Collaborative Research: Tracing the Evolution of Planetary Systems

合作研究：追踪行星系统的演化

• 批准号: 1615272
• 负责人: Michael Fitzgerald
• 金额: $ 7.64万
• 依托单位: University of California-Los Angeles
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-08-01 至 2019-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1615272&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Tracing; Evolution; Planetary

Debris disks, the disks of dust around many stars, are the places where planets form. We have, so far, observed the dust and grains of different brightness in twenty-four debris disks around other stars. We still, however, do not know the detailed properties of these grains. Debris disks are examples for studies of how planetary systems form and change with time. The investigators will use the Gemini South Observatory telescope's Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) Integral Field Spectrograph and Polarimeter to observe the properties of the dust in many debris disks in detail, including grain colors, sizes, compositions, and how thick the grains are in the disks. They will combine these observations with data from other telescopes to provide an overall picture of the properties of the dust grains in different debris disks. The results of this research help to find our Solar System's place with other planetary systems. This program serves the national interest by increasing our understanding of how the early Solar System and other planetary systems formed. The investigators will make a program and video that explain the new GPI instrument, and the science we can learn using it, for the general public. Circumstellar accretion disks (debris disks), the dusty disks around main sequence stars, are the likely sites of planet formation. To date, twenty-four debris disks have been spatially resolved in scattered light, revealing the location of the dust and the reflectivities of the grains. The detailed properties of these grains are, however, not well understood. Debris disks serve as laboratories for studies of planetary system formation and evolution that help to place our Solar System into context with other planetary systems. Gemini Planet Imager Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS) and Polarimeter observations planned by these investigators will provide an unprecedented opportunity to discern grain properties. IFS observations will be sensitive to spectral features and will better constrain the color of the scattered light, therefore constraining the particle composition and size. Polarimetry will allow us to determine the difference between particle size and porosity. This team will combine the GPI observations with complementary high contrast imaging and thermal mapping data from the Hubble Space Telescope, Magellan Adaptive Optics, and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to develop holistic models that will significantly improve our understanding of the materials available during the late stages of planetary system formation. The investigators will create a program that showcases the new GPI instrument, including a video to explain the instrument and the science it enables, for the general public.

碎片盘是许多恒星周围的灰尘磁盘，是行星形成的地方。到目前为止，我们已经观察到其他恒星周围二十四个碎屑盘的灰尘和颗粒。但是，我们仍然不知道这些谷物的详细特性。碎屑磁盘是研究行星系统如何随着时间而变化的示例。研究人员将使用Gemini South天文台望远镜的Gemini Planet Imager（GPI）积分光谱仪和偏振仪表仪详细观察灰尘的性质，包括粒度，尺寸，构图，以及磁盘中的谷物的厚度。他们将将这些观察结果与来自其他望远镜的数据相结合，以提供不同碎屑磁盘中粉尘粒的特性的总体图。这项研究的结果有助于在其他行星系统中找到太阳系的位置。该计划通过提高我们对早期太阳系和其他行星系统如何形成的理解来为国家利益提供服务。调查人员将制作一个程序和视频，以解释新的GPI仪器以及我们可以学习的科学，以供公众使用它。围绕主要序列星周围的灰尘磁盘（碎屑磁盘）是行星形成的可能位点。迄今为止，二十四个碎屑磁盘已在散射的光线下已在空间上解析，从而揭示了灰尘的位置和谷物的反射性。但是，这些谷物的详细特性尚不清楚。碎片磁盘是研究行星系统形成和进化的实验室，有助于将我们的太阳系与其他行星系统的背景放置。这些研究人员计划的Gemini Planet Imager积分光谱仪（IFS）和偏光仪观察结果将为识别谷物特性提供前所未有的机会。 IF观察结果将对光谱特征敏感，并将更好地限制散射光的颜色，从而限制粒子组成和大小。极化法将使我们能够确定粒度和孔隙率之间的差异。该团队将将GPI观测值与互补的高对比度成像和来自哈勃太空望远镜，麦哲伦自适应光学元件和Atacama大型毫米/亚毫米级阵列的互补映射数据结合在一起，以开发整体模型，从而显着改善我们对材料后期系统形成材料的理解。调查人员将创建一个计划，以展示新的GPI工具，包括一个视频，以解释该工具及其启用的科学。