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

这项计划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。该项目将涉及对其他恒星周围尘埃的观测和对该尘埃的建模。尘埃的位置很有趣，因为它揭示了小岩石小行星形成的地方，并且没有受到行星的干扰。尘埃的建模可以揭示它是由什么组成的，比如硅、氧、冰和碳的含量。小的岩石天体是行星的基本组成部分。尘埃和小行星的组成为了解可能也围绕这些恒星运行的行星类型提供了一个窗口。 在卡内基，每年夏天，一个本科生谁没有获得在他们的家乡机构的研究将参加这个研究计划，并成为学生谁将参加专业发展和团队建设活动，旨在提高他们的研究经验的队列的一部分。一名研究生将受益于共同指导，包括在亚利桑那大学接受天文仪器培训，以及在卡内基地球和行星实验室进行跨学科科学研究。研究人员将在麦哲伦望远镜上使用新的成像系统MagAO-X。该系统消除了地球大气层的扭曲效应，使其他恒星的图像尽可能清晰。其他恒星周围的尘埃会微弱地反射其恒星的光，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从事该项目。该奖项反映了NSF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.