[en] The upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) combined with the unique features of the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system should enable the young field of exoplanetology to enter into the realm of temperate Earth-sized worlds. Indeed, the proximity of the system (12pc) and the small size (0.12 R) and luminosity (0.05% L) of its host star should make the comparative atmospheric characterization of its seven transiting planets within reach of an ambitious JWST program. Given the limited lifetime of JWST, the ecliptic location of the star that limits its visibility to 100d per year, the large number of observational time required by this study, and the numerous observational and theoretical challenges awaiting it, its full success will critically depend on a large level of coordination between the involved teams and on the support of a large community. In this context, we present here a community initiative aiming to develop a well-defined sequential structure for the study of the system with JWST and to coordinate on every aspect of its preparation and implementation, both on the observational (e.g. study of the instrumental limitations, data analysis techniques, complementary space-based and ground-based observations) and theoretical levels (e.g. model developments and comparison, retrieval techniques, inferences). Depending on the outcome of the first phase of JWST observations of the planets, this initiative could become the seed of a major JWST Legacy Program devoted to the study of TRAPPIST-1.
Disciplines :
Space science, astronomy & astrophysics
Author, co-author :
Gillon, Michaël ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Exotic
Meadows, Victoria; University of Washington
Agol, Eric; University of Washington
Burgasser, Adam J.; University of California San Diego
Deming, Drake; University of Maryland College Park
Doyon, René; University of Montreal, Canada
Fortney, Jonathan; University of California Santa Cruz
Kreidberg, Laura; Center for Astrophysics | Harvard and Smithsonian
Owen, James; Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Selsis, Franck; University of Bordeaux, France
de Wit, Julien; Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lustig-Yaeger, Jacob; Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Rackham, Benjamin V.; Massachusetts Institute of Technology)