Habitable Planet Detection and Characterization with Far Infrared Coherent Interferometry

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of far-infrared coherent interferometry for detecting and characterizing Earth-like exoplanets and their biosignatures, offering a promising alternative to existing methods with high spectral resolution.

Contribution

It introduces a feasible interferometric approach in the far-infrared for exoplanet detection and atmospheric analysis, emphasizing its capability to identify biosignatures like H₂O and O₃.

Findings

A 1000 m² collecting area and 200 m baselines can detect Earth-like planets near quantum noise limits.

High spectral resolution enables detailed atmospheric molecular inventories.

Far-infrared observations can simultaneously detect and characterize biosignatures.

Abstract

The characterization of extrasolar earth-like atmospheres for biosignatures remains one of the most compelling and elusive challenges in astronomy. Coronagraphy, nulling interferometry and free-flying occulters have been advanced as potential techniques to accomplish this gaol. In this paper, a complementary approach, coherent interferometry in the far infrared is considered. For an interferometer operating close to the quantum noise limit, a collecting area of $\sim$ 1000 m$^{2}$ and baselines of 200 m are sufficient to detect an earth-like planet. The high spectral resolution achievable with coherent detection further enables unambiguous molecular inventory of an atmosphere and retrieval of atmospheric temperature-pressure-composition profiles. The far-infrared is rich in molecular features, particularly transitions of the key biosignature molecules H$_2$O and O$_3$. The level of detail that can be obtained on atmospheres is such that the goals of detection and detailed characterization of biosignatures can be accomplished by the same mission. Hitherto, however, the majority of modeling efforts concerning the extrasolar planet atmospheres has been limited to the visible and thermal infrared regimes considered for coronagraphs and nulling interferometry. It is therefore worth seriously investigating the feasibility of such an architecture for a possible mission, and considering biosignatures that might be available in the far-infrared.