Award Abstract # 2009816
RUI: Directly Observing the Assembly of Planets

NSF Org: AST
Division Of Astronomical Sciences
Recipient: AMHERST COLLEGE, TRUSTEES OF
Initial Amendment Date: August 7, 2020
Latest Amendment Date: August 7, 2020
Award Number: 2009816
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Martin Still
mstill@nsf.gov
 (703)292-4290
AST
 Division Of Astronomical Sciences
MPS
 Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien
Start Date: September 1, 2020
End Date: August 31, 2024 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $349,968.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $349,968.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2020 = $349,968.00
History of Investigator:
  • Katherine Follette (Principal Investigator)
    kfollette@amherst.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Amherst College
155 S PLEASANT ST
AMHERST
MA  US  01002-2234
(413)542-2804
Sponsor Congressional District: 02
Primary Place of Performance: Amherst College
155 S. Pleasant Street
Amherst
MA  US  01002-5000
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
02
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): KDRLUT71AFM5
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): PLANETARY ASTRONOMY
Primary Program Source: 01002021DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1206, 1207, 9229
Program Element Code(s): 1214
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.049

ABSTRACT

The principal investigator and her students at Amherst College will develop the techniques required to detect and characterize planets forming around young, nearby stars. Thousands of planets have been discovered around other stars, yet there are still many mysteries about how planets form. One powerful way to begin solving these mysteries is to observe planets as they are being born. These ?protoplanets? are extremely dim relative to the stars they orbit, and therefore extremely difficult to detect. This investigation will improve techniques for separating tiny glimmers of protoplanet light from the bright glare of their stars. Materials will be developed to help students master important research skills not typically taught in science courses. These skills include how to decipher scientific results and how to manage time when working on big open-ended projects.

Protoplanet direct imaging is a new and a hotly debated topic in the field of high-contrast imaging. Novel hardware and software techniques are required to isolate the light of forming planets and disentangle it from morphologically complex co-located circumstellar disk features. A two-pronged approach will be conducted to advance the state of the art in validation and interpretation of potential protoplanet detections. (1) A fully developed and tested algorithm will be applied to rigorous, data-driven optimization of tunable parameters for point-spread function subtraction. (2) Multiwavelength observations of low mass accreting objects will be utilized to develop and calibrate accretion diagnostics appropriate for the substellar mass regime. This foundational work will inform planet formation processes, planetary accretion processes, and accretion variability timescales. The research team will also address an important issue in undergraduate research mentoring ? the lack of rigorously developed and validated mentoring materials. Beginning undergraduate researchers must learn not only the scientific context and data analysis skills necessary to complete a research project, but also how to efficiently digest and rigorously analyze published scientific results, oral and written scientific communication, time and task management, and leadership and group work skills, among others.

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.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Betti, S. K. and Follette, K. B. and Ward-Duong, K. and Aoyama, Y. and Marleau, G. -D. and Bary, J. and Robinson, C. and Janson, M. and Balmer, W. and Chauvin, G. and Palma-Bifani, P. "Near-infrared Accretion Signatures from the Circumbinary Planetary-mass Companion Delorme 1 (AB)b*" The Astrophysical Journal Letters , v.935 , 2022 https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ac85ef Citation Details
Balmer, William O. and Follette, Katherine B. and Close, Laird M. and Males, Jared R. and De Rosa, Robert J. and Adams Redai, Jéa I. and Watson, Alex and Weinberger, Alycia J. and Morzinski, Katie M. and Morales, Julio and Ward-Duong, Kimberly and Pueyo, "Improved Orbital Constraints and H? Photometric Monitoring of the Directly Imaged Protoplanet Analog HD 142527 B" The Astronomical Journal , v.164 , 2022 https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ac73f4 Citation Details
Betti, S. K. and Follette, K. and Jorquera, S. and Duchêne, G. and Mazoyer, J. and Bonnefoy, M. and Chauvin, G. and Pérez, L. M. and Boccaletti, A. and Pinte, C. and Weinberger, A. J. and Grady, C. and Close, L. M. and Defrère, D. and Downey, E. C. and Hi "Detection of Near-infrared Water Ice at the Surface of the (Pre)Transitional Disk of AB Aur: Informing Icy Grain Abundance, Composition, and Size" The Astronomical Journal , v.163 , 2022 https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ac4d9b Citation Details
Follette, Katherine B. and Close, Laird M. and Males, Jared R. and Ward-Duong, Kimberly and Balmer, William O. and Redai, Jéa Adams and Morales, Julio and Sarosi, Catherine and Dacus, Beck and De Rosa, Robert J. and Garcia Toro, Fernando and Leonard, Clar "The Giant Accreting Protoplanet Survey (GAPlanetS)?Results from a 6 yr Campaign to Image Accreting Protoplanets" The Astronomical Journal , v.165 , 2023 https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acc183 Citation Details
Adams Redai, Jéa I. and Follette, Katherine B. and Wang ?, Jason ?? and Leonard, Clare and Balmer, William and Close, Laird M. and Dacus, Beck and Males, Jared R. and Morzinski, Katie M. and Palmo, Joseph and Pueyo, Laurent and Spiro, Elijah and Treiber, "The Giant Accreting Protoplanet Survey (GAPlanetS): Optimization Techniques for Robust Detections of Protoplanets" The Astronomical Journal , v.165 , 2023 https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/aca60d Citation Details

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