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The Exoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE)

Tucker, GS; Nagler, P; Butler, N; Kilpatrick, B; Korotkov, A; Lewis, N; Maxted, PFL; ... Wen, Y; + view all (2018) The Exoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE). In: (Proceedings) SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2018. SPIE Green open access

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Abstract

Although there are a large number of known exoplanets, there is little data on their global atmospheric properties. Phase-resolved spectroscopy of transiting planets - continuous spectroscopic observation of planets during their full orbits - probes varied depths and longitudes in the atmospheres thus measuring their three-dimensional thermal and chemical structure and contributing to our understanding of their global circulation. Planets with characteristics suitable for atmospheric characterization have orbits of several days, so phase curve observations are highly resource intensive, especially for shared use facilities. The Exoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE) is a balloon-borne near-infrared spectrometer designed to observe from 1 to 5 μm to perform phaseresolved spectroscopy of hot Jupiters. Flying from a long duration balloon (LDB) platform, EXCITE will have the stability to continuously stare at targets for days at a time and the sensitivity to produce data of the quality and quantity needed to significantly advance our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres. We describe the EXCITE design and show results of analytic and numerical calculations of the instrument sensitivity. We show that an instrument like EXCITE will produce a wealth of quality data, both complementing and serving as a critical bridge between current and future space-based near infrared spectroscopic instruments.

Type: Proceedings paper
Title: The Exoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE)
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2018
ISBN-13: 9781510619579
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1117/12.2314225
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2314225
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10062724
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