Exploring the Relationship Between Stellar Mass and Planet Occurrence

探索恒星质量与行星出现之间的关系

• 批准号: 0702821
• 负责人: John Johnson
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Johnson John A
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-08-01 至 2009-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0702821&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Exploring; Relationship; Between; Stellar; Mass

Dr. John Johnson is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii. Over 150 nearby stars are known to harbor planetary companions, and the physical properties of these host stars provide an important link between the planets detected today and the circumstellar environments from which they formed. Determining the relationship between stellar mass and planet occurrence provides an important test of the core accretion model of planet formation, which predicts how the fraction of stars with planets increases with stellar mass. To measure the occurrence rate of planets as a function of mass, the PI will conduct a precision Doppler survey of intermediate-mass subgiants at Keck Observatory. Subgiants are ideal planet-search candidates due to their narrower spectral lines and lower atmospheric noise compared to their early-type progenitors. This search probes a unique stellar parameter space and will double the mass range of current Keck Doppler surveys.Dr. Johnson will also implement a program of educational outreach in elementary schools using hands-on and multimedia activities that merge planetary science and state-mandated science standards. The lesson plans will be taught in collaboration with Honolulu-area 4th- and 5th-grade teachers. The activities are designed to take students on a journey that begins at the Sun, progresses through the planets of our Solar System, and culminates with the exotic worlds recently discovered around other stars. By serving as a minority role model, Dr. Johnson is uniquely positioned to encourage young, underrepresented students to pursue careers in astronomy.

约翰·约翰逊博士被授予美国国家科学基金会天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在夏威夷大学天文研究所开展研究和教育项目。已知有超过150颗附近的恒星拥有行星伴星，这些宿主恒星的物理特性为今天发现的行星和它们形成的星周环境之间提供了重要的联系。确定恒星质量和行星发生之间的关系为行星形成的核心吸积模型提供了重要的检验，该模型预测了拥有行星的恒星的比例如何随着恒星质量的增加而增加。为了测量行星的出现率作为质量的函数，PI将在凯克天文台对中等质量的亚巨星进行精确的多普勒调查。亚巨星是理想的行星搜索候选者，因为它们的谱线更窄，大气噪音比它们的早期祖先更低。这次搜索探测了一个独特的恒星参数空间，将使目前凯克-多普勒测量的质量范围扩大一倍。约翰逊还将在小学实施一项教育推广计划，使用动手和多媒体活动，将行星科学与国家规定的科学标准结合起来。这些课程计划将与檀香山地区的四年级和五年级教师合作教授。这些活动旨在带领学生们踏上一段旅程，从太阳开始，到太阳系的行星，最后到最近在其他恒星周围发现的奇异世界。作为少数族裔的榜样，约翰逊博士在鼓励年轻、代表性不足的学生从事天文学事业方面处于独特的地位。