NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) Science Gap List

Abstract

The Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) is chartered by the NASA Astrophysics Division to carry out science, research, and technology tasks that advance NASA's science goals for exoplanets. The ExEP Science Gap List is a compilation of "science gaps", defined as either: 1) The difference between knowledge needed to define requirements for specified future NASA exoplanet missions and the current state of the art, or 2) Knowledge which is needed to enhance the exoplanet science return of current and future NASA exoplanet missions. It is annually updated and input is solicited from the exoplanet community via ExoPAG. Current gaps are: 1) Spectroscopic observations of the atmospheres of small exoplanets, 2) Modeling exoplanet atmospheres, 3) Spectral signature retrieval, 4) Planetary system architectures: occurrence rates for exoplanets of all sizes, 5) Occurrence rates and uncertainties for temperate rocky planets, 6) Yield estimation for exoplanet direct imaging missions, 7) Intrinsic properties of known exoplanet host stars, 8) Mitigating stellar jitter as a limitation to sensitivity of dynamical methods to detect small temperate exoplanets and measure their masses and orbits, 9) Dynamical confirmation of exoplanet candidates and determination of their masses and orbits, 10) Observations and analyses of direct imaging targets, 11) Understanding the abundance and distribution of exozodiacal dust, 12) Measurements of accurate transiting planet radii, 13) Properties of atoms, molecules and aerosols in exoplanet atmospheres, 14) Exoplanet interior structure and material properties, 15) Quantify and mitigate the impacts of stellar contamination on transmission spectroscopy for measuring the composition of exoplanet atmospheres, 16) Building the inventory of remotely observable exoplanet biosignatures and their false positives, 17) Understanding planet formation and disk properties.