Direct High-Resolution Imaging of Exoplanets with the Solar Gravitational Lens
by Dr. Slava G. Turyshev
"Nature has presented us with a very powerful “instrument” that we are yet to explore and put to use. This instrument is the Solar Gravitational Lens (SGL), which results from the ability of the gravitational field of the Sun to focus light from faint, distant targets. In the near future, a modest telescope with a coronagraph could operate in the focal region of the SGL and, using enormous amplification provided by the Lens, could provide multipixel images of exoplanets. We discuss the imaging properties of the SGL and introduce a mission concept to the SGL focal region that could provide us with direct, high-resolution images and spectroscopy of a potentially habitable Earth-like exoplanet. A meter-class telescope operating at the focal region of the SGL could yield ~(450×450)-pixel images of an “Earth 2.0” at distances up to 100 light years (~30 parsec) with spatial resolution high enough to see its surface features and to determine and study the signs of habitability. We address aspects of mission design and spacecraft requirements, as well as capabilities needed to fly this mission in the next two decades. We also discuss technologies for fast transit through the solar system that will be demonstrated during our ongoing NIAC Phase III study."
For background, please check: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQFqDKRAROI
Slava G. Turyshev is an astrophysicist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology and a professor at the Physics and Astronomy Department of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Turyshev earned his M.S. in physics (with honors) and a PhD in quantum field theory from the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia in 1987 and 1990, correspondingly. In 2008, he earned the Doctor of Science degree (Habilitation) in astrophysics from the same university. His primary research areas include gravitational and fundamental physics in space, research in relativistic astrophysics, astronomy, and planetary science. He is an expert in high-precision spacecraft navigation, solar system dynamics, satellite and lunar laser ranging, astrometry, and related technology efforts. Dr. Turyshev served as the NASA Project Scientist on the CNES/ESA Microscope mission (2016-2020); JPL Project Scientist for the Advanced Lunar Laser Ranging Facility at the Table Mountain Observatory, CA (2015-ongoing); Principal Investigator on the investigation of the Pioneer Anomaly (2003-2012). Currently, he is the Principal Investigator on the 2020 NIAC Phase III effort on the mission concept studies to use the solar gravitation lens (SGL) for multipixel imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanets. He has published over 220 papers, 2 books. Dr. Turyshev is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics.