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Requirements for Joint Orbital Characterization of Cold Giants and Habitable Worlds with Habitable Worlds Observatory

  • Sabina Sagynbayeva
  • , Asif Abbas
  • , Stephen R. Kane
  • , Eric L. Nielsen
  • , William Thompson
  • , Sarah Blunt
  • , Malena Rice
  • , Jessie L. Christiansen
  • , Caleb K. Harada
  • , Elisabeth R. Newton
  • , Yasuhiro Hasegawa
  • , Philip J. Armitage
  • , Tansu Daylan
  • Stony Brook University
  • University of California at Santa Barbara
  • New Mexico State University
  • University of California at Riverside
  • National Research Council of Canada
  • University of California at Santa Cruz
  • Yale University
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • University of California at Berkeley
  • Dartmouth College
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Washington University St. Louis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We determine optimal requirements for the joint detection of habitable-zone planets and cold giant planets with the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). Analysis of 164 nearby stars shows that a coronagraph outer working angle of 1440 milliarcseconds (mas) is necessary to achieve 80%-90% visibility of cold giants. Approximately 40 precursor radial velocity (RV) measurements with 1 m s−1 precision are required to adequately constrain orbital parameters before HWO observations. We demonstrate that six to eight astrometric measurements and 40 RV measurements distributed across the mission timeline, compared to RV constraints alone and to astrometry constraints alone, significantly improve orbital parameter precision, enabling direct determination of orbital inclination with uncertainties of <3°. For habitable-zone planet characterization, four to five epochs provide moderate confidence, while high-confidence (95%) confirmation requires eight of more observations. These specifications are essential for the comprehensive characterization of planetary system architectures and understanding the potential habitability of terrestrial exoplanets.

Original languageEnglish
Article number208
JournalAstronomical Journal
Volume170
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2025

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