Day 1583

Thursday.

1906.05079
A thousand earths: a very large aperture, ultralight space telescope array for atmospheric biosignature surveys
Asai, et al

An outstanding, multi-disciplinary goal of modern science is the study of the diversity of potentially Earth-like planets and the search for life in them. This goal requires a bold new generation of space telescopes, but even the most ambitious designs yet hope to characterize several dozen potentially habitable planets. Such a sample may be too small to truly understand the complexity of exo-earths. We describe here a notional concept for a novel space observatory designed to characterize 1,000 transiting exo-earth candidates. The Nautilus concept is based on an array of inflatable spacecraft carrying very large diameter (8.5m), very low-weight, multi-order diffractive optical elements (MODE lenses) as light-collecting elements. The mirrors typical to current space telescopes are replaced by MODE lenses with a 10 times lighter areal density that are 100 times less sensitive to misalignments, enabling light-weight structure. MODE lenses can be cost-effectively replicated through molding. The Nautilus mission concept has a potential to greatly reduce fabrication and launch costs, and mission risks compared to the current space telescope paradigm through replicated components and identical, light-weight unit telescopes. Nautilus is designed to survey transiting exo-earths for biosignatures up to a distance of 300 pc, enabling a rigorous statistical exploration of the frequency and properties of life-bearing planets and the diversity of exo-earths.

1906.05167

Effect of star rotation rates on the characteristics of energetic particle events

Fu, et al

Recent detection of superflares on solar-type stars by Kepler mission raised a possibility that they can be associated with energetic coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and energetic particle events (SEPs). These space weather events can impact habitability of exoplanets around these stars. Here we use the improved Particle Acceleration and Transport in the Heliosphere (iPATH) model, to model the time intensity profile and spectrum of SEPs accelerated at CME-driven shocks from stars of different ages traced by their rotation rates. We consider a solar-like (G-type) star with 6 different rotation rates varying from 0.5 to 3.0 times rotation speed of the sun. In all 6 cases, a fast CME is launched with the same speed of 1500 km/sec and the resulting time intensity profiles at 3 locations and energy spectra at 5 locations at 1 AU are obtained. The maximum particle energy at the shock front as a function of r is also shown. Our results suggest that within 0.8 AU the maximum particle energy at the shock front increases with the rotation rate of the star. However, event integrated spectra for the five selected locations along the CME path show complicated patterns. This is because the Parker magnetic field for rapidly rotating stars is more tightly winded. Our results can be used in estimating the radiation environments of terrestrial-type exoplanets around solar-type stars.

1906.05184

A model for micro quasars of population III

Checa, Romero

Current simulations indicate that the first stars were formed predominantly in binary systems. The study of the contribution of the first accreting binary systems to the reionization and heating of the intergalactic medium requires the formulation of a concrete model for microquasars of Population III. We aim at constructing a complete model for microquasars where the donor star is of Population III. We consider that the mas-loss of the star is caused exclusively by the spill of matter through the Roche lobe towards the black hole. We calculate the spectral energy distribution of the radiation produced by the accretion disk, the radiation-pressure driven wind, and the relativistic particles in the jets, within the framework of a lepto-hadronic model. In addition, we estimate the impact on the reionization by the first microquasars. We determine that Population III microquasars are powerful sources of ultraviolet radiation produced by the winds of their super-critical disks, and generate a broadband non-thermal emission in jets. Our results indicate that microquasars in the early Universe could have been important for the reionization and heating of the intergalactic medium.