Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE)

Context . The increased brightness temperature of young rocky protoplanets during their magma ocean epoch makes them potentially amenable to atmospheric characterization at distances from the Solar System far greater than thermally equilibrated terrestrial exoplanets, offering observational opportunities for unique insights into the origin of secondary atmospheres and the near surface conditions of prebiotic environments. Aims . The Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE) mission will employ a space-based midinfrared nulling interferometer to directly measure the thermal emission of terrestrial exoplanets. In this work, we seek to assess the capabilities of various instrumental design choices of the LIFE mission concept for the detection of cooling protoplanets with transient high-temperature magma ocean atmospheres at the tail end of planetary accretion. In particular, we investigate the minimum integration times necessary to detect transient magma ocean exoplanets in young stellar associations in the Solar neighborhood. Methods . Using the LIFE mission instrument simulator (LIFEsim), we assessed how specific instrumental parameters and design choices, such as wavelength coverage, aperture diameter, and photon throughput, facilitate or disadvantage the detection of protoplan-ets. We focused on the observational sensitivities of distance to the observed planetary system, protoplanet brightness temperature (using a blackbody assumption), and orbital distance of the potential protoplanets around both G- and M-dwarf stars. Results . Our simulations suggest that LIFE will be able to detect (S/N ≥ 7) hot protoplanets in young stellar associations up to distances of 100 pc from the Solar System for reasonable integration times (up to a few hours). Detection of an Earth-sized protoplanet orbiting a Solar-sized host star at 1 AU requires less than 30 minutes of integration time. M-dwarfs generally need shorter integration times. The contribution from wavelength regions smaller than 6 µm is important for decreasing the detection threshold and discriminating emission temperatures. Conclusions . The LIFE mission is capable of detecting cooling terrestrial protoplanets within minutes to hours in several local young stellar associations hosting potential targets. The anticipated compositional range of magma ocean atmospheres motivates further architectural design studies to characterize the crucial transition from primary to secondary atmospheres.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2024-11-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202450764
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.99

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE)

J. Lillo-Box, O. Balsalobre-Ruza, Jens Kammerer, H. Rauer et al.
3 citations
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
0.99
article

Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE)

J. Lillo-Box, O. Balsalobre-Ruza, Jens Kammerer, H. Rauer, M. Janson, Ramses M. Ramírez, Robert Navarro, Marrick Braam, Franziska Menti, Robin Wordsworth, Charles S. Cockell, Ravit Helled, M. Guêdel, Sasha Hinkley, Stephen R. Kane, Martin Schlecker, Adrian M. Glauser, Jeanne Davoult, Romain Laugier, Daniel Viúdez‐Moreiras, A Romagnolo, Joice Mathew, T. A. van Kempen, Taro Matsuo, M. Min, Eleonora Alei, J. Korth, Stefan Kraus, Denis Defrère, A. Fortier, A. Castro-González, Michael Ireland, Nina Hernitschek, Sarah Rugheimer, H. R. A. Jones, Lena Noack, Yamila Miguel, Michael R. Meyer, Jonah T. Hansen, Tereza Constantinou, Evan L. Sneed, Satoshi Itoh, Gabriele Cugno, Anders Johansen, Sascha P. Quanz, Steve Ertel, Motohide Tamura, Tim Lichtenberg, Marius Anger, K. G. Kislyakova, V. Squicciarini, Andjelka B. Kovačević, Felix Dannert, F. van der Tak, Berke Vow Ricketti, Keivan G. Stassun, A. Quirrenbach, R. Kuiper, Óscar Carrión-González, Haiyang Wang, Surendra Bhattarai, Philipp A. Huber, Lorenzo Cesario
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Context . The increased brightness temperature of young rocky protoplanets during their magma ocean epoch makes them potentially amenable to atmospheric characterization at distances from the Solar System far greater than thermally equilibrated terrestrial exoplanets, offering observational opportunities for unique insights into the origin of secondary atmospheres and the near surface conditions of prebiotic environments. Aims . The Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE) mission will employ a space-based midinfrared nulling interferometer to directly measure the thermal emission of terrestrial exoplanets. In this work, we seek to assess the capabilities of various instrumental design choices of the LIFE mission concept for the detection of cooling protoplanets with transient high-temperature magma ocean atmospheres at the tail end of planetary accretion. In particular, we investigate the minimum integration times necessary to detect transient magma ocean exoplanets in young stellar associations in the Solar neighborhood. Methods . Using the LIFE mission instrument simulator (LIFEsim), we assessed how specific instrumental parameters and design choices, such as wavelength coverage, aperture diameter, and photon throughput, facilitate or disadvantage the detection of protoplan-ets. We focused on the observational sensitivities of distance to the observed planetary system, protoplanet brightness temperature (using a blackbody assumption), and orbital distance of the potential protoplanets around both G- and M-dwarf stars. Results . Our simulations suggest that LIFE will be able to detect (S/N ≥ 7) hot protoplanets in young stellar associations up to distances of 100 pc from the Solar System for reasonable integration times (up to a few hours). Detection of an Earth-sized protoplanet orbiting a Solar-sized host star at 1 AU requires less than 30 minutes of integration time. M-dwarfs generally need shorter integration times. The contribution from wavelength regions smaller than 6 µm is important for decreasing the detection threshold and discriminating emission temperatures. Conclusions . The LIFE mission is capable of detecting cooling terrestrial protoplanets within minutes to hours in several local young stellar associations hosting potential targets. The anticipated compositional range of magma ocean atmospheres motivates further architectural design studies to characterize the crucial transition from primary to secondary atmospheres.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 692
National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, European Commission, National Research Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Danmarks Grundforskningsfond, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Vetenskapsrådet, Vlaamse regering, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Science Mission Directorate, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Openalex Percentile: Top 23%
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
0.99
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.