Science with an 8-meter to 16-meter optical/UV space telescope

Abstract

A key component of our 2008 NASA Astrophysics Strategic Mission Concept Study entitled "An Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope: A Technology Roadmap for the Next Decade" is the identification of the astrophysics that can be uniquely accomplished using a filled, large-aperture UV/optical space telescope with an angular resolution 5 - 10 times better than JWST. We summarize here four research areas that are amongst the prime drivers for such an advanced astronomical facility: 1) the detection of habitability and bio-signatures on terrestrial mass exoplanets, 2) the reconstruction of the detailed history of the assembly of stellar mass in the local universe, 3) establishing the mass function and characterizing the accretion environments of supermassive black holes out to redshifts of z ~ 7, and 4) the precise determination of growth of structure in the universe by kinematic mapping of the dark matter halos of galaxies as functions of time and environment.