Ji Wang
Toward Finding Habitable Planets
January 31, 2018
When: January 31, 2018 3:30PM
Ji Wang
California Institute of Technology
Terrestrial planets in the habitable zone exist in about 20% of solar-type systems. This number is unfortunately not 100%. In the quest for another habitable world, we need to decide on where to look for them. My research focuses on comparative studies of planet formation in different environments, e.g., single vs. multiple star systems, metal-poor vs. metal-rich stars. These studies provide clues on benign or hostile environments for planet formation and help to prioritize the search for habitable terrestrial planets. The upcoming TESS mission will find ~1700 exoplanets from ~20,000 transit-like signals. One major challenge is to vet planet candidates. I will describe my plan to use LCO NRES to address this challenge. I will also talk about how NRES can further our understanding of some fundamental questions in planet formation: how do planets and their atmospheres form and evolve under the influence of host stars? Finally, I will discuss searching for biosignatures in habitable worlds with future ground- and space-based telescopes.