Earth as a Proxy Exoplanet: Simulating DSCOVR/EPIC Observations Using the Earth Spectrum Simulator - INSU - Institut national des sciences de l'Univers
Article Dans Une Revue The Astronomical Journal Année : 2022

Earth as a Proxy Exoplanet: Simulating DSCOVR/EPIC Observations Using the Earth Spectrum Simulator

Lixiang Gu
  • Fonction : Auteur
Zhao-Cheng Zeng
  • Fonction : Auteur
Vijay Natraj
  • Fonction : Auteur
Jonathan H. Jiang
  • Fonction : Auteur
David Crisp
  • Fonction : Auteur
Yuk L. Yung
  • Fonction : Auteur
Yongyun Hu
  • Fonction : Auteur

Résumé

Analyzing time-resolved disk-integrated spectral images of the Earth can provide a baseline for future exoplanet characterization. The Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) onboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) provides ~5000 full-disk sunlit Earth images each year in ten wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared. A whole-disk radiative transfer model can improve our understanding of the temporal variation of Earth's disk-integrated reflected radiance ("light curves") at different wavelengths and create a pool of possible observations of Earth-like exoplanets. We use the two-stream-exact-single-scattering line-by-line radiative transfer model to build the Earth Spectrum Simulator (ESS) and reconstruct DSCOVR/EPIC spectral observations. Atmospheric effects, such as scattering by air molecules, clouds, aerosols, and gaseous absorption, are included. Surface contributions are treated using appropriate bidirectional reflectance distribution functions. We simulate ~300 images in each channel for observations collected in 2016, with a spatial resolution of ~2000 pixels over the visible disk. ESS provides a simultaneous fit to the observed light curves, with time-averaged reflectance differences typically less than 7% and root-mean-square errors less than 1%. The only exceptions are in the oxygen absorption channels, where reflectance biases can be as large as 19.55%; this is a consequence of simplified assumptions about clouds; especially their vertical placement. We also recover principal components of the spectrophotometric light curves and correlate them with atmospheric and surface features.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
Gu_2022_AJ_163_285.pdf (9.59 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte

Dates et versions

insu-03726894 , version 1 (22-07-2022)

Licence

Identifiants

Citer

Lixiang Gu, Zhao-Cheng Zeng, Siteng Fan, Vijay Natraj, Jonathan H. Jiang, et al.. Earth as a Proxy Exoplanet: Simulating DSCOVR/EPIC Observations Using the Earth Spectrum Simulator. The Astronomical Journal, 2022, 163, ⟨10.3847/1538-3881/ac5e2e⟩. ⟨insu-03726894⟩
54 Consultations
21 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

More