Detection and Characterization of Nearby Exoplanets - II

这项提议的长期目标是寻找最近的宜居类地行星，并探测它们的大气层，以确定它们的化学成分；这是我们寻找太阳系外生命的关键踏脚石。我打算通过部署三台最先进的天文仪器在这一激动人心的努力中发挥关键作用，这些仪器将在本十年结束时开始运行，其中两台在地面，一台在詹姆斯·韦伯空间望远镜(JWST)上。这些仪器将用于启动长期的全天计划，致力于搜索附近的宜居世界并对其进行详细研究，特别是确定其大气的主要成分，以评估其容纳生命的能力。 我的研究活动有两个方面。我致力于开发专门用于探测和表征系外行星的最先进的天文仪器。我还积极参加各种各样的观测方案，所有这些方案都致力于搜索/研究系外行星，包括它们的宿主恒星。这项任务涉及使用各种仪器、望远镜和地面和空间观测技术。我的研究计划的重点是一类特殊的类地系外行星，它们恰好在所谓的宜居带(HZ)内运行，也就是说，恒星周围的区域足够温和，足以维持行星表面的液态水。这些行星可能具备适合生命生存的条件。 我是两个国际项目的联合首席研究员，该项目的重点是开发红外测速仪仪器(北部的SPIRou；南部的NIRPS)，这两个仪器都经过优化，可以探测附近低质量恒星周围的小型岩石行星。这两个项目都进展顺利，在我的领导下，加拿大提供了强大的(~50%)财政捐助。从2018年开始，SPIRou和NIRPS都将在五年内被分配至少1000个晚上进行两项主要的系外行星调查：一项专注于寻找最近的宜居世界，另一项对几个100秒凌日系统进行关键的质量测量。我还将担任领导职务，使用JWST通过凌日光谱探测这些宜居词汇的大气，这是一种用于恢复系外行星大气光谱的强大技术。我是近红外成像仪和无缝分光谱仪的首席研究员，这是加拿大制造的JWST仪器，其特点是一种专门为高精度过境光谱分析设计的模式。从2019年春季开始，我和我的团队将启动一个200小时的保证时间观测计划，重点是几种类型的系外行星的大气特征，包括附近的几个凌日岩石系统。这些项目承诺将在我的团队内、在加拿大和世界各地实现开创性的发现。

The long-term objective of this proposal is to find the nearest habitable terrestrial planets and probe their atmosphere to determine their chemical composition; this is a key stepping-stone in our quest for life outside the Solar System. I intend to play a pivotal role in this exciting endeavor through the deployment of three new state-of-the-art astronomical instruments whose operation will be initiated towards the end of this decade, two on the ground and one on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These instruments will be used to initiate long-term, all-sky programs dedicated to searching nearby habitable worlds and study them in detail, in particular to determine the main constituents of their atmosphere to assess their ability to harbor life. My research activities are twofold. I contribute to the development of state-of-the-art astronomical instruments specialized for the detection and characterization of exoplanets. I also actively participate in a wide variety of observational programs all dedicated to searching/studying exoplanets including their host star. This task involves the use of a variety of instruments, telescopes and observing techniques both ground- and space-based. The focus of my research program is on a special class of terrestrial exoplanets that happen to orbit in the so-called habitable zone (HZ), i.e. the region around a star that is temperate enough to sustain liquid water on the surface of the planet. Those planets may have the right conditions for life to strive. I am co-principal investigator of two international projects focused on the development of infrared velocimeter instruments (SPIRou in the north; NIRPS in the south) both optimized for detecting small rocky planets around nearby low-mass stars. Both projects are well underway with a strong (~50%) financial contribution from Canada under my leadership. Starting in 2018, both SPIRou and NIRPS will be allocated at least 1000 nights over five years to conduct two major exoplanet surveys: one focused on finding the closest habitable worlds and the other to perform crucial mass measurements of several 100s transiting systems. I will also be in a leadership position to probe the atmosphere of those habitable words using JWST through transit spectroscopy, a powerful technique used to recover the spectrum of an exoplanet atmosphere. I am principal investigator of the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph, the Canadian-built JWST instrument that features a mode specifically designed for high-precision transit spectroscopy. Starting in the spring of 2019, my team and I will initiate a 200-hr long Guaranteed Time Observations program focused on atmospheric characterization of several types of exoplanets, including a few nearby transiting rocky systems. These programs promise to enable groundbreaking discoveries within my team, in Canada and all over the world.