Misc,
Targeting Young Stars with Kepler: Planet Formation, Migration Mechanisms and the Early History of Planetary Systems
(2013)cite arxiv:1309.1520Comment: White Paper submitted to Call for White Papers: Soliciting Community Input for Alternate Science Investigations for the Kepler Spacecraft.
Abstract
This white paper discusses a repurposed mission for the Kepler spacecraft
that focusses on solving outstanding problems in planet formation and evolution
by targeting the study of the hot Jupiter population of young stars. This
mission can solve the question of the mode of migration of hot Jupiters,
address the problem of whether Jupiters form by hot-start (gravitational
instability) or cold-start (core accretion) mechanisms, and provide a wealth of
data on the early stages of planetary system evolution during the active phases
of stars which impact planetary habitability. In one year of observations of
three weeks dwell time per field, Kepler would increase by more than an order
of magnitude the number of known hot Jupiters, which can be followed up with
fast cadence observations to to search for transit timing variations and to
perform asteroseismological characterization of the host stars. This mission
scenario continues to operate Kepler in the photometric monitoring mode for
which it was designed, and is generally flexible with regards to field
selection enabling prioritization of fuel usage and attitude control
constraints.
