Quanz Sascha P, Absil Olivier, Benz Willy, Bonfils Xavier, Berger Jean-Philippe, Defrère Denis, van Dishoeck Ewine, Ehrenreich David, Fortney Jonathan, Glauser Adrian, Grenfell John Lee, Janson Markus, Kraus Stefan, Krause Oliver, Labadie Lucas, Lacour Sylvestre, Line Michael, Linz Hendrik, Loicq Jérôme, Miguel Yamila, Pallé Enric, Queloz Didier, Rauer Heike, Ribas Ignasi, Rugheimer Sarah, Selsis Franck, Snellen Ignas, Sozzetti Alessandro, Stapelfeldt Karl R, Udry Stephane, Wyatt Mark
ETH Zurich, Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Zurich, Switzerland.
University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Exp Astron (Dordr). 2022;54(2-3):1197-1221. doi: 10.1007/s10686-021-09791-z. Epub 2021 Sep 10.
Exoplanet science is one of the most thriving fields of modern astrophysics. A major goal is the atmospheric characterization of dozens of small, terrestrial exoplanets in order to search for signatures in their atmospheres that indicate biological activity, assess their ability to provide conditions for life as we know it, and investigate their expected atmospheric diversity. None of the currently adopted projects or missions, from ground or in space, can address these goals. In this White Paper, submitted to ESA in response to the Voyage 2050 Call, we argue that a large space-based mission designed to detect and investigate thermal emission spectra of terrestrial exoplanets in the mid-infrared wavelength range provides unique scientific potential to address these goals and surpasses the capabilities of other approaches. While NASA might be focusing on large missions that aim to detect terrestrial planets in reflected light, ESA has the opportunity to take leadership and spearhead the development of a large mid-infrared exoplanet mission within the scope of the "Voyage 2050" long-term plan establishing Europe at the forefront of exoplanet science for decades to come. Given the ambitious science goals of such a mission, additional international partners might be interested in participating and contributing to a roadmap that, in the long run, leads to a successful implementation. A new, dedicated development program funded by ESA to help reduce development and implementation cost and further push some of the required key technologies would be a first important step in this direction. Ultimately, a large mid-infrared exoplanet imaging mission will be needed to help answer one of humankind's most fundamental questions: "How unique is our Earth?"
系外行星科学是现代天体物理学中最蓬勃发展的领域之一。一个主要目标是对数十颗小型类地系外行星进行大气特征描述，以便在它们的大气中寻找表明生物活动的特征，评估它们为我们所知的生命提供条件的能力，并研究它们预期的大气多样性。目前无论是地面还是太空所采用的项目或任务，都无法实现这些目标。在这份应“2050 年航行”征集活动提交给欧洲航天局（ESA）的白皮书中，我们认为，一个旨在探测和研究类地系外行星在中红外波长范围内的热发射光谱的大型太空任务，具有实现这些目标的独特科学潜力，并且超越了其他方法的能力。虽然美国国家航空航天局（NASA）可能专注于旨在探测反射光中的类地行星的大型任务，但欧洲航天局有机会发挥领导作用，率先在“2050 年航行”长期计划的范围内开展一项大型中红外系外行星任务，使欧洲在未来几十年处于系外行星科学的前沿。鉴于这样一项任务有着雄心勃勃的科学目标，其他国际伙伴可能有兴趣参与并为一个从长远来看能成功实施的路线图做出贡献。欧洲航天局资助一个新的专门开发项目，以帮助降低开发和实施成本，并进一步推动一些所需的关键技术，将是朝着这个方向迈出的重要的第一步。最终，将需要一项大型中红外系外行星成像任务，以帮助回答人类最基本的问题之一：“我们的地球有多独特？”
