Road Map to DARWIN and Beyond: A Ten Year Strategy for Exoplanet Research in the UK 2006 - 2015

Prepared by the PPARC Exoplanet Forum Working Group for the Advisory Panel November 2005

1 Road Map to DARWIN and Beyond: A Ten Year Strategy for Exoplanet Research in the UK 2006 – 2015

1 Executive Summary...... 3 2 Introduction...... 5 3 Science...... 6 3.1 Discovery and Observation of Exoplanets...... 6 3.1.1 Search techniques...... 6 3.1.2 UK Strengths and Contributions...... 7 3.1.3 Forward look for the discovery and observation of exoplanets...... 8 3.2 Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems ...... 9 3.2.1 Theory and Modelling...... 9 3.2.2 Debris Disks...... 10 3.2.3 Laboratory-based analyses...... 10 3.2.4 UK Strengths and Contributions...... 11 3.2.5 Forward look for formation and evolution of planetary systems...... 11 4 Technology Development ...... 12 4.1 Space-based Instrumentation...... 12 4.2 Ground-based instrumentation ...... 12 4.3 Industrial Contribution ...... 14 5 The Community ...... 15 6 Summary and Recommendations: A Roadmap to DARWIN ...... 15 7 Cost of the Road Map...... 18 8 Authorship of this document...... 19 9 Terms of Reference...... 19

Appendix 1 – The UK Community ...... 20 Appendix 2 – UK groups and Companies with relevant technology competences...... 24 Appendix 3 - Acronyms and Glossary ...... 26

Cover images: left column, top – Venus in transit across the Sun, copyright Keele Observatory; middle – artist's impression of an extremely large telescope, copyright ESO; bottom – artist's impression of the DARWIN telescope, copyright ESA. Right column, top: cameras from the SuperWasp installation, copyright SuperWasp consortium; middle - SCUBA image of a debris disk around Vega, copyright ATC Edinburgh; bottom – David Hardy's impression of an Earth-like planet orbiting a sun-type star , copyright PPARC.

2 Executive Summary The existence, or otherwise, of potential life-bearing planets outside the Solar System remains as one of the outstanding questions in modern science. The characterisation of other planetary systems, and the search for life on planets outside the solar system, is going to happen within the coming decade. Given the immense scientific and cultural impact this will have, it is essential that the UK plays a leading role. This requires a coherent strategy for the long-term support and development of UK Exoplanet science. The Exoplanet Forum Working Group was requested by PPARC to develop a 10 year strategy for enhancing UK involvement in Exoplanet science. The goal was to ensure that UK researchers will be positioned to hold leadership positions in future space-based (specifically ESA's DARWIN mission) and ground-based (the development of ELTs) Exoplanet search programmes. The strategy developed here seeks to maintain and increase the short-term support of areas of existing UK strength and expertise, to enhance the international credibility of UK Exoplanet research, whist setting the scientific and technical developments that will serve as a stepping stone to DARWIN and beyond. Our starting assumption is that a primary goal of Exoplanet research is to detect and study light directly from an Earth-like planet orbiting in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. The cost to PPARC by Financial Year of the strategy is as follows a) New money:

Project (costs in £k) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total Planet Searches SuperWasp 150 150 150 150 150 750 AAPS 9090909090 450 GENIE 100 100 100 100 100 100 600 Robotic Telescopes 1000 2000 1000 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 4700 Science Exploitation 0 Project Manager 20 30 50 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 800 Science focus 15 15 20 20 25 25 25 25 30 30 230 meetings Visiting Fellowships 50 53 55 58 61 65 68 70 73 75 628 Technology 0 Systems modelling 100 100 100 100 100 100 600 ELT EU FP7 matching 80 140 140 140 140 140 140 80 1000 finds Laboratory test-bed 50 100 450 100 100 100 100 1000 Technology focus 15 15