Space Interferometry Mission: Planets and More

Shri Kulkarni

ABSTRACT

The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) is a 10-m Michelson interferometer operating in the visible band. Engineers and scientists are hard at work overcoming technical problems in time for a launch in 2009. SIM will undertake astrometry over the entire sky, locating target objects, with reference to a grid of 3000 K giants, to a precision of 4 microarcseconds (position, proper motion and parallax). SIM aims to achieve 1 microarcsecond precision in narrow angle astometry ("phase referencing", angle < 1 degree). These two modes will enable astronomers to make fundamental advances in several areas of astronomy and to undertake the most comprehensive search for Earth-like planets.

The speaker is the Co-PI of EPICS, the largest key project for planet search as well is the Interdisciplinary Scientist. He will describe the program he and his colleagues expect to undertake with SIM.