelengths
0.5-1.05 um
TPF-C
TPF-I
The technology driver is the need to suppress starlight...
What is required to achieve the TPF goals?
Habitable Zone: the range of semimajor axes consistent with surface water on an Earth-like planet
Types of Planets:at least 1/2 Earth surface area
Earth albedoHabitable Zone, e = 0 to 0.35
0.7 to 1.5 AU, L*1/2
Two Questions:
1. What do we need in terms of imaging capabilities?
2. Which wavelength range should we observe?
What is required to achieve the TPF goals?
What is required to achieve the TPF goals?
Need high resolution: The Earth-Sun system at 10pc has a 100 milliarcsecond separation
(by definition)
1. Imaging
What is required to achieve the TPF goals?
Need high sensitivity: The Earth is one ten billionth as bright as the Sun at optical wavelengths (reflected light), one millionth as bright in the mid-IR (emitted light)
1. Imaging
Beichman 1999, TPF Book
What is required to achieve the TPF goals?
2. Spectroscopy: Mid-IR
CH4
O3
CO2
H2O
N2O
H2O
TPF Book
What is required to achieve the TPF goals?
TPF Book
2. Spectroscopy: Mid-IR
What is required to achieve the TPF goals?
R~20, 15d
TPF Book
2. Spectroscopy: Mid-IR at realistic res
What is required to achieve the TPF goals?
2. Spectroscopy: Optical
Earthshine contains the reflection spectrum of the Earth and is spatially unresolved, like an extrasolar planet would be for TPF
What is required to achieve the TPF goals?
Woolf et al. 2002
2. Spectroscopy: Optical
Woolf et al. 2002
2. S
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Secret Hyperion Data: Desert
2. S
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Secret Hyperion Data: Forest
This is why astronomers are so revered.
2. Spectroscopy
Turnbull PhD thesis 2004
2. Spectroscopy: Near-IR(VATT CorMass data)
2. Spectroscopy: Optical and NIR at realistic resolution
R~50
Turnbull PhD thesis 2004
Targets for the TPF MissionSpectral Characterization:
Optical/NIR (Rayleigh, O2, H2O, O3, plants)Mid-IR (CO2, H2O, O3)
Types of Stars:Main Sequence
MS > 2 GyrF, G and K stars
“Minimum” Mission: Search 35 “core” stars to 90% completeness
“Full” Mission: 130 more stars, 90% for the whole ensemble
The Cost
$1 billion$1 billion
$2 (6?) billion$2 (6?) billion
“Minimum” Mission: Search 35 “core” stars to 90% completeness
“Full” Mission: 130 more stars, 90% for the whole ensemble
Choosing TPF TargetsApproach #1: Scientific Approach
(i.e. observe the “best” targets)
NOTES:
1. TPF targets will likely be a subset of or strongly
intersecting set with SIM and RV search targets.
2. Want to have a conclusion in the case of a null result.
3. How picky can we be before we have no stars left?
Habstars as TPF Targetshabstar, 'hab stär, noun, -s
A star which has: (1) A habitable zone that is dynamically stable*
on a timescale that is comparable to the timescale of global biosignature production,
(2) A habitable zone that is spatially static on that same timescale, and
(3) A metallicity that is consistent with the existence of terrestrial planets.
* and does not overlap any major resonances w/companions
Habstars as TPF Targets1. Timescale for Global Biosignature
Production
TPF timescale for habitability: 2 Gyr
Rule out young starsCa II HK activity
RotationX-rays
Habstars as TPF Targets1. Timescale for Global Biosignature
Production
Habstars as TPF Targets1. Timescale for Global Biosignature
Production
TPF timescale for habitability: 2 Gyr
Rule out young starsCa II HK activity
RotationX-rays
Maximum Mass 1.7 Msun (F0)
Habstars as TPF Targets1. Timescale for Global Biosignature
Production
Habstars as TPF Targets1. Timescale for Global Biosignature
Production
Lean 1997, ARA&A, 35, 33Wilson & Hudson 1991, Nature, 351, 42Tkachuck 1983, Origins, 10, 51
Habstars as TPF Targets2. Dynamical Stability
Safe interior to hereSafe exterior to here
Habstars as TPF Targets2. Dynamical Stability
Safe interior to hereSafe exterior to here
Habstars as TPF Targets2. Dynamical Stability
Good systems
Evi
l sys
tem
s
Varying flux from companion
Habstars as TPF Targets2. Dynamical Stability
17 systems: Earths in HZ=OK4 systems: habitable moons
Habstars as TPF Targets3. Metallicity
Metallicity cut-off at half-solar
P < 3 yrs, M > 1 MJUP
Does this trend persist for longer orbital periods?Does this trend persist for terrestrial planets?
Habstars as TPF Targets3.5 Kinematics
Kinematics as a proxy for metallicity
High velocity group tends to be lower metallicity
Habstars as TPF Targets3.5 Kinematics
Kinematics as a proxy for metallicity
High velocity group tends to be lower metallicity
X-ing?
Also tossed the highvelocity stars with highmetallicity: spiral arm-crossing orbits
Habstars as TPF Targets
Result: 479 Scientifically Interesting Targets within 30 pc
Approach #2: Instrumental Approach(i.e. observe the “easy” targets)
Choosing TPF Targets
NOTES:
1. angular HZ size depends on...
Approach #2: Instrumental Approach(i.e. observe the “easy” targets)
NOTES:
1. angular HZ size depends on...
Choosing TPF Targets
Engineers say: 40 mas is doable
stellar apparent magnitude
5th mag -> 100 mas
6th mag -> 50 mas
7th mag -> 30 mas
-> 6.5th mag or brighter stars
Choosing TPF TargetsApproach #2: Instrumental Approach
(i.e. observe the “easy” targets)
376 stars w/IHZ > 40 mas
814 stars w/OHZ > 40 mas
Choosing TPF TargetsApproach #2: Instrumental Approach
(i.e. observe the “easy” targets)NOTES:
2. planet brightness depends on...
3. planet fractional brightness depends on...
Engineers say: 10-10 is doable
1/(distance)2
10 pc -> 30th mag
33 pc -> 32.5th mag
1/L*
-> ~2.5 Lsun for inner HZ
-> ~ 0.5 Lsun for outer HZ
Choosing TPF TargetsApproach #2: Instrumental Approach
(i.e. observe the “easy” targets)
Choosing TPF TargetsApproach #2: Instrumental Approach
(i.e. observe the “easy” targets)
OHZ > 40 mas
Habstars as TPF TargetsResults: 479 Scientifically Interesting Targets,
10 of which are fully observable56 of which are partially observable...d < 20 pc
N=162
What’s Next? More Prep Sci for TPFWe now have: -30 PC TPF Stellar Database-Some idea of what Earth looks like from
outer space
But we still need:-to fill in lots of missing stellar data-to make a user-friendly database-to learn about the variability of Earth’s
spectral features/biosignatures-to figure out, as a community, what TPF
can and should reasonably do
Moon, work thin to the width of a quill,in the dawn clouds flying,
How good to go, light into light, and stillGiving light, dying.
Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)