Meetings & Events
ExoExplorer Science Series: Zahra Ahmed (Stanford) & Maria Vincent (U Hawaii - Manoa)
Date:
June 14, 2024
The ExoExplorer Science Series presents talks by cohort members Zahra Ahmed (Stanford) & Maria Vincent (U Hawaii - Manoa) on June 14, 2024, from 11 AM - 12 PM Pacific Standard / 2 PM - 3 PM Eastern Standard. Connection information is below.
Speaker: Zahra Ahmed (Stanford)
Title: Exoplanet Detection and Characterization in the Ultraviolet using a Starshade Complement for Habitable Worlds Observatory
Abstract: A major objective of the future Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is to directly image and spectrally characterize at least 25 habitable worlds. Achieving this ambitious goal will depend on a myriad of factors, including the effectiveness of starlight suppression technology and the completeness of background calibration during post-processing. While coronagraphs are the favored starlight suppression technology for HWO, there is ongoing work to investigate the utility of a starshade complement operating in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum. Although starshades are limited in the number of observations they can make due to fuel and reconfiguration time, their high throughput, high contrast, and broad spectral bandwidth make them a powerful characterization instrument. In this talk I will cover ongoing efforts to simulate and analyze Earth-like exoplanets using a starshade in the UV, accounting for varying orbital inclinations and phase angles as well as the presence of inhomogeneous exozodiacal dust distributions. Exozodiacal dust is likely to be one of the most significant sources of astrophysical noise when detecting terrestrial planets in the habitable zone, especially due to bright “clump”-like structures that result from disk-planet interaction. The first portion of this talk will focus on the data simulation pipeline, which builds on the Starshade Imaging Simulation Toolkit for Exoplanet Reconnaissance (SISTER). In the second portion of the talk I will introduce the analyses investigating the sensitivity of planet detection and characterization to the quality of exozodiacal dust removal. Finally, I will discuss how the introduced data and analyses pipelines will be used to inform the spectral retrieval capabilities of a starshade complement for HWO.
Speaker: Maria Vincent (U Hawaii - Manoa)
Title: Entering a new Era of Adaptive Optics with more powerful Deformable Mirrors
Abstract: Adaptive optics has enabled a wide range of scientific work in the last three decades, from the discovery of planetary systems to characterizing the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Continuous improvements in adaptive optics have kept us at the cutting edge of exoplanetary science. New developments improve the resolution and contrast needed to characterize exoplanets and their atmospheres through direct imaging and spectroscopy, allowing us to probe previously unobserved molecular species. This talk summarizes the facility adaptive optics upgrade on two Mauna Kea telescopes – Subaru and Keck – focusing on their swap to high-resolution deformable mirrors, a vital technology demonstration for future extremely large telescopes.
Join by meeting number
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Weekly: https://caltech.zoom.us/meeting/tZ0oceyppjsqGNS-CBVTMJlJjeO5JmI44_Yu/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGhqz0vG9yVsBuHRpx5GY_oZ-vxiGJfjY1u0TzHNRR-SA_cPOdtZ5hyOYyE
Join Zoom Meeting
https://caltech.zoom.us/j/89565180020
Meeting ID: 895 6518 0020
---
One tap mobile
+12133388477,,89565180020# US (Los Angeles)
+16699006833,,89565180020# US (San Jose)
---
Dial by your location
• +1 213 338 8477 US (Los Angeles)
• +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
• +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
• +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
• +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
Meeting ID: 895 6518 0020
Find your local number: https://caltech.zoom.us/u/kevHADBHiB
---Join by SIP
• 89565180020@zoomcrc.com
---Join by H.323
• 162.255.37.11 (US West)
• 162.255.36.11 (US East)
• 115.114.131.7 (India Mumbai)
• 115.114.115.7 (India Hyderabad)
• 213.19.144.110 (Amsterdam Netherlands)
• 213.244.140.110 (Germany)
• 103.122.166.55 (Australia Sydney)
• 103.122.167.55 (Australia Melbourne)
• 149.137.40.110 (Singapore)
• 64.211.144.160 (Brazil)
• 149.137.68.253 (Mexico)
• 69.174.57.160 (Canada Toronto)
• 65.39.152.160 (Canada Vancouver)
• 207.226.132.110 (Japan Tokyo)
• 149.137.24.110 (Japan Osaka)
Meeting ID: 895 6518 0020