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SONG Exoplanet Searches in the Context of Next Generation Exoplanet Surveys. Joe Carson College of Charleston September 17, 2011. SONG Exoplanet Searches in the Context of Next Generation Exoplanet Surveys. (Should the U.S. astronomy community support SONG exoplanet searches?).
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SONG Exoplanet Searches in the Context of Next Generation Exoplanet Surveys Joe Carson College of Charleston September 17, 2011
SONG Exoplanet Searches in the Context of Next Generation Exoplanet Surveys (Should the U.S. astronomy community support SONG exoplanet searches?) Joe Carson College of Charleston September 16, 2011
Exoplanet Detection • Microlensing • Radial Velocity • Transits • Direct Imaging • Astrometry
Most Direct Competition: A proposed infrared space telescope for dark energy investigations and exoplanetmicrolensing. Number one prioritized space mission by U.S. 2010 Decadal Survey.
Most Direct Competition: SONG 28 Institutes, 105 members, (35 non-Japanese) WFIRST
Most Direct Competition: WFIRST Status 28 Institutes, 105 members, (35 non-Japanese) New York Times, January 2011
Most Direct Competition: SONG 28 Institutes, 105 members, (35 non-Japanese) WFIRST
Most Direct Competition: SONG 28 Institutes, 105 members, (35 non-Japanese) WFIRST
Transits • Space-Based • Kepler: Sub-Earth mass planets at orbits out to ≈1AU. • Ground-Based • Numerous Surveys: terrestrial planets around low-mass stars. Orbits out to ≈ couple AU. Very good sensitivities to lowest mass planets. Orbits limited to within a couple AU. Biased toward low mass stars.
Astrometry Various Programs • VLT Prima: Saturn-mass planets at orbits >≈ 1AU. Others: Magellan 6.5meter CAPSCam (M-dwarfs) CTIO 0.9meter RECONS (M-dwarfs)
Direct Imaging • Space-Based • JWST NIRCam: gas giant planets around low mass stars. • Ground-Based • VLT SPHERE, Gemini GPI, Subaru ScExAO, LBT, and others: gas giant planets at orbits >≈ 5AU around nearby stars. Limited to much more massive planets than SONG, and at generally wider separations.
Should the U.S. Astronomy Community Support a SONG Exoplanet Survey? In the absence of WFIRST, SONG would be the only survey in the world capable of detecting terrestrial planets from 0.1 to 20 AU around a range of spectral types. The U.S. 2010 decadal survey has strongly endorsed the importance of exploring this search space, particularly with the microlensing technique.
28 Institutes, 105 members, (35 non-Japanese) Bennett 2011
Most Direct Competition: Without WFIRST, over the next decade, and possibly longer, SONG is the only observing platform in the world capable of providing statistical results on planet populations down to sub-terrestrial masses, over a semimajor axis range that overlaps that of all the solar system planets.