Database of Candidate Targets for the LIFE Mission

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive database of potential targets for the LIFE mission, aiding mission planning, data analysis, and target selection for exoplanet detection in the mid-infrared spectrum.

Contribution

It presents the development of a detailed, publicly available database of stars, planets, and disks tailored for the LIFE mission and similar space-based exoplanet observation efforts.

Findings

Database includes stars, planets, disks, and astrophysical parameters.

Enables target list creation and detection yield prediction.

Supports mission design and data analysis for LIFE and HWO.

Abstract

We present the database of potential targets for the Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE), a space-based mid-infrared nulling interferometer mission proposed for the Voyage 2050 science program of the European Space Agency (ESA). The database features stars, their planets and disks, main astrophysical parameters, and ancillary observations. It allows users to create target lists based on various criteria to predict, for instance, exoplanet detection yields for the LIFE mission. As such, it enables mission design trade-offs, provides context for the analysis of data obtained by LIFE, and flags critical missing data. Work on the database is in progress, but given its relevance to LIFE and other space missions, including the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), we present its main features here. A preliminary version of the LIFE database is publicly available on the German Astrophysical Virtual Observatory (GAVO).