Collaborative Research: Exploring the Compositions of Exoplanetary Systems with Observations and Modeling of Dusty Circumstellar Disks

这项提议的目标是确定围绕其他恒星运行的岩石物质的组成。当岩石碰撞时，它们会释放出反射和吸收星光的小尘埃颗粒。这个项目将包括对其他恒星周围尘埃的观测和对尘埃的建模。尘埃的位置很有趣，因为它揭示了小型岩石小行星形成的地方，以及它们不受行星干扰的地方。对尘埃的建模可以揭示它的组成，比如硅、氧、冰和碳的含量。小的岩石天体是行星的基石。尘埃和小行星的组成提供了一个窗口，让我们了解可能围绕这些恒星运行的行星的类型。在卡耐基大学，每年夏天都会有一名本科生参加这个研究项目，他们在自己的母校无法进行研究，并将成为一群学生的一部分，他们将参加专业发展和团队建设活动，以提高他们的研究经验。研究生将受益于共同指导，包括在亚利桑那大学的天文仪器和卡内基地球与行星实验室的跨学科科学研究培训。研究人员将在麦哲伦望远镜上使用一种新的成像系统MagAO-X。这个系统消除了地球大气的扭曲效应，使其他恒星的图像尽可能清晰。其他恒星周围的尘埃盘会微弱地反射恒星的光线，MagAO-X可以观察到这种反射光的颜色。为了解释这些图像，研究人员将制作不同成分的尘埃如何反射星光的模型。一名研究生和一名本科生将参与这个项目。他们将接受跨学科天文学和行星科学以及望远镜硬件方面的培训。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The goal of this proposal is to determine the composition of rocky material orbiting other stars. When rocks collide, they release small dust particles that reflect and absorb starlight. This project will involve both observations of this dust around other stars and modeling of that dust. The location of dust is interesting because it reveals where small rocky asteroids formed and were left unperturbed by planets. Modeling of the dust can reveal what it is made of, such as the amounts of silicon, oxygen, ice, and carbon. Small rocky bodies are the building blocks of planets. Dust and asteroid compositions provide a window into the types of planets that may also orbit those stars. At Carnegie, each summer an undergraduate student who does not have access to research at their home institution will participate in this research program and be part of a cohort of students who will participate in professional development and team-building activities designed to enhance their research experience. A graduate student will benefit from co-mentorship that includes training in astronomical instrumentation at University of Arizona and in interdisciplinary scientific research a Carnegie’s Earth and Planets Laboratory.The investigators will use a new imaging system, MagAO-X, at the Magellan Telescope. This system removes the distorting effects of the Earth’s atmosphere so that images of other stars are as sharp as possible. Disks of dust around other stars faintly reflect the light of their stars, and MagAO-X can observe the color of this reflected light. To interpret the images, the investigators will make models of how dust of different composition reflects starlight. A graduate student and undergraduate students will work on the project. They will get training in interdisciplinary astronomical and planetary sciences and in telescope hardware.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.