The SIM Exoplanet Analysis Experiment, an Undergraduate Perspective

Details The SIM Exoplanet Analysis Experiment, an Undergraduate Perspective The SIM Exoplanet Analysis Experiment, an Undergraduate Perspective

Jan 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21345602h&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #456.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.357

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The SIM Exoplanet Analysis Experiment, an Undergraduate Perspective
Over the past two decades, the discovery of exoplanets has provided insights into understanding the origins of our own solar system. The idea of discovering other earthlike planets has amazed people from all backgrounds since the very first astronomers viewed the night sky. The SIM mission will investigate all forms of matter in our galaxy, from massive stars to dim brown dwarfs and black holes. It will also be on the leading edge of exoplanet discovery, and will measure the distances and positions of stars several hundred times more accurately than any previous observations.
The project is currently in an analysis phase, in which teams from all over the country are analyzing synthetic data provided by JPL for the purpose of detecting exoplanets. As a member of UC Berkeley's analysis team, the opportunities for an undergraduate are virtually unlimited. Over 2 phases of analysis spanning 8 months of research, I was given the opportunity to apply and debug some of the most sophisticated planet-detecting algorithms in the world. From raw radial velocity and astrometry data, we were able to deduce the most probable planet configuration of a certain system and find the parameters of each planet. In creating these advanced orbital solvers, our team was able to successfully detect exoplanets of all sizes to a high degree of accuracy. The success of the analysis phase showed that the SIM telescope could indeed discover and disentangle
multi-planet systems, including those with Earths in 1 AU orbits, and give us an unprecedented new window into the universe.

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