The 2019 WFIRST Exoplanet Imaging Data Challenge is for exoplanet scientists of all backgrounds and experience levels who are interested in learning the art and science of high contrast imaging of exoplanetary systems.  This is an excellent way to get involved with the intricacies of the first spaceborne high contrast exoplanet imaging mission, as a pathfinder to future flagship missions.  To launch the Challenge and prepare scientists to participate, we are holding two special events: one at the Flatiron Institute in New York City on October 16&17, and one in Tokyo on October 20.  

The Tokyo event on October 20 is being held immediately prior to the "In Spirit of Lyot 2019" conference. The tutorials will cover:

- The WFIRST CGI data format, specificities and observing scenarios
- The Hybrid Lyot coronagraph and the star-shade
- Extracting faint sources with PSF subtraction/more advanced algorithms
- Discriminating eventual background sources using astrometry
- Finding orbital solutions from several astrometric epochs throughout the mission
- Determining physical parameters of any found exoplanet(s)

The Tokyo tutorial will allow participants to become familiar with a full set of state-of-the-art simulated CGI and Starshade data, plus pre-cursor RV data, and various tools currently available for imaging/RV/astrometry data analysis.  Participants will have the opportunity to forms teams for Data Challenge, and to follow up with the Data Challenge organizers during the Spirit of Lyot conference.

The Data Challenge official start date is at the close of the Tokyo event on October 20, at which point a new data set including the first epochs of CGI imaging and RV precurser data will be released. Findings from this first data release will be due on November 20, at which time respondents will be given CGI and Starshade images for the remaining epochs through the mission lifetime.  The Data Challenge will close on December 20, 2019, with all findings due at that time. Submission of findings will be done through a form asking specific questions as well as allowing for additional elaboration. These questions will be made available early on in the Challenge to help guide participants. Judging of the submissions will be done by a panel of reviewers assembled from the Turnbull WFIRST SIT and the wider exoplanet community. Winning participant(s) will be given full travel support to attend and present their results and methods at a major exoplanet conference in 2020. After the December 20 deadline, all participants/teams are encouraged to publish/share their results and tools they developed.

More information about the "In Spirit of Lyot 2019" conference can be found at http://abc-nins.jp/Lyot2019/.

The Flatiron tutorial event registration can be found at https://urlzs.com/Kivmp.

To register for the WFIRST Exoplanet Imaging Data Challenge:  https://urlzs.com/umffj

More information will be posted as the Challenge proceeds: https://www.exoplanetdatachallenge.com

The WFIRST CGI Exoplanet Data Challenge is created and run by the Turnbull WFIRST CGI Science Investigation Team.

contact:  Julien Girard - jgirard@stsci.edu