A powerful astronomical tool
The Keck Interferometer will be capable of carrying out a variety of scientific studies integral to NASA's search for new worlds.
A primary goal of the Keck Interferometer will carry out is measuring the amount of dust surrounding nearby stars. Measurement of the quantity, and potentially the structure, of the dust will provide information to astronomers about planet formation around other stars. Information about the amount of dust around other stars will also help NASA plan future, ambitious space missions like the Terrestrial Planet Finder(TPF). TPF seeks to directly image other solar systems to search for planets with a signature like that of Earth.
The TPF interferometer's ability to image planets like Earth in other solar systems depends on it factoring in the amount of dust around distant stars. To this end, measurements taken by the Keck Interferometer will assist in planning the specifications of the TPF mission. To measure dust emissions, Keck Interferometer will use an interferometric technique called "nulling" interferometry. This technique cancels out light from a star in order that its surrounding dust emission can be measured.
A closer look at planetary birth
NASA's Origins Program scientists are also interested in using the Keck Interferometer to study the circumstellar disks around nearby stars. Circumstellar disks are believed to be a common feature of both young and main-sequence stars in various stages of development. These disks probably account for many of the unusual characteristics of young stars and may well play a role in early stellar evolution, the formation of binary or multiple star systems, and the formation of planets; the most interesting properties of disks are their resemblance to nascent planetary systems.
