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arXiv · 1712.05420

Astrometry with the Wide-Field InfraRed Space Telescope

Robyn E. Sanderson·Andrea Bellini·Stefano Casertano·Jessica R. Lu·Peter Melchior·Mattia Libralato·David Bennett·Michael Shao·Jason Rhodes·Sangmo Tony Sohn·Sangeeta Malhotra·Scott Gaudi·S. Michael Fall·Ed Nelan·Puragra Guhathakurta·Jay Anderson·Shirley Ho
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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.

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Robyn E. Sanderson, Andrea Bellini, Stefano Casertano, Jessica R. Lu, Peter Melchior, Mattia Libralato, David Bennett, Michael Shao, Jason Rhodes, Sangmo Tony Sohn, Sangeeta Malhotra, Scott Gaudi, S. Michael Fall, Ed Nelan, Puragra Guhathakurta, Jay Anderson, Shirley Ho. 2017-12-14. Astrometry with the Wide-Field InfraRed Space Telescope. https://arxiv.org/abs/1712.05420

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