CAREER: The Detection and Characterization of Extrasolar Planets

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CAREER: THE DETECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF EXTRASOLAR PLANETS ABSTRACTAST 0449986 Gregory LaughlinDr. Gregory Laughlin, at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will undertake a theoretical and observational program to better understand the properties of planets around other stars. He will develop techniques to mine existing databases, in order to identify chemically abundant, nearby stars that are likely to harbor these so-called "extrasolar planets". Following that, spectroscopic observations will be undertaken to confirm the chemical abundances of the stars. Short-term and long-term radial velocity monitoring of the stars will then allow for the detection of planets. Finally, refined modeling of the properties of the planets will follow.As part of his CAREER related efforts, Dr. Laughlin will integrate his research with public education by means of an exploration driven interface for a distributed computer network. This will allow the public to not only process data, but also to investigate the properties of hypothetical planetary systems by comparing them to actual data. The research will also involve undergraduate and graduate students.