Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE) is a project started in 2017 to develop the science, technology and a roadmap for a space mission to detect and characterize the atmospheres of dozens of warm, terrestrial
extrasolar planet
An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917 but was not recognized as such. The first confirmation of detection occurred in 1992. A different planet, init ...
s. The current plan is for a
nulling interferometer A nuller is an optical tool used to block a strong source so that fainter signals near that source can be observed. An example of a nuller is being employed on the Keck Interferometer. This causes the light from a star to destructively interfere, e ...
operating in the
mid-infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
.
The LIFE space observatory concept is different from previous space missions, which covered a similar wavelength regime in the mid-infrared (MIR). This includes recent missions such as
James Web Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and older missions such as
ISO
ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization.
ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance
* Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007
* Iso ...
,
IRAS
The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (Dutch: ''Infrarood Astronomische Satelliet'') (IRAS) was the first space telescope to perform a survey of the entire night sky at infrared wavelengths. Launched on 25 January 1983, its mission lasted ten mo ...
,
and AKARI.
Atmospheric Biosignatures
When present in sufficient quantities in the atmosphere, chemicals that are indicators of life are known as
atmospheric biomarkers. The LIFE Mission is designed to observe in the mid-infrared light, where many of these molecules show spectral features.
LIFE research papers
# Improved exoplanet detection yield estimates for a large mid-infrared space-interferometer mission
# Signal simulation, signal extraction and fundamental exoplanet parameters from single epoch observations
# Spectral resolution, wavelength range and sensitivity requirements based on atmospheric retrieval analyses of an exo-Earth
# Diagnostic potential of a mid-infrared space-interferometer for studying Earth analogs
# Ideal kernel-nulling array architectures for a space-based mid-infrared nulling interferometer
# Practical implementation of a kernel-nulling beam combiner with a discussion on instrumental uncertainties and redundancy benefits
References
External links
Exoplanet science with a space-based mid-infrared nulling interferometer Sascha P. Quanz, Jens Kammerer, Denis Defrère, Olivier Absil, Adrian M. Glauser, Daniel Kitzmann, 9 Aug 2018
See also
*
Astrobiology
Astrobiology, and the related field of exobiology, is an interdisciplinary scientific field that studies the origins, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Astrobiology is the multidisciplinary field that investig ...
*
Biosignature
A biosignature (sometimes called chemical fossil or molecular fossil) is any substance – such as an element, isotope, or molecule – or phenomenon that provides scientific evidence of past or present life. Measurable attribute ...
{{Exoplanet search projects
Space telescopes
Exoplanet search projects
Proposed satellites