MPS-Ascend Faculty Catalyst: A Planet is Born: Leveraging Current and Next Generation Facilities to Catch Planet Formation in the Act

Astronomers continue to piece together an understanding of exoplanet formation conditions, compositions, and environments. One challenge is that their bright stellar hosts hinder the detailed characterization of the planets’ atmospheres. The discovery of planetary-mass companions (PMCs) on wide orbits has allowed for the study of atmospheres of Jupiter-like exoplanets, serving as analogs for those on closer-in orbits like those of our Solar System giants. A researcher and her team at the University of San Diego has been awarded a Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Faculty Catalyst (AFC) Award to observe ongoing gas giant planet formation in wide-orbit planetary-mass, and to design specialized observing modes in anticipation of future instrumentation upgrades. This both expands the types of exoplanets that can be characterized while also laying the groundwork for preparing direct-imaging studies with upcoming 30-m class telescopes. This Award will support four undergraduate summer student researchers as well as two full-time post-baccalaureate student researchers. The researcher will expand the department's physics retention efforts with year-round activities such as professional development, research skills training and career information woven into course offerings, and a near-peer mentoring program within the campus summer research experiences.

Over the course of the AFC award, the proposer will work on two projects. The first is to observe ongoing gas giant planet formation at mid-infrared wavelengths in wide-orbit, PMCs with the Slicer Combined with Array of Lenslets for Exoplanet Spectroscopy (SCALES) during its science demonstration survey post-commissioning on the Keck telescope. The second project is to design specialized higher-resolution observing modes in anticipation of upgrade opportunities with SCALES. The goal is to advance understanding of the origin and evolution of gas giant exoplanets and wide-orbit PMCs. Current theories of planetary accretion suggest the oft-used hydrogen line to total accretion luminosity relationships for low-mass stars may not be appropriate and the PI aims to provide the first constraints on empirical line accretion relationships down to planetary masses. This work will determine whether accretion models need to be adjusted in the low-mass regime, provide additional insight into their accretion processes and place new constraints on mid-infrared protoplanetary accretion tracers. In addition, the principal investigator will advise undergraduate research students and full-time post-baccalaureate students, introduce discipline-specific programmatic structure into campus summer research programs, and develop a research-skills curriculum for introductory physics courses.

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.

Award Number: 2525859
Principal Investigator: Raquel Martinez
Funds Obligated: $277,936
State: CA