Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPF-1) Whitepaper for the AAAC Exoplanet Task Force
Abstract
The Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPF-I) will allow us to identify habitable planets like our own Earth around the nearest stars and to assess how common they might be. By combining the sensitivity of space-borne telescopes with the high spatial resolution of an interferometer, TPF-I will study planets beyond our own solar system in a variety of ways: from their formation and evolution in the disks of newly forming stars to the properties of planets orbiting the nearest stars; from the numbers, sizes, locations, and diversity to their suitability as abodes for life. The characterization of the size, temperature, and orbital parameters of entire planetary families, including bodies as small as the Earth in regions where liquid water might be expected to be stable, i.e. the habitable zones, will reveal the diversity of planetary systems in our galactic neighborhood.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 02, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA484941
Entities
People
- C. A. Beichman
- J. Bally
- K. J. Johnston
- O. Absil
- O. P. Lay
- P. R. Lawson
- R. L. Akeson
- S. C. Unwin
- S. L. Hunyadi
- S. R. Martin
Organizations
- California Institute of Technology