André Beaudoin, a graduate student at iREx, completed his studies at the University of Montreal in 2023. He summarizes his research project here.
“Are we alone in the Universe?” is possibly the most important fundamental question in modern astrophysics. But how can we answer it? And what astronomical instruments will be necessary to find this answer?
The most promising solution is the search for biosignatures, which are chemical elements or molecules that cannot exist – or coexist – without the presence of life on an exoplanet. A classic biosignature is the pair of molecules oxygen – methane. This pair has only been observed on Earth, and it seems impossible to maintain a significant concentration of both molecules simultaneously on a planet without the presence of life to regenerate them. The detection of these two molecules on an exoplanet the size of Earth would be a phenomenal breakthrough in the search for life elsewhere in the Universe. This leads us to the second question: what kind of astronomical instrument will be needed to detect these molecules?
Today’s cutting-edge instruments, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, are capable of detecting the presence of certain chemical elements on certain exoplanets, but studying Earth-sized exoplanets with these instruments remains a major challenge. Moreover, the detection of oxygen remains elusive, due to specific difficulties related to its detection. The next generation of telescopes, the giant telescopes, will push the boundaries of what is possible. The largest telescope of this generation, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), will have a main mirror with a diameter of 39 meters, making it the largest optical telescope ever built. It is currently under construction in Chile and is expected to be operational by 2028.
My master’s project was to evaluate the performance of the ELT, specifically one of its instruments, ANDES, for the detection of chemical elements in the atmosphere of Earth-like exoplanets. I digitally built a simulator that accurately reproduces the instrument, including all modules and as many sources of error as possible. Thanks to this simulator, I was able to evaluate under what conditions and on which exoplanets it will be possible to detect the chemical elements of interest. In summary, in its current design, the instrument would be capable of detecting water on several Earth-like exoplanets, but would have difficulty detecting other chemical molecules of interest.
More information:
André completed his master’s degree at the University of Montreal between 2021 and 2023, under the supervision of iREx director René Doyon. His thesis will be available shortly.
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