Probing Interstellar Dust With Space-Based Coronagraphs

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that space-based coronagraphs can detect scattered light from interstellar dust near stars, revealing properties of stellar environments and interstellar medium through high-resolution imaging.

Contribution

It introduces the potential of space telescopes like the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph to study interstellar dust and stellar wind interactions via scattered light detection.

Findings

Detection of scattered interstellar light near stars at 100 pc is feasible.

Scattered light halos increase with star distance but do not hinder planet detection.

Features in scattered light can reveal stellar wind strength and magnetic field orientation.

Abstract

We show that space-based telescopes such as the proposed Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph will be able to detect the light scattered by the interstellar grains along lines of sight passing near stars in our Galaxy. The relative flux of the scattered light within one arcsecond of a star at 100 pc in a uniform interstellar medium of 0.1 H atoms cm^-3 is about 10^-7. The halo increases in strength with the distance to the star and is unlikely to limit the coronagraphic detection of planets around the nearest stars. Grains passing within 100 AU of Sun-like stars are deflected by radiation, gravity and magnetic forces, leading to features in the scattered light that can potentially reveal the strength of the stellar wind, the orientation of the stellar magnetic field and the relative motion between the star and the surrounding interstellar medium.