Astronomy Colloquium for 2020-04-01


Series: Astronomy Colloquium
Date: Wednesday 01-Apr-2020
Time: 16:00-17:00 (4:00-5:00 pm)
Location: Online Zoom Only: Contact Eliza Kempton for URL
Speaker: Dr. George Zhou (Harvard University)
Title: Mapping planets through space and time

The Solar System is peculiar. Unlike ~50% of other Sun-like stars that host planets in orbits shorter than that of Mercury, the inner most regions of the Solar System is devoid of material. How did these short period planets form, and why is the Solar System different? I am approaching this intrigue by characterizing planets around a variety of stars, at different ages, to better understand how the parent star influences the planets they bear.

We have been utilizing the TESS mission to search for planets around a variety of stellar populations untapped by previous surveys. I will discuss our efforts to characterize the occurrence rates and properties of planets around main sequence A stars, and how these observations have influenced the way we understand hot Jupiter migration mechanisms.

The TESS mission is also enabling us to search for and characterize planets around young, bright stars. The search for planets around young stars is our best proxy to watching planet formation and evolution in action. In the next decade, we will reconstruct the physical and dynamical properties of small planets as a function of age, painting a pathway that led to the dominant planet demographic around Sun-like stars.


Colloquia are usually preceded by espresso and ice cream at 1:45 pm outside room PSC 1150 and are followed by an informal reception at 5:15 pm in that room. Anyone interested in talking with the speaker, or being added to the colloquium announcement email list, should contact the colloquium organizer. Lunch will normally be reserved for the speaker to talk to graduate students. Anyone asking a question during a talk is asked to raise their hand and be acknowledged before speaking.

Colloquium Organizer: Prof. Richard Mushotzy

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS:

Special accommodations for individuals with disabilities can be made by calling (301) 405-3001. It would be appreciated if we are notified at least one week in advance.

DIRECTIONS, PARKING, AND OTHER INFORMATION FOR VISITORS

Directions and information about parking can be found here.

This page was automatically generated on: 23-Mar-2020.