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From Michelson and Fizeau to a Space-borne Infrared Instrument Capable of Detecting an Earth Twin: Development and Recent Accomplishments of Stellar InterferometryIn recent years, the evolution of technology has led to significant advances in high angular resolution astronomy and the precision of new observations. In particular, the interferometric combination of light from physically separated telescopes has shown both great promise and great challenge. We describe the first scientific results from the Keck Interferometer Nuller an instrument that combines the light of the two largest optical telescopes in the world in the context of the historic development of interferometry from its beginning in the work of Fizeau, Stephan and Michelson. We also describe our efforts to build a space-borne mid-infrared interferometer the Fourier Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI) - for the characterization of exoplanets. We report results of a recent engineering study on an enhanced version of FKSI that includes 1-meter primary mirrors, 20-meter boom length, and an advanced sun shield that will provide a 45-degree FOR and 40K operating temperature for all optics, including siderostats, enabling the characterization of exozodiacal debris disks, extrasolar planets and other phenomena requiring extremely high spatial resolution. We are further investigating the possibility of characterizing the atmospheres of several super-Earths and a few Earth twins by a combination of spatial modulation and spectral analysis.
Document ID
20090032001
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Barry, Richard K.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Danchi, William C.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Lopez, Bruno
(Nice Univ. France)
Rinehart, Stephen
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Absil, Olivier
(Liege Univ. Belgium)
Augereau, Jean-Charles
(Labaratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble UJF/CNRS Grenoble, France)
Beust, Herve
(Labaratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble UJF / CNRS Grenoble, France)
Bonfils, Xavier
(Labaratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble UJF / CNRS Grenoble, France)
Borde, Pascal
(Institute d'Astrophysique Spatiale Orsay, France)
Defrere, Denis
(Liege Univ. Belgium)
Kern, Pierre
(Labaratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble UJF/CNRS Grenoble, France)
Leger, Alain
(Institute d'Astrophysique Spatiale Orsay, France)
Monin, Jean-Louis
(Labaratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble UJF/CNRS Grenoble, France)
Mourard, Denis
(Nice Univ. France)
Ollivier, Marc
(Institute d'Astrophysique Spatiale Orsay, France)
Petrov, Romain G.
(Nice Univ. France)
Vakili, Farrokh
(Nice Univ. France)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2009
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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