Transiting planets with the CoRoT space mission

在这份滚动补助金申请中，我们描述了一个太阳系外行星观测和理论研究的跨学科方案，该方案将在埃克塞特大学物理学院天体物理学小组和工程、计算和数学学院地球物理和天体物理流体动力学中心之间开展新的合作。该研究方案将最先进的观测和理论计算相结合，以探测、确定太阳系外行星的性质并建立太阳系外行星形成和演化的模型。我们将对原行星核吸积气体进行三维自引力辐射流体力学模拟，以形成巨型行星，以产生更准确的年轻气态巨行星模型。我们将使用VLT和双子星成像仪上的自适应光学技术，直接在年轻的附近恒星周围拍摄气态巨行星的图像，并使用这些观测来测试模型。我们将使用HST和Spitzer对凌日行星进行空间观测，以了解距离恒星非常近的巨行星大气的化学和动力学，并使用对流三维模拟对这些大气进行建模。最后，我们将分析来自CoRoT的数据，这是第一次基于空间的凌日行星搜索任务，以探测和描述海王星质量及以下的行星及其所属的系统，以及搜索巨型行星反射的光线。

In this Rolling Grant application, we describe an interdisciplinary programme of observational and theoretical research in extrasolar planets, to be conducted at the University of Exeter, through a new collaboration between the Astrophysics Group in the School of Physics and the Centre for Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics (CGAFD) in the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (SECaM). The research programme combines state-of-the-art observations and theoretical calculations to detect, determine the properties of, and model the formation and evolution of extrasolar planets. We will perform three-dimensional self-gravitating radiation hydrodynamical simulations of gas accretion by a protoplanet core to form giant planets to produce more accurate models of young gas giant planets. We will directly image gas giant planets around young nearby stars using adaptive optics on the VLT and the Gemini Planet Imager and use these observations to test the models. We will undertake space-based observations of transiting planets using HST and Spitzer to understand the chemistry and dynamics of the atmospheres of giant planets that are very close to their stars and model these atmospheres using convective three-dimensional simulations. Finally, we will analyse the data from CoRoT, the first space-based transiting planet search mission, to detect and characterise planets of Neptune-mass and below and the systems they are part of, as well as search for light reflected by giant planets.