Characterizing Exoplanets in the Visible and Infrared: a Spectrometer Concept for the EChO Space Mission

Author(s)

A. M. Glauser, R. van Boekel, O. Krause, Th. Henning, B. Benneke, J. Bouwman, P. E. Cubillos, I. J. M. Crossfield, Ö. H. Detre, M. Ebert, U. Grözinger, M. Güdel, J. Harrington, K. Justtanont, U. Klaas, R. Lenzen, N. Madhusudhan, M. R. Meyer, C. Mordasini, F. Müller, R. Ottensamer, J.-Y. Plesseria, S. P. Quanz, A. Reiners, E. Renotte, R.-R. Rohloff, S. Scheithauer, H. M. Schmid, J.-R. Schrader, U. Seemann, D. Stam, B. Vandenbussche, U. Wehmeier

Abstract

Transit-spectroscopy of exoplanets is one of the key observational

techniques used to characterize extrasolar planets and their

atmospheres. The observational challenges of these measurements require

dedicated instrumentation and only the space environment allows

undisturbed access to earth-like atmospheric features such as water or

carbon dioxide. Therefore, several exoplanet-specific space missions are

currently being studied. One of them is EChO, the Exoplanet

Characterization Observatory, which is part of ESA's Cosmic Vision

2015-2025 program, and which is one of four candidates for the M3 launch

slot in 2024.

 

In this paper we present the results of our assessment study of the EChO

spectrometer, the only science instrument onboard this spacecraft. The

instrument is a multi-channel all-reflective dispersive spectrometer,

covering the wavelength range from 400 nm to 16μm simultaneously with

a moderately low spectral resolution. We illustrate how the key

technical challenge of the EChO mission — the high photometric

stability — influences the choice of spectrometer concept and

fundamentally drives the instrument design. First performance

evaluations underline the suitability of the elaborated design solution

for the needs of the EChO mission.

Organisation(s)

Department of Astrophysics

External organisation(s)

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Central Florida, Chalmers University of Technology, Yale University, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Centre Spatial de Liege, SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research , Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Journal

Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation

Volume

2

No. of pages

18

ISSN

2251-1717

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1142/S2251171713500049

Publication date

09-2013

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103004 Astrophysics, 103003 Astronomy

Keywords

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/b5f18f89-84c5-4329-8e07-9ad88bcccf72