Small-ELF: a propotype for the future ExoLife Finder hybrid optical telescope
- 1Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Research, Spain (nlodieu@iac.es)
- 2University of Hawaii, USA
- 3CNRS/CRAL/INSA Lyon, FR
- 4Dynamic Intelligent System Ltd
- 5CEO / Creative Entrepreneur Buble Studio
Technology now exists to enable large optical
systems that are capable of resolving and measuring faint sources not
accessible with current remote sensing instruments and detectors. The possibility
of creating ground-based telescopes at the 50m-scale with sufficient wavefront control
to both fully overcome the effects of the atmosphere, but with exquisite coronagraphic
capability starting at the telescope entrance pupil, means we may solve some of the most
fundamental cross-cutting scientific questions: like, "is there life outside of the solar system?".
The IAC is part of a consortium with the University of Hawaii and Universities in Lyon
to develop the technologies needed for the next generation telescopes aimed at direct
imaging of exoplanets around bright stars: the "ExoLife Finder (ELF)" telescope.
We have a detailed design for a 3.5-m diameter prototype, nicknamed Small-ELF, to
be built and installed at Teide Observatory by 2025. I will present the technological
and scientific challenges of such telescope.
How to cite: Lodieu, N., Kuhn, J., Moretto, G., Rebolo, R., Zhou, Y., Langlois, M., and Lewis, K.: Small-ELF: a propotype for the future ExoLife Finder hybrid optical telescope, Europlanet Science Congress 2022, Granada, Spain, 18–23 Sep 2022, EPSC2022-510, https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2022-510, 2022.
