U.S.-South Africa Planning Visit: Use of a Gravitational Microlensing Technique to Search for Extra-Solar Planetary Systems

该奖项支持计划访问的博士。来自加州利弗莫尔的班尼特和里奇前往南非，目的是检查博伊登天文台（隶属于奥兰治自由州大学）的望远镜，以评估它是否适合纳入一个项目，该项目利用位于南半球的光学望远镜的全球微透镜后续网络来搜索太阳系外行星。未来的合作研究机会也将被讨论。主要研究人员将会见开普敦大学天文系和理论物理与天体物理研究所的Peter Martinez博士、南非天文台台长Robert Stobie博士以及奥兰治自由邦大学的成员。

This award supports a planning visit by Drs. Bennett and Rhie, from Livermore, California, to travel to South Africa for the purpose of examining the telescope at the Boyden Observatory (owned by the University of the Orange Free State) to assess its suitability for inclusion in a project to search for extra-solar planets using a global microlensing follow-up network of optical telescopes located in the Southern Hemisphere. Future collaborative research opportunities will also be discussed. The principal investigators will meet with Dr. Peter Martinez, Department of Astronomy and Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Cape Town, Dr. Robert Stobie, the Director of the South African Astronomical Observatory, and with members of the University of the Orange Free State.