General Seminar : Dr. Shubham Kanodia
Abstract: Recent discoveries of giant exoplanets orbiting low-mass M-dwarfs stretch our current understanding of planet formation with their large planet-to-star mass ratios. These objects (> 8 Rearth) are very valuable but intrinsically more rare than similar planets around more massive stars. In this talk I will describe the new Giant Exoplanets around M dwarf Stars (GEMS) survey initiated to to understand giant planets transiting around M-dwarf stars. This survey has been designed to shed light on the different missing pieces associated with planet formation: starting with the detection and characterization of the occurrence of these exoplanets using transits and radial velocities, followed by efforts to place them in the context of the larger exoplanet population orbiting hotter Solar-type stars.
These involve new observational resources in the form of ground and space-based instrumentation, in addition to new statistical techniques; we have developed novel nonparametric density estimation techniques using beta-density functions which enable us to study the planetary properties in the context of their stellar and orbital dependencies. Finally, I will hypothesize connections between our current observations of these giant planets with the primordial protoplanetary disks in which they form utilizing prospective JWST atmospheric characterization as the bridge. Through this talk I will highlight how this hitherto (largely) unexplored regime of planets offers us a unique opportunity to conduct a multi-faceted investigation into the extremes of planet formation, and hope to encourage dialogue about the detection, characterization, formation, and evolution of these GEMS, at Carnegie.
Abstract
Recent discoveries of giant exoplanets orbiting low-mass M-dwarfs stretch our current understanding of planet formation with their large planet-to-star mass ratios. These objects (> 8 Rearth) are very valuable but intrinsically more rare than similar planets around more massive stars. In this talk I will describe the new Giant Exoplanets around M dwarf Stars (GEMS) survey initiated to to understand giant planets transiting around M-dwarf stars. This survey has been designed to shed light on the different missing pieces associated with planet formation: starting with the detection and characterization of the occurrence of these exoplanets using transits and radial velocities, followed by efforts to place them in the context of the larger exoplanet population orbiting hotter Solar-type stars.
These involve new observational resources in the form of ground and space-based instrumentation, in addition to new statistical techniques; we have developed novel nonparametric density estimation techniques using beta-density functions which enable us to study the planetary properties in the context of their stellar and orbital dependencies. Finally, I will hypothesize connections between our current observations of these giant planets with the primordial protoplanetary disks in which they form utilizing prospective JWST atmospheric characterization as the bridge. Through this talk I will highlight how this hitherto (largely) unexplored regime of planets offers us a unique opportunity to conduct a multi-faceted investigation into the extremes of planet formation, and hope to encourage dialogue about the detection, characterization, formation, and evolution of these GEMS, at Carnegie.