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

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测围绕附近恒星运行的行星候选者。这些候选行星已由美国宇航局的凌日系外行星勘测卫星（TESS）确定。行星将被确认，它们的质量和轨道将被测量。这项工作将有助于建立具有广泛环境的行星形成和演化的改进理论。一些被确认的行星将是未来发现生命的最佳机会。该奖项将资助学生参加哈佛的班纳克研究所。这个本科生暑期项目的重点是招募代表性不足的少数民族进行研究，研究生院准备和社会正义教育计划。调查将使用两个专用的机器人阵列的四个0.7米望远镜（MINERVA-北和MINERVA-南）在两个半球的所有天空访问，以确认和描述TESS行星候选人。这些设施将进行大规模调查，以测量大约180颗行星的轨道密度，从而能够更有力地了解行星的形成和迁移，作为宿主星星及其行星性质的函数。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宿主恒星的新行星系统的确认和表征将为未来的详细后续工作确定最佳的可能目标。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大气成分的行星，并将提供检测生物标志物的最佳机会。该调查将使人们能够更详细地了解行星的形成和迁移作为恒星和行星性质的函数。系外行星观测的性质为学生参与各个级别的项目提供了理想的机会。此外，MINERVA的专用小型望远镜阵列为开发宝贵的仪器经验提供了独特的平台。MINERVA为本科生研究机会、本科生论文、学士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。

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.