MRI: Development of an Exoplanet Imaging Spectrograph for Keck Observatory

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will build a next-generation astronomical instrument for the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. The instrument will be designed to permit the study of the thousands of planets known to orbit stars other than our own Sun (“exoplanets”). The instrument will enable, for example, direct detections of water clouds on temperate exoplanets. It will also reveal planets forming in dusty ring systems around young stars. Beyond exoplanets, it will make new observations of our own Solar System, supernovae, and nearby galaxies. After commissioning, the team will demonstrate these applications and make the data publicly available. The team will participate in STEM retention programs and train students and postdoctoral researchers in instrumentation. This team will construct an instrument called CALES for the Keck Observatory that will permit study of exoplanets using thermal infrared (2-5 micron) imaging, which detects exoplanets at wavelengths where they are bright, and integral-field spectroscopy, which distinguishes planets more efficiently from residual starlight based on their spectral signatures. The instrument will be more sensitive to studying temperate (<600 K) exoplanets with small angular separations from their host stars (<1”) than previous exoplanet imaging instruments. The instrument will utilize Keck’s adaptive optics infrastructure. A planned Key Science Program will provide public data. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.