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From Cosmic Birth to Living Earth
A Vision for Space Astronomy Beyond the 2020s
Astrophysics Science Drivers for HDST
A Study Commissioned by the Associated Universities for
Research in Astronomy
The “Beyond JWST” Committee
!
Co-Chairs: Sara Seager (MIT)
Julianne Dalcanton (Washington)
!
Presenter: Jason Tumlinson (STScI)
“Can we find another planet like Earth orbiting a nearby
star? To find such a planet would complete the
revolution, started by Copernicus nearly 500 years ago,
that displaced the Earth as the center of the universe…
The observational challenge is great but armed with new
technologies… astronomers are poised to rise to it.”
!
- New Worlds, New Horizons (Astro 2010)
21st century astronomers are uniquely positioned to
“study the evolution of the Universe in order to relate
causally the physical conditions during the Big Bang to
the development of RNA and DNA.”
!
- Riccardo Giacconi
The frontier for UVOIR astronomy is to tell the full story of
how the Universe gets from Cosmic Birth to Living Earth.
From Cosmic Birth to Living Earths
Protogalactic Seeds
Gas Accretion and Recycling
Star Forming Galaxy
Star Forming Region
10 Mpc
100 kpc
10 kpc
100 pc
12 billion years ago
8 billion years ago
6 billion years ago
4.8 billion years ago
Solar System
Solar System Formation
Protoplanetary Disk
Young Star Cluster
10 AU
500 AU
10000 AU
5 pc
today
4.5 billion years ago
4.6 billion years ago
4.7 billion years ago
As astonishing as it might be to find life on other worlds, we already know that,
alien is it might be, the story of all life in the cosmos arises from galaxies, stars,
and planets formed from heavy elements made in stars.!
!
Let’s look at five epochs in which HDST is uniquely suited to rewrite
important chapters in the story of Cosmic Birth.
Cosmic Epochs
The Epoch When the Milky Way Formed
z=1-4
30-100 pc
The Epoch When the Solar System Formed
z<1
50-100 pc
The Present in Our Galactic Neighborhood
< 100 Mpc
1 - 10 pc
Star and Planet Formation in Our Galaxy
< 10 kpc
10-100 AU
Solar Systems like our Own
<50 AU
20-100 km
HDST: Breaking Resolution Barriers
1 kpc
100 pc
star forming region
10 pc
HST
JWST
HDST12
100 pc everywhere
in the Universe!
10 pc in the
Galactic Neighborhood
1 pc
star cluster
0.1 0.3 1 2 3
Redshift
0.1 pc
0.1 pc everywhere
in the Local Group
1000 AU
100 AU
100 AU everywhere
in the Milky Way
protoplanetary disk
10 AU
1 AU
solar system
1 AU everywhere
in the solar neighborhood
10 pc
100 pc
1 kpc
Orion
10 kpc
Bulge
100 kpc
LMC
1 Mpc
M31
10 Mpc 100 Mpc
M87/Virgo Coma
1 Gpc
Bullet
10 Gpc
24x pixel density
UltraHD!
SDTV!
3820x2160
720x480
24x image sharpness
HST!
HDST!
2.4 m
12 m
6
How Did the Milky Way Form
from its Earliest Seeds?
Epoch
z=1-4
Resolution
30-100 pc
HST
With unique 100 parsec resolution in the optical at all redshifts, HDST can resolve ALL the
building blocks of galaxies: individual star forming regions and dwarf satellites, including
progenitors of the present-day dwarf spheroidals.
HDST’s unique spatial resolution and depth will reveal the full formation history of galaxies like
the Milky Way.
These high-resolution images will complement ELT and ALMA spectroscopy of the galaxies
and their molecular gas.
Images simulated by Greg Snyder (STScI)
How Did the Milky Way Form
from its Earliest Seeds?
Epoch
z=1-4
Resolution
30-100 pc
HST
400 pc
With unique 100 parsec resolution in the optical at all redshifts, HDST can resolve ALL the
building blocks of galaxies: individual star forming regions and dwarf satellites, including
progenitors of the present-day dwarf spheroidals.
HDST’s unique spatial resolution and depth will reveal the full formation history of galaxies like
the Milky Way.
These high-resolution images will complement ELT and ALMA spectroscopy of the galaxies
and their molecular gas.
Images simulated by Greg Snyder (STScI)
How Did the Milky Way Form
from its Earliest Seeds?
HST
Epoch
z=1-4
Resolution
30-100 pc
JWST
400 pc
With unique 100 parsec resolution in the optical at all redshifts, HDST can resolve ALL the
building blocks of galaxies: individual star forming regions and dwarf satellites, including
progenitors of the present-day dwarf spheroidals.
HDST’s unique spatial resolution and depth will reveal the full formation history of galaxies like
the Milky Way.
These high-resolution images will complement ELT and ALMA spectroscopy of the galaxies
and their molecular gas.
Images simulated by Greg Snyder (STScI)
How Did the Milky Way Form
from its Earliest Seeds?
HST
Epoch
z=1-4
Resolution
30-100 pc
JWST
400 pc
250 pc
With unique 100 parsec resolution in the optical at all redshifts, HDST can resolve ALL the
building blocks of galaxies: individual star forming regions and dwarf satellites, including
progenitors of the present-day dwarf spheroidals.
HDST’s unique spatial resolution and depth will reveal the full formation history of galaxies like
the Milky Way.
These high-resolution images will complement ELT and ALMA spectroscopy of the galaxies
and their molecular gas.
Images simulated by Greg Snyder (STScI)
How Did the Milky Way Form
from its Earliest Seeds?
HST
Epoch
z=1-4
JWST
400 pc
Resolution
30-100 pc
HDST
250 pc
With unique 100 parsec resolution in the optical at all redshifts, HDST can resolve ALL the
building blocks of galaxies: individual star forming regions and dwarf satellites, including
progenitors of the present-day dwarf spheroidals.
HDST’s unique spatial resolution and depth will reveal the full formation history of galaxies like
the Milky Way.
These high-resolution images will complement ELT and ALMA spectroscopy of the galaxies
and their molecular gas.
Images simulated by Greg Snyder (STScI)
How Did the Milky Way Form
from its Earliest Seeds?
HST
Epoch
z=1-4
JWST
400 pc
Resolution
30-100 pc
HDST
250 pc
100 pc
With unique 100 parsec resolution in the optical at all redshifts, HDST can resolve ALL the
building blocks of galaxies: individual star forming regions and dwarf satellites, including
progenitors of the present-day dwarf spheroidals.
HDST’s unique spatial resolution and depth will reveal the full formation history of galaxies like
the Milky Way.
These high-resolution images will complement ELT and ALMA spectroscopy of the galaxies
and their molecular gas.
Images simulated by Greg Snyder (STScI)
How Do Galaxies Grow, Evolve, and Die?
Epoch
z=1-4
Resolution
30-100 pc
6
Survey Grasp [degrees / arcsec]2
WFIRST-HLS
4
POSSSII-R
UKIDSS-Y
UKIDSS-K SDSSIII-z
Euclid-WideJ
LSST-Y
HDST Parallels
WFIRST-SN-Wide
WISE-3mic
WFIRST-SN-Deep
Euclid-DeepJ
2
HDST FOV
CANDELS-WideJ
0
HDST
WISE
Hubble
JWST
WFIRST
Euclid
JWST NIRCam CDF-S
CANDELS-DeepJ
JWST NIRCam
HUDF-IR
-2
20
25
AB Magnitude
30
Deep parallels with high-latitude exoplanet observations, total of ~ 1 year of observing time.
Total area of sky will approach ~ 1 deg2, reaching ~ALL star forming galaxies and sees almost
all star forming satellites.
Total comoving volume at z = 2-3 is roughly equivalent volume of entire SDSS, enabling
robust comparisons across cosmic time.
The information content of this survey is immense.
How Do Galaxies Acquire, Process, and
Recycle Their Gas?
Epoch
z<1
Resolution
10-100 pc
How Do Galaxies Acquire, Process, and
Recycle Their Gas?
Epoch
z<1
Resolution
10-100 pc
How Do Galaxies Acquire, Process, and
Recycle Their Gas?
Simulated Milky Way galaxy at z = 0.25
(Joung, Fernandez, Bryan, Putman and Corlies (2012, 2015)
200 kiloparsec
Using powerful and unique multiobject UV
spectroscopy, HDST will be able to map
the “faintest light in the Universe” emitted
from gas filaments entering galaxies and
energetic feedback headed back out.
Epoch
z<1
Resolution
10-100 pc
How Do Galaxies Acquire, Process, and
Recycle Their Gas?
Epoch
z<1
Resolution
10-100 pc
Simulated Milky Way galaxy at z = 0.25
(Joung, Fernandez, Bryan, Putman and Corlies (2012, 2015)
200 kiloparsec
Using powerful and unique multiobject UV
spectroscopy, HDST will be able to map
the “faintest light in the Universe” emitted
from gas filaments entering galaxies and
energetic feedback headed back out.
With UV multiplexing, HDST will be able to map
the properties of young stellar clusters and,
using them as background sources, the
outflows they drive into the ISM and IGM.
How Do Galaxies Acquire, Process, and
Recycle Their Gas?
Epoch
z<1
Resolution
10-100 pc
Simulated Milky Way galaxy at z = 0.25
(Joung, Fernandez, Bryan, Putman and Corlies (2012, 2015)
200 kiloparsec
Using powerful and unique multiobject UV
spectroscopy, HDST will be able to map
the “faintest light in the Universe” emitted
from gas filaments entering galaxies and
energetic feedback headed back out.
With UV multiplexing, HDST will be able to map
the properties of young stellar clusters and,
using them as background sources, the
outflows they drive into the ISM and IGM.
These problems require UV capability and
~ 10 meter aperture.
How do Stars End Their Lives? How do they Disperse their Metals?
Epoch
z<1
Resolution
10-100 pc
Wide-field synoptic surveys find a zoo of transients.
Aperture Driver: High resolution imaging identifies and
characterizes their stellar progenitors and galactic
hosts, both key to unraveling causes.
LSST 1 Visit
LSST Visit
HDST may be able to isolate gravity wave sources
detected by LIGO.
HST 1 hour
HDST !
Localization
JWST 1 hour
HDST 1 hour
LSST @ z = 0.5-1
50-100 pc
LSST @ z = 0.1
10-30 pc
z = 0.356
“Kilonova” from short GRB 130603B
NS-NS or NS-BH merger.
Tanvir et al. (2013, Nature)
LSST @ 100 Mpc
< 10 pc
How Does Star Formation History Create
the Diversity Shapes and Sizes of Galaxies?
Volume
< 100 Mpc
Resolution
1 - 10 pc
HST
JWST
8m
Star formation history sets both
chemical evolution and planet
formation rates.
Elliptical
Spiral
Dwarf
Requires diffraction limited!
optical imaging and high PSF stability.
Aperture Driver: > 10 m needed to
resolve stellar pops down to 1 M⦿ out to
the nearest giant ellipticals.
What is the Dark Matter? How Does Light
Trace Mass? How Does Dark Mass Move?
Distance Speed Example
10 pc
(nearest stars)
100 pc
(nearest SF
regions)
10 kpc
(entire MW
disk)
100 kpc
(MW halo)
1 Mpc
(Local Group)
10 Mpc
(Galactic
Neighborhood)
10 cm s
0.2 mph
100 cm s
2.2 mph
Goal
planets
planets in
disks
Volume
< 10 Mpc
Resolution
0.1 - 1 pc
A 10-meter telescope can measure proper
motions to ~ microarcsec / year precision
over a ten-year baseline.
At this level, virtually everything on the
sky moves - every star in the Milky Way
and Local Group and every galaxy in the
Galactic Neighborhood.
DM dynamics
in dwarf sats.
Aperture driver: A 10+ m is required to reach
the motions of virtually ANY Milky Way star,
the internal motions of Local Group satellites,
and the motions of giant ellipticals in the Virgo
cluster (~15 Mpc).
100 km s
3D motions of
all LG
galaxies
System driver: Extremely stable PSF and
low-noise detectors are needed to centroid
objects to a few thousandths of a pixel.
100 km s
cluster
dynamics
0.1 km s
223 mph
1 km s
2200 mph
dissipation of
star clusters
How Does the IMF Vary with Environment?
How and When is the IMF Established?
M31
SMC
LMC
HST
Volume
< 100 kpc
Resolution
10-100 AU
How Does the IMF Vary with Environment?
How and When is the IMF Established?
M31
JWST
SMC
LMC
HST
Volume
< 100 kpc
Resolution
10-100 AU
How Does the IMF Vary with Environment?
How and When is the IMF Established?
HDST can determine robust star-count IMFs down
to 0.1-0.2 M⨀ throughout the
Local Group.
!
including hundreds of new
ultrafaint dwarf galaxies to be
mapped by LSST.
JWST
SMC
LMC
HST
M31
Volume
< 100 kpc
Resolution
10-100 AU
How Does the IMF Vary with Environment?
How and When is the IMF Established?
HDST can determine robust star-count IMFs down
to 0.1-0.2 M⨀ throughout the
Local Group.
!
including hundreds of new
ultrafaint dwarf galaxies to be
mapped by LSST.
M31
Volume
< 100 kpc
Resolution
10-100 AU
30 Doradus in the !
Large Magellanic Cloud
Most Sun-like stars are
born in clusters that too
dense for Hubble to resolve
individual stars:
10-100 stars / arcsec2.
JWST
UV light provides a direct estimate of stellar
accretion rate from the protostellar disk, but only
if single stars can be resolved (>10 meter
aperture for the Magellanic Clouds).
SMC
LMC
HST
Resolving individual stars allows direct
measurements of the stellar IMF (e.g. holy grail)
and direct UV / optical estimates of accretion
rate for stars still embedded in their disks.
How to Planets Form in Disks?
What Are They Made Of?
< 10 kpc
10-100 AU
AU Microscopii @ 10 pc
HDST can watch planets form and
influence their disks at 1-3 AU spatial
resolution out to ~200 pc (~100 times the
volume of HST).
HST/ACS
64 pc
Resolve individual giant planets and
their dynamical clearing of disk gaps.
HDST images complemented by
ALMA maps of remaining molecular
gas and dust at similar resolution.
54 pc
HST/NICMOS
TW Hydrae
UV Driver: use star as background
source to obtain disk abundances of C,
N, O, Si, Fe that strongly influence
planet mass and composition.
Aperture driver: only 10+m reaches ~1-3
AU resolution over significant volume of
the Galaxy.
What Are The Building Blocks of the
Solar System Made Of?
Pluto'
210'km'at'40'AU'
Volume
<50 AU
Resolution
20-100 km
HST'
Charon'
Remnants'and'Building'Blocks'
Sun'Planet'Connec4on'
The'Solar'System:'
A'laboratory'for'planet'forma4on'and'evolu4on'
HDST'
HST'
UV
Io'
22'km'at'5'AU'
Dynamics'and'Weather'
Ac4ve'Worlds'
Enceladus'
40'km'at'10'AU'
UV
Europa'
HST'
HDST'
HST'
Neptune'
200'km'at'38'AU'
HDST'
With its unique spatial resolution and UV capability, HDST will open new avenues in Solar System research.
What can a >10 meter space telescope do?
. . . resolve every galaxy in the Universe to 100 parsec or better. . . !
. . . detect virtually every star-forming galaxy at the epoch when the Milky
Way formed. . . !
. . . observe individual supernovae at the dawn of cosmic time. . . !
. . . see the nearly invisible diffuse gas feeding galaxies. . . !
. . . watch the motion of virtually any star in the Local Group. . . !
. . . observe objects the size of Manhattan at the orbit of Jupiter . . .
. . . which allows us to map the galactic, stellar, and planetary
environments where life forms, and follow the chemical ingredients
of life itself, over the 14 billion year history of the Universe.
Aperture Drivers
ExoEarths
Detect dozens of ExoEarths in highcontrast direct images. !
Obtain deep spectroscopy of the leading
candidates for biomarker searches.
UV Drivers
Observe flares on exoplanet host stars
to measure incident UV radiation and
veto possible biomarker false postives.
z=1-4
Resolve ALL galaxies to 100 parsec or
better, to individual SF regions.
z<1
Identify stellar progenitors and host
environments for diverse transients, key to
unraveling causes.
Reach > 100s of background QSOs/AGN for
outflow and IGM/CGM studies.
Detect UV emission from gas accreting
into and ejected from galaxies.
Detect hot plasma ejected by SMBHs
acting as feedback on their galaxies.
< 100 Mpc
Resolve stellar pops down to 1 M⦿ out to the
nearest giant ellipticals. . . . . . and to watch the motions of virtually ANY
Milky Way star, Local Group satellites, and giant
ellipticals in the Virgo cluster (~15 Mpc).
Use UV MOS/IFU to dissect
multiphase gas feedback flows in
nearby galaxies.
Examine protoplanetary disks at ~1-3 AU
resolution out to > 100 pc. . .
Measure protostellar accretion
rates from UV continuum and
lines out to MCs.
. . . and resolve individual stars in young clusters
everywhere in the MW and Magellanic Clouds.
. . . and obtain disk abundances of C, N,
O, Si, Fe (from UV lines) that strongly
influence planet mass and composition.
Resolve surface and cloud features down to 50
km at outer planets and 200 km at Kuiper belt.
Detect emission from planetary coronae,
satellite plasma ejecta (and geysers!)
< 100 kpc
<50 AU
From Cosmic Birth to Living Earth
We recommend that NASA and its international partners proceed
towards constructing a general purpose, long-life, space-based
observatory that is capable of finding planets showing signs of life.
Such an observatory would be able to survey hundreds of planetary
systems and detect dozens of Earth-like planets in the habitable zones
around their stars.
It would also radically advance every area of astronomy from galaxy
formation to star and planet formation, and from black hole physics to
solar system objects.
This observatory will have unique power to transform our understanding
of life and its origins in the cosmos in ways that are unreachable by a
smaller telescope in space or larger ones on the ground.