Searching For Planets Like Earth around stars like the Sun Derek Buzasi FGCU
Roadmap Who am I and how did I get here? Motivation for my research What makes a star like the Sun? How do we find planets? Results so far What next?
A Little About Me BA Physics, U. Chicago PhD Astronomy, Penn State Postdoc: HAO/NCAR, Johns Hopkins Visiting Scientist, NASA HQ Visiting Professor, College of Charleston Assistant Professor, Valdosta State Research Scientist, UC Berkeley Associate/Full Professor, US Air Force Academy Affiliate Professor, University of Washington Whitaker Scholar, Florida Gulf Coast University
Unconventional Career Path
What is Astronomy? The study of physical conditions in (usually faraway parts of) the universe Applies physics, mathematics, computer science, geology, chemistry, etc.
Roadmap Who am I and how did I get here? Motivation for my research What makes a star like the Sun? How do we find planets? Results so far What next?
Why Astronomy? About 20,000 professional astronomers worldwide Working degree is typically a PhD in Physics/Astrophysics/Astronomy Historically useful for religious purposes, calendars, navigation
Why Stars and Exoplanets? We want to know what s out there? The most comprehensible places are those like home We can t understand other planets without understanding other stars
Roadmap Who am I and how did I get here? Motivation for my research What makes a star like the Sun? How do we find planets? Results so far What next?
What Makes a Star like the Sun? Activity & Cycles Planetary Systems Stellar-Planetary Interactions Activity & Cycles
What Makes a Star like the Sun? Mass, radius, temperature, composition, structure Activity level, age, rotation rate, [lack of] companions, presence/absence of planetary system, habitability * How do we measure these parameters? Which parameters are more important? How close to solar is good enough?
Parameters of the Sun
The Sun as a Star: Context
The Sun as a Star: Evolution
The Sun as a Star: Structure
But The Sun is Variable!
Solar Cycles at other Wavelengths
Other stars have cycles, too
The Solar Wind
Visible Manifestations
Aurorae on Saturn
Tools & Techniques
Tools & Techniques
Roadmap Who am I and how did I get here? Motivation for my research What makes a star like the Sun? How do we find planets? Results so far What next?
How do we find planets? Can we just look for them? Yes, but
More Productive Approaches Radial velocity, transits Also gravitational lensing, timing variations, astronometry
What methods work best? (so far)
Roadmap Who am I and how did I get here? Motivation for my research What makes a star like the Sun? How do we find planets? Results so far What next?
Kepler Mission
Kepler Mission
Orbit & Field
Our Solar System
The Habitable Zone
Solar System Formation (Traditional)
Is this what we see elsewhere? Jupiter-like (big & cold) Truly alien! (big and hot) NO! Terrestrial (small and warm)
Snapshot: Kepler-16 Saturn-sized, 0.7 AU orbit around a binary star!
Snapshot: Kepler 11
A more promising candidate? HD 40307g: ~ 7.1 M Earth, 0.6 AU
In aggregate
Lots of terrestrial-mass planets out there! But lots of them are around M dwarfs
Planets with Atmospheres But no terrestrial planets yet
Giant Planet Migration
Not many good candidates yet
Quo Vadis? We need to Find solar-like stars Detect potential earth-like planets around them Understand how solar systems form and evolve Search for atmospheres Decide which candidates are the best match
Roadmap Who am I and how did I get here? Motivation for my research What makes a star like the Sun? How do we find planets? Results so far What next?
Future Missions Kepler-2: 2014 -? PLATO: 2024 TESS: 2017 WFIRST: 2024
Some open questions How common are planets like the Earth? How do solar systems form? Why is our solar system (apparently) unusual? Does that matter? Does migration affect the presence and habitability of terrestrial planets? Can planets be habitable around active stars? How common are life-sustaining atmospheres around terrestrial planets?
THANK YOU!
Kepler-2