ABSTRACT

The WFIRST mission will utilize a 2.4 meter telescope with a wide field of view to address many of the most exciting problems in astrophysics. The mission can enable transformation science in a range of areas: (1) its microlensing program should discover ~2000 exoplanets and complete Kepler’s demographic survey; (2) its coronagraph will characterize the atmospheres of nearby planets; (3) its dark energy program will use multiple tools (supernova, gravitational lensing, large-scale structure) to study the origin of cosmic acceleration; and (4) its hundred-fold increase in field-of-view over Hubble will enable a wide-ranging general observer program. As one example, I will discuss a potential astrometric program that WFIRST could conduct to detect exoplanets and to study dark matter in the galactic halo.

About the Speaker:

David Spergel is an astrophysicist with research interests ranging from the search for planets around nearby stars to the shape of the universe. Using microwave background observations from the WMAP Satellite and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope", he has measured the age, shape, and composition of the universe. These observations have played a significant role in establishing the standard model of cosmology. He is currently co-chair of the WFIRST science team. WFIRST will study the nature of dark energy, complete the demographic survey of extrasolar planets, characterize the atmospheres of nearby planets and survey the universe with more than 100x the field of view of the Hubble Space Telescope. He has played a significant role in the design of the coronagraph and is shaping the overall mission.

He has received a number of prizes and awards, including: Dannie Heineman Prize in Astrophysics (2015); Nature's Ten People Who Mattered in 2014; AAS Kavli Lecturer (2014); President's Distinguished Teaching Award (2013); Fellow, APS (2013); Time: "25 Most Influential People in Space" (2013); American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2012); Gruber Prize (as part of WMAP team) (2012); Shaw Prize in Astronomy (2010); Citation Laureate (2010); National Acad. of Sciences (2008); John T. and Helen D. MacArthur Fellowship (2001); Time: "One of America's Top Scientists" (2001); AAS Helen B. Warner Prize (1994); NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award (1988); Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (1988).