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The Ohio State University
College of Mathematical & Physical Sciences
Department of Astronomy Colloquium Series 2006/7
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Thursday, October 5, 3:30 p.m.
2015 McPherson Laboratory
Characterizing Exoplanetary Systems: The Search for Solar System Analogs
Dr. Jason Wright
Dept. of Astronomy, University of California Berkeley
For 10 years the California & Carnegie Planet Search has been
collecting precision radial velocities of hundreds of Sun-like stars
with ever-improving precision. Today, this temporal baseline allows us
to detect exoplanets at orbital distances of ~5 AU including many in
systems already known to harbor an inner exoplanet. Analysis of
incomplete orbits of longer-period exoplanets allows us to peek beyond
this 5 AU curtain, and recent hardware and software upgrades bring our
RV precision to 1 m/s, allowing us to detect exoplanets of only a few
earth masses. Together, these achievements have helped bring the number
of known multiple-planet systems up to 20 (and counting) and test
theories of planet formation and migration. Although it appears that
multiplicity among exoplanets is common, the search for a true Solar
System analog continues.
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Modified 2006 Sept 30 [rwp]