Collaborative Research MINERVA: A dedicated, global, precision radial velocity machine for TESS

协作研究 MINERVA：TESS 专用的全球精密径向速度机器

• 批准号: 2009678
• 负责人: Nathan McCrady
• 金额: $ 3.26万
• 依托单位: University of Montana
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-08-15 至 2023-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2009678&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; MINERVA; dedicated; global

A research collaboration between Harvard University, George Mason University, the University of California-Riverside, and the University of Montana will use a telescope network to observe planet candidates orbiting nearby stars. The planet candidates have been identified by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Planets will be confirmed, their masses and orbits will be measured. The work will help create improved theories of the formation and evolution of planets with a broad range of environments. Some of the planets confirmed will be the ones that provide the best chance of detecting life in the future. The award will fund students to participate in Harvard's Banneker Institute. This undergraduate summer program focuses on recruiting under-represented minorities for a program of research, graduate school preparation, and social justice education.The investigation will employ two dedicated robotic arrays of four 0.7-meter telescopes (MINERVA-North and MINERVA-Australis) in both hemispheres for all sky access to confirm and characterize TESS planet candidates. The facilities will perform a large scale survey to measure the orbital obliquities of approximately 180 planets, enabling a more robust understanding of formation and migration of planets as a function of the properties of the host star and their planets. MINERVA will also measure planet masses and orbital eccentricities, and search for additional planets in each system. The confirmation and characterization of new planetary systems around the bright TESS host stars will identify the best possible targets for future detailed follow up. The planets confirmed and characterized will be the ones the next generation of space-borne exoplanet missions and ground-based extremely large telescopes will prioritize to measure the detailed atmospheric compositions and will provide the best chances of detecting biomarkers. The survey will allow a more detailed understanding of planet formation and migration as a function of stellar and planetary properties. The nature of exoplanet observations generates opportunities for projects ideal for student involvement at all levels. In addition, MINERVA's dedicated array of small telescopes provides a unique platform to develop valuable instrumentation experience. MINERVA provides a scientific backbone for undergraduate research opportunities, undergraduate theses, post-baccalaureate research experience, and graduate research experience.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

哈佛大学、乔治梅森大学、加州大学河滨分校和蒙大拿大学之间的一项研究合作将使用望远镜网络来观察围绕附近恒星运行的候选行星。美国宇航局的凌日系外行星勘测卫星（TESS）已经确定了这些候选行星。行星将被确认，它们的质量和轨道将被测量。这项工作将有助于创建关于具有广泛环境的行星形成和演化的改进理论。一些已被确认的行星将是未来提供探测生命最佳机会的行星。该奖项将资助学生参加哈佛大学班纳克研究所的学习。这个本科生暑期项目的重点是招募代表性不足的少数群体进行研究、研究生院准备和社会正义教育。调查将在两个半球使用两个专用机器人阵列，由四个 0.7 米望远镜（MINERVA-North 和 MINERVA-Australis）组成，以便在全天空范围内确认和表征 TESS 行星候选者。这些设施将进行大规模调查，测量大约 180 颗行星的轨道倾角，从而更深入地了解行星的形成和迁移作为主恒星及其行星特性的函数。 MINERVA 还将测量行星质量和轨道偏心率，并在每个系统中寻找其他行星。围绕明亮的 TESS 主星的新行星系统的确认和表征将为未来的详细后续行动确定最佳的目标。被确认和表征的行星将是下一代星载系外行星任务和地面超大型望远镜将优先测量详细的大气成分，并将提供检测生物标记的最佳机会。这项调查将有助于更详细地了解行星形成和迁移作为恒星和行星特性的函数。系外行星观测的性质为各个级别的学生参与的项目提供了理想的机会。此外，MINERVA 的专用小型望远镜阵列提供了一个独特的平台来开发宝贵的仪器经验。 MINERVA 为本科生研究机会、本科生论文、学士学位后研究经验和研究生研究经验提供科学支柱。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。