BDT meeting #3

1. Meeting #3 BDT meeting #3

2. Agenda items • News and discussions • ESA news • EP-RAT news • The Blue Dots conference • Funding issues (H. Lammer) • Methodology, deliverables • Microlensing • Single aperture imaging • Transit (+ astrometry?) • Radial velocities • Planetary atmospheres • Targets • Habitability BDT meeting #3

3. EP-RAT news BDT meeting #3

4. Blue Dots conference • Date: 14th-18th September, 2008 • Location: CosmoCaixa, Barcelona • SOC: • BDT (21 people): • V. Coudé du Foresto, I. Ribas, H. Zinnecker, S. Wolf, F. Selsis, C. Cockell, G. Tinetti, A. Boccaletti, M. Ollivier, J-P. Beaulieu, N. Santos, D. Segransan, A. Sozzeti, E. Szuszkiewicz, H. Lammer, C. Keller,Gerard van Belle, C. Beichman, H. Shibai, M. Khodachenko, G. Zhao, A. Chakraborty • B. Danchi (NASA Ames), W. Traub (JPL), D. Sasselov (CfA, TBC) • LOC: I. Ribas + ? • Support: City of Barcelona + ? BDT meeting #3

5. Blue Dots conference • Rationale: Does life exist elsewhere than on our Earth? This question is almost as old as humanity, yet only in the last few decades has it been possible to address it scientifically. Since the discovery of a companion to the star 51 Peg in 1995 we now know that planets can orbit other suns. To date, about 250 exoplanetary systems have been found in our galaxy, a number which is growing exponentially as new discoveries are being made almost on a daily basis. None of these worlds however, so far, can sustain life as we know it. One of the most important scientific challenges for the 21st century is therefore the search of habitable worlds around other stars, and the characterization of their atmosphere with the goal of detecting signs of biological activity. Eventually, a space mission will fly that will be able to address those questions. This is a long term, broad interdisciplinary endeavor, which involves astrophysicists, biologists, planetary scientists and instrument specialists. The Blue Dots conference will bring together prominent international experts in those fields. They will discuss the necessary steps to be undertaken in order to detect life on another planet, and propose a road map towards that goal. BDT meeting #3

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9. Methodology • How to collect information ? • Virtual call for proposal replaced by proactive collection • How to synthesize it ? BDT meeting #3

10. Observational grid(for instrumentation groups) • Observables: • Contrast, reflex motion etc. • Precision / sensitivity • Budget: • 30M€ / 5 years • 300M€ / 10 years • 700M€ / 15 years • ++++M€ / 20 years BDT meeting #3

11. Planetary characterization grid • Milestone scientific questions • Physical facts: • Mass, radius, composition, temperature etc. • Statiscal depth (sample -> exhaustive) BDT meeting #3

12. Matrix example (µlensing) • Sweet spot: Low mass stars / low mass planets • Parameter space for detectability • Define quality criterion for each parameter • List nominal mission (or range of missions) for each box BDT meeting #3

13. Connecting the grids • Milestone questions vs. physical facts • PC WG • Physical facts vs. observable, sensitivity • PC & Inst WGs • Observables vs. budget • Inst WG & Industry BDT meeting #3

14. Presenting grids • On the Web site as they build up • At the BD conference BDT meeting #3 14

15. http://www.blue-dots.net BDT meeting #3