Prototyping a Compact Silicon Grism Spectrograph For Characterizing Stars and Exoplanets

Exoplanet discoveries are rapidly outpacing their characterization. The primary limitation is instrument sensitivity, which will be improved with the next generation of ground- and space-based observatories. However, those improvements come with tremendous costs, and the time dedicated to exoplanets will only permit the characterization of a small number of known exoplanets. A secondary limitation to this science is the periodic and stochastic variability of stellar photospheres, especially at young ages. Yet, stellar and planetary signals can be disentangled with longer time-baseline observations. We can address both of these issues with high-throughput, and relatively low-cost, grism spectrographs. A grism is a transmissive optic that combines a prism and a grating to disperse light and to direct the output beam at the same angle as the input beam. This permits an instrument design for switching from imaging to spectroscopy without adjusting the other spectrograph optics. In the proposed program, a compact prototype grism spectrograph that achieves R~10,000 will be fabricated to identify design trades that will lead to replicability and future space-based applications. The ability to cost-effectively replicate R~10,000 spectrographs to characterize exoplanets will permit science that addresses the strategic goal astrophysical question 'Are we alone?' and the search for life elsewhere.

The goals of the Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship (RTF) program in astrophysics are to provide early-career researchers the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to lead astrophysics flight instrument development projects, including suborbital investigations, in preparation to become Principal Investigators (PIs) of future NASA astrophysics missions; to develop innovative technologies for space astrophysics that have the potential to enable major scientific breakthroughs; and to foster new talents by putting early career instrument builders on a trajectory towards long-term positions.

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