Astrophysics with Microarcsecond Accuracy Astrometry
- Paper number
IAC-08.A3.4.5
- Author
Dr. Stephen Unwin, JPL /Caltech, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) will be the first optical interferometer in space designed for microarcsecond accuracy astrometry on targets as faint as V=19. This flexibly-scheduled instrument will tackle a range of problems in modern astrophysics. Foremost among its unique capabilities is the ability to detect Earth-mass planets around several dozen of the nearest stars, and characterize a wide range of planetary systems. It will study the formation and structure of our Galaxy through the dynamics of halo stars and tidal streams from dwarf spheroidal galaxies, and it will provide accurate masses for the first time for a variety of exotic star types, including X-ray binaries. Detecting astrometric motion in distant active galactic nuclei will allow study of the mechanism of formation of parsec-scale relativistic jets. The SIM project successfully completed in 2005 a series of enabling technology milestones, and is being studied by NASA as a flight mission. The research described in this talk was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.A3.4.5.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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