CHARIS science: performance simulations for the Subaru Telescope's third-generation of exoplanet imaging instrumentation

Timothy D. Brandt; Michael W. McElwain; Markus Janson; Gillian R. Knapp; Kyle Mede; Mary Anne Limbach; Tyler Groff; Adam Burrows; James E. Gunn; Olivier Guyon; Jun Hashimoto; Masahiko Hayashi; Nemanja Jovanovic; N. Jeremy Kasdin; Masayuki Kuzuhara; Robert H. Lupton; Frantz Martinache; Satoko Sorahana; David S. Spiegel; Naruhisa Takato; Motohide Tamura; Edwin L. Turner; Robert Vanderbei; John Wisniewski

doi:10.1117/12.2057256

21 July 2014 CHARIS science: performance simulations for the Subaru Telescope's third-generation of exoplanet imaging instrumentation

Timothy D. Brandt, Michael W. McElwain, Markus Janson, Gillian R. Knapp, Kyle Mede, Mary Anne Limbach, Tyler Groff, Adam Burrows, James E. Gunn, Olivier Guyon, Jun Hashimoto, Masahiko Hayashi, Nemanja Jovanovic, N. Jeremy Kasdin, Masayuki Kuzuhara, Robert H. Lupton, Frantz Martinache, Satoko Sorahana, David S. Spiegel, Naruhisa Takato, Motohide Tamura, Edwin L. Turner, Robert Vanderbei, John Wisniewski

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9148, Adaptive Optics Systems IV; 914849 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2057256
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

We describe the expected scientific capabilities of CHARIS, a high-contrast integral-field spectrograph (IFS) currently under construction for the Subaru telescope. CHARIS is part of a new generation of instruments, enabled by extreme adaptive optics (AO) systems (including SCExAO at Subaru), that promise greatly improved contrasts at small angular separation thanks to their ability to use spectral information to distinguish planets from quasistatic speckles in the stellar point-spread function (PSF). CHARIS is similar in concept to GPI and SPHERE, on Gemini South and the Very Large Telescope, respectively, but will be unique in its ability to simultaneously cover the entire near-infrared J, H, and K bands with a low-resolution mode. This extraordinarily broad wavelength coverage will enable spectral differential imaging down to angular separations of a few λ/D, corresponding to ~0".1. SCExAO will also offer contrast approaching 10-5 at similar separations, ~0".1–0".2. The discovery yield of a CHARIS survey will depend on the exoplanet distribution function at around 10 AU. If the distribution of planets discovered by radial velocity surveys extends unchanged to ~20 AU, observations of ~200 mostly young, nearby stars targeted by existing high-contrast instruments might find ~1–3 planets. Carefully optimizing the target sample could improve this yield by a factor of a few, while an upturn in frequency at a few AU could also increase the number of detections. CHARIS, with a higher spectral resolution mode of R ~ 75, will also be among the best instruments to characterize planets and brown dwarfs like HR 8799 cde and κ and b.

Citation Download Citation

Timothy D. Brandt, Michael W. McElwain, Markus Janson, Gillian R. Knapp, Kyle Mede, Mary Anne Limbach, Tyler Groff, Adam Burrows, James E. Gunn, Olivier Guyon, Jun Hashimoto, Masahiko Hayashi, Nemanja Jovanovic, N. Jeremy Kasdin, Masayuki Kuzuhara, Robert H. Lupton, Frantz Martinache, Satoko Sorahana, David S. Spiegel, Naruhisa Takato, Motohide Tamura, Edwin L. Turner, Robert Vanderbei, and John Wisniewski "CHARIS science: performance simulations for the Subaru Telescope's third-generation of exoplanet imaging instrumentation", Proc. SPIE 9148, Adaptive Optics Systems IV, 914849 (21 July 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2057256

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available