Collaborative Research: Masses and architectures of (potentially habitable) exoplanet systems

许多行星围绕着其他恒星运行的系统，在那里行星经过或过境，穿过它们的恒星，可以成为这些行星质量和大小的探针。 凌日显示了它们通过的时间变化，或凌日时间变化（TTV），提供了有关行星质量和行星半径的信息。研究人员将研究开普勒太空望远镜发现的约100颗低质量系外行星的质量和半径，以及它们与这些多行星过境系统的关系，以及其他地面和太空望远镜的测量结果。建模和观测的结果可以用来限制行星的形成和演化，并计划未来的航天器研究我们希望找到可能有生命的行星的区域。作为这项工作的一部分开发的计算机程序将提供给其他科学家。这项研究通过提高我们在其他恒星周围寻找可能有生命的行星的能力来服务于国家利益。两位主要研究人员都参与了教育和推广计划，重点是华盛顿大学的天文学预科项目（Pre-MAP），以及来自南芝加哥的内城高中学生通过太空探索者项目参与研究。凌日时间变化（TTV）对行星质量和行星半径都很敏感。这项研究将探索大样本的~100个低质量系外行星的多行星凌日系统的质量-半径关系，这些系外行星由星载望远镜开普勒发现，并由地基测量、开普勒的K2使命和斯皮策太空望远镜补充。研究人员将使用他们为过境，TTV和成分建模开发的新代码将TTV技术应用于现有，未来和模拟数据集。目标是继续开发凌日时间分析和行星组成分析工具;将对开普勒行星的监测扩大到开普勒数据集以外;对多行星系统进行质量测量，并利用凌日时间分析限制轨道参数和其他行星的存在;限制行星的体积密度和内部成分，对这些行星系统进行动力学分析，并对这些系统的性质进行统计分析;并且，模拟未来詹姆斯韦伯太空望远镜对宜居带内或附近潜在岩石系外行星的观测，以探测这些低质量，低日照行星的质量半径关系。由此产生的数据可以用来限制行星的形成和演化，并为未来的可居住带行星的航天器研究制定计划。根据这一建议制定的分析代码将免费提供给科学界。两位主要研究人员都参与了教育和推广计划，强调了华盛顿大学的天文学预科项目（Pre-MAP），以及来自南芝加哥的市中心高中学生通过太空探索者项目参与研究。

Systems of many planets around other stars where the planets pass, or transit, across their stars can become probes of the masses and sizes of these planets. Transits that show changes in the timing of their passages, or transit timing variations (TTVs), provide information about both planetary masses and planetary radii. The investigators will study the masses and radii and how they are related for these multiple-planet transiting systems for ~100 low-mass exoplanets, found by the Kepler Space Telescope, with added measurements from other ground-based and space-based telescopes. The results of the modeling and observations could be used to place limits on planet formation and evolution, and plan for future spacecraft studies of zones where we expect to find planets that could have life. The computer programs developed as part of this work will be available to other scientists. This research serves the national interest by advancing our abilities to find planets around other stars that could have life. Both principal investigators are involved with education and outreach programs, emphasizing the Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) at University of Washington, and inner-city high school students from South Chicago participating in research through the Space Explorers program.Transit timing variations (TTVs) are sensitive to both planetary masses and planetary radii. This study will probe the mass-radius relation for multi-planet transiting systems for a large sample of ~100 low-mass exoplanets, found by the spaceborne telescope Kepler, and supplemented by ground-based measurements, Kepler's K2 mission, and Spitzer Space Telescope. The investigators will apply the technique of TTVs to existing, future, and simulated datasets using new codes they have developed for transit, TTV, and composition modeling. The goals are to continue development of transit timing analysis and planetary composition analysis tools; to extend the monitoring of Kepler planets beyond the Kepler dataset; to carry out mass measurements of multi-planet systems, and to constrain the orbital parameters and the presence of additional planets using transit timing analysis; to constrain the planets' bulk densities and interior compositions, to carry out dynamical analyses of these planetary systems, and to carry out statistical analyses of the properties of these systems; and, to simulate future James Webb Space Telescope observations of potentially rocky exoplanets in or near the habitable zone in order to probe the mass-radius relation for these low-mass, low-insolation planets. The resulting data could be used to place constraints upon planet formation and evolution, and plan for future spacecraft studies of habitable-zone planets. The analysis codes developed under this proposal will be freely available to the scientific community. Both principal investigators are involved with education and outreach programs, emphasizing the Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) at University of Washington, and inner-city high school students from South Chicago participating in research through the Space Explorers program.