- Lectures
- Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Location
R1203 of the Astronomy-Mathematics Building, National Taiwan University
- Speaker Name
Robert Wittenmyer (University of Southern Queensland)
- State
Definitive
- Url
Abstract:
Our Solar system features outer giant planets and inner small planets. Long-term monitoring of Kepler and TESS systems is fueling a growing consensus that outer giant planets and inner small (rocky) planets seem to go together. But the cause of this correlation is unknown, as is the effect that the presence or absence of an outer giant has on the properties of the inner planets. To understand potentially Earth-like planets, we must understand their complete planetary systems. I present a program of research that addresses this science gap, taking advantage of exciting new ASIAA facility access to the Magellan, Giant Magellan, and ESO Extremely Large Telescopes. Key science questions include: How do the mass and radius of the inner planets vary with and without a giant companion? What is the composition of the inner planet's atmosphere? How does the outer giant influence the orbital properties (eccentricity, inclination, obliquity, etc.) or the multiplicity of the inner worlds? This project, led by ASIAA's exoplanet team in collaboration with key international partners, promises to deliver unprecedented new understanding of the composition, architectures, and atmospheres of planets orbiting nearby stars using the latest high-precision data from ground and space-based telescopes.