Small-ELF: a propotype for the future 40-50m ExoLife Finder (ELF) hybrid optical telescope

In force date
Call year
2022
Investigator
Rafael
Rebolo López
Total budget of the action
700.000,00 €
Amount granted to the IAC Consortium
630.000,00 €
Description

The objective of this proposal is to apply for funding to complete the construction and implementation of a 3.5 m prototype, dubbed Small-ELF, at Teide Observatory by 2025 as a demonstrator for the future ExoLife Finder (ELF), whose the scientific objective is the detection of biomarkers in the atmospheres of extrasolar planets. The technological objectives of the ELF focus on lightening the telescope's structure by an order of magnitude, hence, reducing its cost using mainly pre-tensioned cables and ultra-light mirrors.

The ICTS 2022 grant aims to fund the dome for Small-ELF, the foundations to receive the telescope and its dome as well as manpower: (i) 2 engineers for 24 months for the integration and verification of the complete telescope structure and its mirrors and (ii) a post-doc for 12 months to design the pipeline for the data analysis and interpretation.

 

 

State of being in force
Level
Type of funding
State
MICIU_Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia
UE_NextGenerationEU. Plan de Recuperación