Exep: A realistic Determination of Observational Completeness Usingthe Starshade

The Starshade is a rising tool to be used in exoplanetary imaging to look for Earth-like planets. Positioned between the telescope and the star, the Starshade blocks the starlight from the telescope’s mirrors. Previous studies have estimated the Earth-like exoplanet yields of future missions using average models of astrophysical parameters. This project aimed to produce a more precise completeness estimate using the Starshade Imaging Simulation Toolkit for Exoplanet Reconnaissance (SISTER), a software that produces predicted images of what will be observed through the telescope. To utilize SISTER, we have devised an algorithm that distributes synthetic Earth-like planets around target stars. The user may input various astrophysical parameters, including planet radius, atmosphere, eccentricity, and inclination. From these simulated images, we compute a regression fit against the Point Spread Function of each planet at each position. Ultimately, we obtain a count of detectable planets over the number of distributed planets, also known as completeness. This algorithm, for the first time, derives a realistic estimation of observational completeness from simulated images, much akin to what an astronomer would do from an observation. This algorithm will be useful for future JPL starshade mission planning, to calculate the probability of a successful mission.