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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

The exo-zodiacal disk mapper

Zodiacal dust around neighboring stars could obscure the signal of terrestrial planets observed with the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) if that dust is similar to that in the Solar System. Unfortunately, little is known about the presence, or frequency of occurrence of zodiacal dust around stars and so the relevance of zodiacal dust to the design of the TPF, or to the TPF mission, is unknown. It is likely that direct observation of zodiacal dust disks will be necessary to confidently determine the characteristics of individual systems. A survey of a large number of stars in the solar neighborhood that could be candidates for observation with TPF should be undertaken. We present a concept for a space mission to undertake a sensitive, large-scale survey capable of characterizing solar-system-like zodiacal dust around 400 stars within 20 pc of the Sun.

Petro, Larry↗
NASA NTRS2009

Finding ExoEarths: The Problem of Exozodical Dust

Dust coming from asteroids and comets will strongly affect direct imaging and characterization of terrestrial planets in the Habitable Zones of nearby stars. Such dust in the Solar System is called the zodiacal dust. Higher levels of similar dust are seen around many nearby stars, confined in disks called debris disks. Future high-contrast images of an Earth-like exoplanet (or "exoEarth") will very likely be background-limited by light scattered of both local Solar System zodiacal dust and circumstellar dust in the extrasolar system (exozodiacal dust). Clumps in the exozodiacal dust, which are expected in planet-hosting systems,, may also be a source of confusion. Here we discuss the problems associated with direct observations of an Earth-like planet in the presence of unknown levels of exozodiacal dust. Basic formulae showing the effect of zodiacal and exozodiacal dust on exoEarth direct imaging will be presented, and performance estimates for some future mission concepts summarized. Current detection limits for debris dust and future prospects for sensitive exozodiacal dust observations will also be discussed. Finally, we highlight a few additional problems relating to exozodiacal dust that have yet to be solved.

Roberge, Aki↗
NASA NTRS2016

Enabling the Direct Detection of Earth-Sized Exoplanets with the LBTI HOSTS Project: A Progress Report

NASA has funded a project called the Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems (HOSTS) to survey nearby solar type stars to determine the amount of warm zodiacal dust in their habitable zones. The goal is not only to determine the luminosity distribution function but also to know which individual stars have the least amount of zodiacal dust. It is important to have this information for future missions that directly image exoplanets as this dust is the main source of astrophysical noise for them. The HOSTS project utilizes the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI), which consists of two 8.4-m apertures separated by a 14.4-m baseline on Mt. Graham, Arizona. The LBTI operates in a nulling mode in the mid-infrared spectral window (8-13 micrometers), in which light from the two telescopes is coherently combined with a 180 degree phase shift between them, producing a dark fringe at the location of the target star. In doing so the starlight is greatly reduced, increasing the contrast, analogous to a coronagraph operating at shorter wavelengths. The LBTI is a unique instrument, having only three warm reflections before the starlight reaches cold mirrors, giving it the best photometric sensitivity of any interferometer operating in the mid-infrared. It also has a superb Adaptive Optics (AO) system giving it Strehl ratios greater than 98% at 10 micrometers. In 2014 into early 2015 LBTI was undergoing commissioning. The HOSTS. project team passed its Operational Readiness Review (ORR) in April 2015. The team recently published papers on the target sample, modeling of the nulled disk images, and initial results such as the detection of warm dust around eta Corvi. Recently a paper was published on the data pipeline and on-sky performance. An additional paper is in preparation on Beta Leo. We will discuss the scientific and programmatic context for the LBTI project, and we will report recent progress, new results, and plans for the science verification phase that started in February 2016, and for the survey.

Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Syst↗
NASA NTRS1992

Zodiacal emission. III - Dust near the asteroid belt

Properties of the zodiacal dust bands are derived from fits to Infrared Astronomical Satellite profiles of the ecliptic. Three observations lead to the conclusion that the dust-band material is spread over a range of heliocentric distances between the asteroid belt and the sun: parallax, color temperature, and wavelength dependence of the band latitudes. The orientations of the midplanes of the bands are found to be typical of asteroids. A model of 'migrating bands', wherein dust is produced near the asteroid belt and spirals into the sun under the influence of Poynting-Robertson drag, is used to explain the range of heliocentric distances of dust-band material.

Reach, William T.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Micrometeoroid Events in LISA Pathfinder

The zodiacal dust complex, a population of dust and small particles that pervades the solar system, provides important insight into the formation and dynamics of planets, comets, asteroids, and other bodies. We present a new set of data obtained from direct measurements of momentum transfer to a spacecraft from individual particle impacts. This technique is made possible by the extreme precision of the instruments flown on the LISA Pathfinder spacecraft, a technology demonstrator for a future space-based gravitational wave observatory. Pathfinder employed a technique known as drag-free control that achieved rejection of external disturbances, including particle impacts, using a micropropulsion system. Using a simple model of the impacts and knowledge of the control system, we show that it is possible to detect impacts and measure properties such as the transferred momentum, direction of travel, and location of impact on the spacecraft. In this paper, we present the results of a systematic search for impacts during 4348 hr of Pathfinder data. We report a total of 54 candidates with transferred momenta ranging from 0.2 to 230 μNs. We furthermore make a comparison of these candidates with models of micrometeoroid populations in the inner solar system, including those resulting from Jupiter-family comets (JFCs), Oort Cloud comets, Halley-type comets, and asteroids. We find that our measured population is consistent with a population dominated by JFCs, with some evidence for a smaller contribution from Halley-type comets, in agreement with consensus models of the zodiacal dust complex in the momentum range sampled by LISA Pathfinder.

Thorpe, J. I.↗
NASA NTRS1998

WIRE, SOFIA and SIRTF

WIRE, SOFIA and SIRTF are three planned NASA missions for infrared astronomy. Each will make significant contributions to the study of exo-zodiacal dust, planetary debris disks, and/or the zodiacal material within our own solar system. These missions and their measurement and scientific capabilities are synopsized. The principal contribution of these missions to this field of study will be to establish and strengthen its intellectual foundations rather than to pinpoint specific targets for planetary searches. This is consistent with their relatively near-term availability. Moreover, this intellectual understanding can assure that subsequent missions approach this subject from a sound scientific perspective which will yield valuable results independent of the success of a particular planet finding strategy. Each of these missions - most urgently WIRE with its Fall, 1998 launch date - would make good use of a list of candidate target stars for exo-zodiacal/planet-finding studies. The preparation of such a list was one of the recommendations of the exo-zodiacal workshop.

Werner, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2022

Evidence for a Significant Kuiper Belt Dust Contribution to the Zodiacal Cloud

Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) are important samples of dust-producing objects in the solar system including many primitive and organic-rich bodies that are not sampled by known meteorites. IDPs spiral in towards the Sun under the influence of Poynting-Robertson (P-R) drag forces and are exposed to solar energetic particles (SEPs) that leave tracks of ionization damage in anhydrous silicate grains. We determined the exposure ages of track-rich IDPs using a new calibration of the SEP track production rate and show that track-rich IDPs have long exposure ages (>1 My) that preclude an origin from main-belt asteroids (MBAs) and Jupiter-family comets (JFCs). We propose that track-rich IDPs represent samples of dust produced by collisions among Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt objects (EKBOs) and that appreciable amounts of EKBO dust are contributing to the Zodiacal cloud. Many track-rich IDPs also contain abundant secondary minerals that provide direct evidence for past aqueous activity on some EKBOs.

Lindsay P. Keller↗
NASA NTRS1976

Radial distribution of meteoric particles in interplanetary space

The heliocentric distribution of meteoric particles in interplanetary space is derived, with consideration of the Poynting-Robertson effect, interparticle collision processes and cometary dust injection. Radial distribution functions were derived for zodiacal dust, radar meteors and the meteoroids of mass 10 to the -9th to about 10 to the -10th g (normalized to 1 AU). The number density was found to depend on particle size.

Rhee, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Detecting Exoplanets with the New Worlds Observer: The Problem of Exozodiacal Dust

Dust coming from asteroids and comets will strongly affect direct imaging and characterization of terrestrial planets in the Habitable Zones of nearby stars. Such dust in the Solar System is called the zodiacal dust (or 'zodi' for short). Higher levels of similar dust are seen around many nearby stars, confined in disks called debris disks. Future high-contrast images of an Earth-like exoplanet will very likely be background-limited by light scattered of both the local Solar System zodi and the circumstellar dust in the extrasolar system (the exozodiacal dust). Clumps in the exozodiacal dust, which are expected in planet-hosting systems, may also be a source of confusion. Here we discuss the problems associated with imaging an Earth-like planet in the presence of unknown levels of exozodiacal dust. Basic formulae for the exoplanet imaging exposure time as function of star, exoplanet, zodi, exozodi, and telescope parameters will be presented. To examine the behavior of these formulae, we apply them to the New Worlds Observer (NWO) mission. NWO is a proposed 4-meter UV/optical/near-IR telescope, with a free flying starshade to suppress the light from a nearby star and achieve the high contrast needed for detection and characterization of a terrestrial planet in the star's Habitable Zone. We find that NWO can accomplish its science goals even if exozodiacal dust levels are typically much higher than the Solar System zodi level. Finally, we highlight a few additional problems relating to exozodiacal dust that have yet to be solved.

Roberge, A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Mariner 4 - A study of the cumulative flux of dust particles over a heliocentric range of 1-1.56 AU 1964-1967

Between December 1964 and December 1967, the Mariner 4 dust particle experiment obtained data concerning the distribution of minute zodiacal dust cloud particles over a heliocentric range of 1-1.56 AU. The first measurement was over the complete heliocentric range, while the two additional measurements were made between 1.1 and 1.25 AU in 1966, and between 1.2 and 1.5 AU in 1967. The initial results of these measurements presented the mean cumulative flux for the respective data periods. The results of a detailed study and comparison of the three measurements are presented, with particular emphasis on the variation of the flux as a function of heliocentric range. A small, but statistically significant, increase in the flux is observed between 1.15 and 1.4 AU. The initial reports showed a lower cumulative flux for the latter two measurements. However, a detailed analysis containing corrections for spacecraft attitude indicate that all three measurements yield similar results, and that the particles detected were in low inclination orbits.

Alexander, W. M.↗
DOE OSTI2020

The HOSTS Survey for Exozodiacal Dust: Observational Results from the Complete Survey

The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) enables nulling interferometric observations across the N band (8 to 13 μm) to suppress a star’s bright light and probe for faint circumstellar emission. We present and statistically analyze the results from the LBTI/Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems survey for exozodiacal dust. By comparing our measurements to model predictions based on the solar zodiacal dust in the N band, we estimate a 1σ median sensitivity of 23 zodis times the solar system dust surface density in its habitable zone (HZ; 23 zodis) for early-type stars and 48 zodis for Sun-like stars, where 1 zodi is the surface density of HZ dust in the solar system. Of the 38 stars observed, 10 show significant excess. A clear correlation of our detections with the presence of cold dust in the systems was found, but none with the stellar spectral type or age. The majority of Sun-like stars have relatively low HZ dust levels (best-fit median: 3 zodis, 1σ upper limit: 9 zodis, 95% confidence: 27 zodis based on our N band measurements), while ~20% are significantly more dusty. The solar system’s HZ dust content is consistent with being typical. Our median HZ dust level would not be a major limitation to the direct imaging search for Earth-like exoplanets, but more precise constraints are still required, in particular to evaluate the impact of exozodiacal dust for the spectroscopic characterization of imaged exo-Earth candidates.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2020

The HOSTS Survey for Exozodiacal Dust: Observational Results from the Complete Survey

The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) enables nulling interferometric observations across the N band (8 to 13 μm) to suppress a star's bright light and probe for faint circumstellar emission. We present and statistically analyze the results from the LBTI/Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems survey for exozodiacal dust. By comparing our measurements to model predictions based on the solar zodiacal dust in the N band, we estimate a 1σ median sensitivity of 23 zodis times the solar system dust surface density in its habitable zone (HZ; 23 zodis) for early-type stars and 48 zodis for Sun-like stars, where 1 zodi is the surface density of HZ dust in the solar system. Of the 38 stars observed, 10 show significant excess. A clear correlation of our detections with the presence of cold dust in the systems was found, but none with the stellar spectral type or age. The majority of Sun-like stars have relatively low HZ dust levels (best-fit median: 3 zodis, 1σ upper limit: 9 zodis, 95% confidence: 27 zodis based on our N band measurements), while ~20% are significantly more dusty. The solar system's HZ dust content is consistent with being typical. Our median HZ dust level would not be a major limitation to the direct imaging search for Earth-like exoplanets, but more precise constraints are still required, in particular to evaluate the impact of exozodiacal dust for the spectroscopic characterization of imaged exo-Earth candidates.

Exozodiacal dust↗
NASA NTRS2008

Exozodiacal Dust and Direct Imaging of Extrasolar Planets

Direct imaging of extrasolar planets means contending with dust from extrasolar asteroids and comets. This 'exozodiacal dust' creates a structured background light that can easily outshine the light from an exoEarth and confuse a planet-search mission like TPF or TOPS. But exozodiacal dust can be both friend and foe: planets can stir dust clouds into patterns that reveal the presence of the planet and constrain its mass and orbit. I'll describe some recent research on this topic: 3-D dynamical models of dust clouds with planets and searches for exozodiacal dust with the Keck Interferometer. The author also offers a prediction for the typical zodiacal dust background found around solar analogs, based on seafloor sediment data.

Kuchner, Marc↗
NASA NTRS1990

A study of extended zodiacal structures

Observations of cometary dust trails and zodiacal dust bands, discovered by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) were analyzed in a continuing effort to understand their nature and relationship to comets, asteroids, and processes effecting those bodies. A survey of all trails observed by IRAS has been completed, and analysis of this phenomenon continues. A total of 8 trails have been associated with known short-period comets (Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Encke, Gunn, Kopff, Pons-Winnecke, Schwassmann-Wachmann 1, Tempel 1, and Tempel 2), and a few faint trails have been detected which are not associated with any known comet. It is inferred that all short-period comets may have trails, and that the trails detected were seen as a consequence of observational selection effects. Were IRAS launched today, it would likely observe a largely different set of trails. The Tempel 2 trail exhibits a small but significant excess in color temperature relative to a blackbody at the same heliocentric distance. This excess may be due to the presence of a population of small, low-beta particles deriving from large particles within the trail, or a temperature gradient over the surface of large trail particles. Trails represent the very first stage in the formation and evolution of a meteor stream, and may also be the primary mechanism by which comets contribute to the interplanetary dust complex. A mathematical model of the spatial distribution of orbitally evolved collisional debris was developed which reproduces the zodiacal dust band phenomena and was used in the analysis of dust band observations made by IRAS. This has resulted in the principal zodiacal dust bands being firmly related to the principal Hirayama asteroid families. In addition, evidence for the collisional diffusion of the orbital elements of the dust particles has been found in the case of dust generated in the Eos asteroid family.

Sykes, Mark V.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Mission goals of a 1998/1999 Leonid storm Multi-instrument Aircraft Campaign (MAC)

In November of 1998 (or in 1999 with about equal probability) will be our one chance in a lifetime to anticipate with some certainty the occurrence of a meteor storm. For a period of up to 2 hours, rates are expected to increase above 1 meteor per second for a naked eye observer. At that time, Earth passes through the outer regimes of the dust trail of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The high meteor flux offers unprecedented precision in characterizing the dust trail in terms of spatial and particle size distributions of dust grains and allows the measurement of composition, morphology and orbits of individual cometary grains relatively soon after ejection from the comet. By using the Earth's atmosphere as a detector for the dust trains, grains are sampled over a wide mass range, from the typical grain size of zodiacal dust (40 - 200 micron) up until the rare boulders that can still be lifted off the comet nucleus.

Jenniskens, P.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Asteroid Belts in Debris Disk Twins: Vega and Fomalhaut

Vega and Fomalhaut are similar in terms of mass, ages, and global debris disk properties; therefore, they are often referred to as debris disk twins. We present Spitzer 10-35 micrometers spectroscopic data centered at both stars and identify warm, unresolved excess emission in the close vicinity of Vega for the first time. The properties of the warm excess in Vega are further characterized with ancillary photometry in the mid-infrared and resolved images in the far-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. The Vega warm excess shares many similar properties with the one found around Fomalhaut. The emission shortward of approximately 30 micrometers from both warm components is well described as a blackbody emission of approximately 170 K. Interestingly, two other systems, Eri and HR 8799, also show such an unresolved warm dust using the same approach. These warm components may be analogous to the solar system s zodiacal dust cloud, but of far greater mass (fractional luminosity of approximately 10(exp-5) to 10(exp-6) compared to 10(exp-8) to 10(exp-7). The dust temperature and tentative detections in the submillimeter suggest that the warm excess arises from dust associated with a planetesimal ring located near the water-frost line and presumably created by processes occurring at similar locations in other debris systems as well. We also review the properties of the 2 micrometers hot excess around Vega and Fomalhaut, showing that the dust responsible for the hot excess is not spatially associated with the dust we detected in the warm belt.We suggest it may arise from hot nano grains trapped in the magnetic field of the star. Finally, the separation between the warm and cold belt is rather large with an orbital ratio greater than or approximately 10 in all four systems. In light of the current upper limits on the masses of planetary objects and the large gap, we discuss the possible implications for their underlying planetary architecture and suggest that multiple, low-mass planets likely reside between the two belts in Vega and Fomalhaut.

Su, Kate Y. L.↗