CAREER: Building rocky planets: From Mercury and Vesta to GL 581c

由于我们太阳系中岩石行星之间一阶无法解释的差异，以及现在发现的系外行星的迷人范围，琳达·埃尔金斯-坦顿博士（麻省理工学院）将创建行星形成的前沿模型，以便将观测与形成过程和条件联系起来。太阳系的类地行星在地核成分、水含量、最早的地壳组成和地幔的同位素特征等方面存在差异，这些都对其总体组成和形成过程构成了重要的限制。许多差异仍有待了解，例如，水星核心的大尺寸，水星表面高温的影响，以及像灶神星这样的小天体的形成过程。系外行星的发现引入了一系列新的行星模型。目前已知的250颗系外行星中，大多数都表现出与太阳系不同的特征和存在条件；了解这些行星的背景很少。研究部分的主要目标是：(a)为了解新发现的系外行星的质量、半径和大气成分提供一个成分背景；(b)将建模结果与水星、灶神星和现有较小系外行星的观测结果进行比较，以更好地了解形成它们当前测量特征的过程。埃尔金斯-坦顿博士将与东北大学教育学院合作，将行星演化的新认识引入中学科学课程，并将感兴趣的本科科学专业（包括参与研究的专业）与在职中学教师联系起来。许多中小学的地球和空间科学教师主要接受过生物、化学或物理方面的培训，尽管在马萨诸塞州，地球和空间科学是K-12课程的必修课。促进这些目标的任务是(a)在夏季专业发展课程中以相关形式向在职的初中和高中科学教师提供前沿研究知识，(b)通过将本科生纳入研讨会，将科学教学作为一种职业引入本科科学专业，重点关注那些来自没有教育部门的大学的学生，以及(c)支持教师开发基于探究的地球和空间科学单元。下一学年教材的使用情况将会得到跟踪和支持，并建立一个网站，方便沟通和分发给更广泛的读者。此外，该项目将建立学科之间的关键关系（实验和理论行星地质学和岩石学，观测和理论天体物理学）。此外，两至三名研究生和两至三名本科生将得到研究方面的支持和培训。

Motivated by first-order unexplained differences among rocky planets in our solar system and by the fascinating range of exoplanets now being discovered, Dr. Linda Elkins-Tanton (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) will create forward models of planetary formation to allow observations to be linked to formation processes and conditions. The terrestrial planets in our solar system differ in their core fractions, water content, earliest crustal compositions, and in the isotopic characteristics of their mantles, all of which form important constraints on bulk composition and formation process. Many differences remain to be understood, for example, the large size of Mercury's core, the effects of high temperature on Mercury's surface, and the formation processes of smaller bodies like Vesta. The discovery of exoplanets has introduced a wide new range of planet models. Most of the 250 exoplanets now known exhibit characteristics and exist under conditions different from those in our solar system; little context exists in which to understand these planets. The main goals of the research component are to (a) provide a compositional context for understanding the masses, radii, and atmospheric compositions of newly-discovered exoplanets and (b) use modeling results compared to observations of Mercury, Vesta, and the available list of smaller exoplanets to better understand the processes that created their current measured characteristics.In collaboration with the Northeastern University School of Education, Dr. Elkins-Tanton will bring new understanding of planetary evolution to science curricula in secondary school, and will link interested undergraduate science majors, including those participating in the research, with in-service secondary-school teachers. Many middle- and secondary-school Earth and space science teachers are primarily trained in biology, chemistry, or physics, though Earth and space sciences are required K-12 topics in Massachusetts. The tasks that promote these goals are to (a) bring cutting-edge research knowledge to in-service middle- and high-school science teachers in relevant formats within summer professional development courses, (b) introduce science teaching as a career to undergraduate science majors, focusing on those from universities without education departments, by incorporating undergraduates into the workshops, and (c) support teachers as they develop inquiry-based Earth- and space-science units. Use of the material in the subsequent school year will be tracked and supported and a web site will facilitate communication and distribution to a wider audience. In addition, this project will forge critical relationships between disciplines (experimental and theoretical planetary geology and petrology, and observational and theoretical astrophysics). In addition, two to three graduate students and two to three undergraduates will be supported and trained in research.