Abstract
The Wide-Field Infrared Space Telescope (WFIRST) will be capable of delivering precise astrometry for faint sources over the enormous field of view of its main camera, the Wide-Field Imager (WFI). This unprecedented combination will be transformative for the many scientific questions that require precise positions, distances, and velocities of stars. We describe the expectations for the astrometric precision of the WFIRST WFI in different scenarios, illustrate how a broad range of science cases will see significant advances with such data, and identify aspects of WFIRST’s design where small adjustments could greatly improve its power as an astrometric instrument.
Highlights
The wide field of view (FoV) and stable, sharp images delivered by the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) planned for the Wide-Field Infrared Space Telescope[1] (WFIRST; Ref. 2) make it an excellent instrument for astrometry, one of the five major discovery areas identified in the 2010 Decadal Survey
WFIRST will operate in the infrared (IR), a wavelength regime where the most precise relative astrometry has so far been achieved with adaptive optics images from large ground-based telescopes (e.g., 150 μas from Keck).[5]
Since the known orbital and internal velocities refer in almost every case to the radial component, these are intended only to represent the order of magnitude one might expect for the proper motion (PM)
Summary
The wide field of view (FoV) and stable, sharp images delivered by the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) planned for the Wide-Field Infrared Space Telescope[1] (WFIRST; Ref. 2) make it an excellent instrument for astrometry, one of the five major discovery areas identified in the 2010 Decadal Survey. WFIRST has two main advantages over other spacecraft missions: it can precisely measure very faint stars (complementary to Gaia); and it has a very wide FoV, complementary to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). WFIRST is poised to make major contributions to multiple science topics in which astrometry plays an important role. We summarize a few of the many compelling science cases where WFIRST astrometry could prove transformational, and outline the areas where a small investment of attention will ensure that WFIRST’s impact on this science is significant
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