一个实验室演示能够图像像像地球的太阳系外行星的能力
John T Trauger1, Wesley A Traub
1Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA. john.trauger@jpl.nasa.gov
Nature
|April 13, 2007
概括
探测类似地球的行星需要先进的望远镜. 一项新的实验室实验展示了一种能够抑制恒星光的冠状图技术,为成像系外行星铺平了道路.
科学领域:
- 天文学和天体物理学
- 光学工程是指光学工程.
背景情况:
- 检测类似地球的系外行星需要极高对比度的成像能力.
- 与它们的主星相比,类似地球的行星在很小的角距离 (0.1弧秒) 处是非常微弱的 (10^-10).
研究的目的:
- 通过实验证明一种冠状图技术,能够实现检测类似地球的系外行星所需的对比度.
- 为了验证基于太空的冠状图望远镜的可行性,用于系外行星的表征.
主要方法:
- 利用实验室实验来抑制在类似恒星的源头附近散射和散射的光.
- 采用冠状图的方法来实现极端的光抑制.
- 应用图像处理技术以进一步减少残留噪声.
主要成果:
- 在单个冠状动图图像中达到6 x 10^-10倍的峰值强度.
- 通过图像处理,剩余噪声减少到大约0.1 x 10^-10.
- 证明了能够达到检测类似地球的行星所需的对比度极限的能力.
结论:
- 实验结果证实,冠状图太空望远镜可以实现用于系外行星检测所需的对比度.
- 这项技术可以对附近的系外行星系统进行潜在的光谱表征,包括地球双胞胎.
- 这项研究证实了在地球之外寻找生命的关键技术进步.
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