2023-07-21 19:54:29
André Beaudoin, iREx master’s student, completed his studies at the University of Montreal in 2023. He summarizes his research project here.
” Are we alone in the universe? is possibly the most important fundamental question in modern astrophysics. But how to answer it? And what astronomical instruments will be needed to find that answer?
The most promising avenue for a solution consists in the search for biosignatures, ie chemical elements or molecules that cannot exist – or coexist – without the presence of life on an exoplanet. A classic biosignature is the pair of oxygen–methane molecules. This pair has only been observed on Earth, and it seems impossible to maintain a significant concentration of the two molecules simultaneously on a planet without the presence of life to regenerate them. The detection of these two molecules on an exoplanet of Earth-like size would be a phenomenal breakthrough in the search for life elsewhere in the Universe. This brings us to the second question; what kind of astronomical instrument will it take to detect these molecules?
Today’s state-of-the-art instruments, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, are able to detect the presence of certain chemical elements on certain exoplanets, but it remains a great challenge to study Earth-sized exoplanets with these instruments. Moreover, the detection of dioxygen remains elusive, given the difficulties specifically related to its detection. The next generation of telescopes, giant telescopes, will push the boundaries of what is possible. The largest telescope of this generation, theExtremely Large Telescope (ELT), will have a main mirror with a diameter of 39 meters, making it the largest optical telescope ever built. It is currently under construction in Chile and its entry into service is scheduled for 2028.
Artistic representation of the Extremely Large Telescope, currently being built in Chile. Credit : ESO L. Calçada.
My master’s project consisted in evaluating the performance of the ELT, specifically that of one of its instruments, ANDES, for the detection of chemical elements in the atmosphere of terrestrial exoplanets. So I digitally built a simulator that reproduces the instrument very precisely, in which I included all the modules and as many sources of error as possible. Thanks to this simulator, I was able to assess under which conditions and on which exoplanets it will be possible to detect the chemical elements that interest us. In summary, in its current design, the instrument would be able to detect water on several terrestrial exoplanets, but would have great difficulty detecting other chemical molecules of interest.
More information
André did his master’s degree at the University of Montreal between 2021 and 2023, under the supervision of the director of iREx, René Doyon. His memoir will be available shortly.
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