Project Description: NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is an under-development mission that will be designed to directly-image Earth-like exoplanets orbiting nearby Sun-like stars in reflected light. The proper design of this next Great Observatory requires understanding the complex relationships between instrument systems and science observations. A tension currently exists between the high contrast imaging system parameters and the achievable wavelengths for exo-Earth characterization. Specifically, while pushing capabilities to increasingly redder wavelengths provides access to a greater diversity of gas spectral features, instrument and detector properties at these wavelengths generally imply poorer performance. The goal of this project is to, then, understand what level(s) of instrument performance (in terms of key parameters like detector noise and mirror/instrument temperature) can be endured while still delivering detections of key gases (esp. CO2, CH4, and CO) for Earth-like targets.
NASA Relevance: This opportunity supports the ongoing development efforts of NASA APD's Habitable Worlds Observatory.
Work Description:
- Designing exo-Earth atmospheric retrieval simulations using in-hand software.
- Developing novel Python software for implementing instrument noise within in-hand retrieval software.
- Executing atmospheric retrieval simulations on UA's HPC.
Open or Reserved Project: Reserved/Open, 1 position reserved for student but mentor may be willing to work with another student if reserved student isn't selected.