Ground-Based Radial Velocity as Critical Support for Future NASA Earth-Finding Missions. (arXiv:1903.10017v1 [astro-ph.EP])
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Dressing_C/0/1/0/all/0/1">Courtney D. Dressing</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Stark_C/0/1/0/all/0/1">Christopher C. Stark</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Plavchan_P/0/1/0/all/0/1">Peter Plavchan</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Lopez_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Eric Lopez</a>
Future space-based direct imaging missions are poised to search for
biosignatures in the atmospheres of potentially habitable planets orbiting
nearby AFGKM stars. Although these missions could conduct a survey of
high-priority target stars to detect candidate Earth-like planets, conducting a
precursor radial velocity (RV) survey will benefit future direct imaging
missions in four ways. First, an RV survey capable of detecting signals as
small as 8 cm/s over timescales of a few years could discover potentially
habitable Earth-mass planets orbiting dozens of nearby GKM stars accessible to
space-based direct imaging. Second, RVs will improve scheduling efficiency by
reducing the required number of revisits for orbit determination, and revealing
when a planet of interest is most observable. Third, RV observations will
reveal the masses of gas and ice giants that could be mistaken for Earth-mass
planets, thereby reducing the time spent identifying false positives. Fourth,
mass measurements from RVs will provide the surface gravities necessary for
interpreting atmospheric spectra and potential biosignatures.
Future space-based direct imaging missions are poised to search for
biosignatures in the atmospheres of potentially habitable planets orbiting
nearby AFGKM stars. Although these missions could conduct a survey of
high-priority target stars to detect candidate Earth-like planets, conducting a
precursor radial velocity (RV) survey will benefit future direct imaging
missions in four ways. First, an RV survey capable of detecting signals as
small as 8 cm/s over timescales of a few years could discover potentially
habitable Earth-mass planets orbiting dozens of nearby GKM stars accessible to
space-based direct imaging. Second, RVs will improve scheduling efficiency by
reducing the required number of revisits for orbit determination, and revealing
when a planet of interest is most observable. Third, RV observations will
reveal the masses of gas and ice giants that could be mistaken for Earth-mass
planets, thereby reducing the time spent identifying false positives. Fourth,
mass measurements from RVs will provide the surface gravities necessary for
interpreting atmospheric spectra and potential biosignatures.
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