Exploring the NRO Opportunity for a Hubble-sized Wide-field Near-IR Space Telescope -- NEW WFIRST

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the feasibility and scientific potential of using a 2.4m NRO telescope, dubbed 'NEW WFIRST,' for the WFIRST mission, highlighting its capabilities for dark energy, microlensing, and exoplanet imaging.

Contribution

It proposes utilizing an NRO 2.4m telescope for WFIRST, enhancing survey depth and breadth, and enabling direct exoplanet imaging with a coronagraphic imager.

Findings

Achieves WFIRST core goals for dark energy and microlensing.

Enables deeper and wider near-IR surveys for general observer science.

Includes a coronagraphic imager for direct exoplanet detection.

Abstract

We discuss scientific, technical and programmatic issues related to the use of an NRO 2.4m telescope for the WFIRST initiative of the 2010 Decadal Survey. We show that this implementation of WFIRST, which we call "NEW WFIRST," would achieve the goals of the NWNH Decadal Survey for the WFIRST core programs of Dark Energy and Microlensing Planet Finding, with the crucial benefit of deeper and/or wider near-IR surveys for GO science and a potentially Hubble-like Guest Observer program. NEW WFIRST could also include a coronagraphic imager for direct detection of dust disks and planets around neighboring stars, a high-priority science and technology precursor for future ambitious programs to image Earth-like planets around neighboring stars.