JWST's digital twin technique reveals hidden exoplanets

Researchers have developed a new technique called FLIP that uses a "digital twin" of the James Webb Space Telescope to image exoplanets hidden in starlight, achieving sensitivity 2-15 times better than standard methods. The breakthrough enabled the first detection of exoplanet 51 Eridani b at 4.3 μm. The method, detailed in Nature, models how light travels through the telescope, accounting for nanoscale instabilities that standard reference-image techniques miss. Tested on JWST observations, FLIP successfully revealed the previously invisible planet, demonstrating improved performance on real astronomical data. FLIP could ease engineering requirements for future observatories like the Habitable Worlds Observatory, potentially lifting ultrastability demands. Researchers say this approach will increase the number of directly imageable planets and help understand planetary system formation.