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arxiv: 1305.5422 · v2 · pith:SMYEVZMLnew · submitted 2013-05-23 · 🌌 astro-ph.IM

Wide-Field InfraRed Survey Telescope-Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets WFIRST-AFTA Final Report

D. Spergel , N. Gehrels , J. Breckinridge , M. Donahue , A. Dressler , B. S. Gaudi , T. Greene , O. Guyon
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C. Hirata J. Kalirai N. J. Kasdin W. Moos S. Perlmutter M. Postman B. Rauscher J. Rhodes Y. Wang D. Weinberg J. Centrella W. Traub C. Baltay J. Colbert D. Bennett A. Kiessling B. Macintosh J. Merten M. Mortonson M. Penny E. Rozo D. Savransky K. Stapelfeldt Y. Zu C. Baker E. Cheng D. Content J. Dooley M. Foote R. Goullioud K. Grady C. Jackson J. Kruk M. Levine M. Melton C. Peddie J. Ruffa S. Shaklan
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The Astro2010 Decadal Survey recommended a Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) as its top priority for a new large space mission. As conceived by the decadal survey, WFIRST would carry out a dark energy science program, a microlensing program to determine the demographics of exoplanets, and a general observing program utilizing its ultra wide field. In October 2012, NASA chartered a Science Definition Team (SDT) to produce, in collaboration with the WFIRST Project Office at GSFC and the Program Office at JPL, a Design Reference Mission (DRM) for an implementation of WFIRST using one of the 2.4-m, Hubble-quality mirror assemblies recently made available to NASA. This DRM builds on the work of the earlier WFIRST SDT, reported by Green et al. (2012). The 2.4-m primary mirror enables a mission with greater sensitivity and higher angular resolution than the 1.3-m and 1.1-m designs considered previously, increasing both the science return of the primary surveys and the capabilities of WFIRST as a Guest Observer facility. The option of adding an on-axis, coronagraphic instrument would enable imaging and spectroscopic studies of planets around nearby stars. This document presents the final report of the SDT.

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