Related papers: Setting the Stage for the Planet Formation Imager
The PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) is a cryogenically-cooled, far-infrared (far-IR) observatory expected to begin serving the astronomical community by early 2030. The mission features two advanced instruments: PRIMAger…
With the development of high contrast imaging techniques and infrared detectors, vast efforts have been devoted during the past decade to detect and characterize lighter, cooler and closer companions to nearby stars, and ultimately image…
In this paper, we describe the principle of a multi-aperture interferometer that uses a phase-shifting technique and is suitable for quick, snapshot imaging of astrophysical objects at extreme angular resolution through Fourier inversion. A…
The principles and practice of astronomical imaging Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTS) at far-infrared wavelengths are described. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer design has been widely adopted for current and future imaging FTS…
Giant exoplanets on wide orbits have been directly imaged around young stars. If the thermal background in the mid-infrared can be mitigated, then exoplanets with lower masses can also be imaged. Here we present a ground-based mid-infrared…
The field of exoplanet research is moving towards the detection and characterization of habitable planets. These exo-Earths can be easily found around low-mass stars by using either photometric transit or radial-velocity (RV) techniques. In…
Most exoplanet imagers consist of ground-based adaptive optics coronagraphic cameras which are currently limited in contrast, sensitivity and astrometric precision, but advantageously observe in the near-IR (1- 5{\mu}m). Because of these…
To understand the cosmic history of element synthesis it will be important to obtain extinction-free measures of the heavy element contents of high-redshift objects and to chart two monumental events: the collapse of the first metal-free…
This paper provides an overview of the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) programme within the ESA Planck mission. The LFI instrument has been developed to produce high precision maps of the microwave sky at frequencies in the range 27-77 GHz,…
Planet formation is a hugely dynamic process requiring the transport, concentration and assimilation of gas and dust to form the first planetesimals and cores. With access to extremely high spatial and spectral resolution observations at…
Radio interferometers are phased arrays producing high-resolution images from the covariance matrix of measurements. Calibration of such instruments is necessary and is a critical task. This is how the estimation of instrumental errors is…
Direct imaging of protoplanetary disks promises to provide key insight into the complex sequence of processes by which planets are formed. However imaging the innermost region of such disks (a zone critical to planet formation) is…
In an effort to transcend the limitations of differential imaging of exoplanets in the era of extremely large telescopes (ELTs), the first paper in this series established a rigorous, fully polarimetric framework for determining the science…
The ESPRI project relies on the astrometric capabilities offered by the PRIMA facility of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer for the discovery and study of planetary systems. Our survey consists of obtaining high-precision astrometry…
Past millimeter-wave galaxy surveys have primarily probed the brightest starburst galaxies only and suffered heavily from confusion. The interpretation of existing surveys has also been hindered by the lack of reliable redshift indicators…
Spacecraft formation flying serves as a method of astronomical instrumentation that enables the construction of large virtual structures in space. The formation-flying interferometry generally requires very-high control accuracy, and…
We present a novel implementation for extremely high resolution spectroscopy using custom-designed Fabry Perot Interferometer (FPI) arrays. For a given telescope aperture at the seeing limited case, these arrays can achieve resolutions well…
Active comets have been detected in several exoplanetary systems, although so far only indirectly, when the dust or gas in the extended coma has transited in front of the stellar disk. The large optical surface and relatively high…
This paper will review the technical progress of interferometric infrared observing techniques from the first 2-element interferometer 25 years ago to the 3+ element arrays now coming into service. To date, only the Infrared Spatial…
We present the scientific motivation and conceptual design for the recently funded Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF), a stabilized fiber-fed near-infrared (NIR) spectrograph for the 10 meter class Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) that will be…