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EXO-zodi modeling for the large binocular telescope interferometer


Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Kennedy, GM 
Wyatt, MC 
Bailey, V 
Bryden, G 
Danchi, WC 

Abstract

Habitable zone dust levels are a key unknown that must be understood to ensure the success of future space missions to image Earth analogues around nearby stars. Current detection limits are several orders of magnitude above the level of the Solar System's Zodiacal cloud, so characterisation of the brightness distribution of exo-zodi down to much fainter levels is needed. To this end, the large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) will detect thermal emission from habitable zone exo-zodi a few times brighter than Solar System levels. Here we present a modelling framework for interpreting LBTI observations, which yields dust levels from detections and upper limits that are then converted into predictions and upper limits for the scattered light surface brightness. We apply this model to the HOSTS survey sample of nearby stars; assuming a null depth uncertainty of 10−4 the LBTI will be sensitive to dust a few times above the Solar System level around Sun-like stars, and to even lower dust levels for more massive stars.

Description

Keywords

circumstellar matter, instrumentation: interferometers, zodiacal dust

Journal Title

Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0067-0049
1538-4365

Volume Title

216

Publisher

American Astronomical Society
Sponsorship
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/J00152X/1)
European Research Council (279973)
The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer is funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as part of its Exoplanet Exploration Program. This work was supported by the European Union through ERC grant number 279973 (GMK, OP, ABS & MCW).