Searching for Extrasolar Planets with the Keck Planet Finder - Andrew Howard - 07/14/2023

How are planets around other stars different from our own Earth? How are next-generation instruments able to detect and study these planets? Join us for a 30-minute lecture investigating exoplanets, followed by a panel Q&A consisting of several astrophysicists to answer your questions about astrophysics and space science. Timestamps below:

00:00 Announcements
04:15 Intro to Exoplanet Presentation
05:01 Exoplanet Presentation
39:13 Q&A for Exoplanet Presentation
39:27 "How do you detect multiple planets around a star?"
41:05 "How do you machine that fancy telescope glass?"
43:18 "How do we identify planets that are truly earth-like in their properties?"
45:23 "Are there any Pluto-like objects detected around other stars?"
46:48 "Has KPF focused on finding new planets or studying existing ones?"
49:34 Intermission
57:54 Q&A Panel Introductions
1:00:12 "Why does KPF have to be thermally stable?"
1:02:04 "How much light is lost passing through KPF?"
1:02:22 "When planets orbit stars, why does the star move away from the planet?
1:07:00 "Why is it difficult to detect oxygen in exoplanet atmospheres?"
1:10:41 "Are there instruments similar to KPF on other telescopes?"
1:11:52 "How do you detect molecultes in exoplanet atmospheres?"
1:13:22 "Are there exoplanet systems like our own solar system?"
1:15:30 "Is it likely that life around exoplanets would look like us?"
1:24:37 "Can the B-field of a planet affect evolutionary conditions there?"
1:29:53 "How precise is KPF in its detections of exoplanets?"
1:31:20 "What might life look on exoplanets?"
1:35:52 "What science can be done after an exoplanet is discovered?"
1:38:20 "What other science applications can KPF be used for?"
1:40:21 "Do we expect longer evolutionary timescales for different parts of the galaxy?"
1:44:05 "Do we know about exoplanet systems at present or only in the past?"
1:45:56 "Why is the Sun's magnetic field more chaotic than the Earth's?"
1:48:58 "Why do some stars have planets and others none?"
1:51:46 "Can dark matter clump to form black holes?"
1:57:33 Concluding Remarks

Title: Searching for Extrasolar Planets with the Keck Planet Finder
Speaker: Andrew Howard
Abstract:
The search for extrasolar planets has uncovered a dizzying array of planetary systems. We have found new planet types – lava worlds and super-Earths – as well as planets orbiting more than one star. We will tour this diverse landscape and discuss how a new tool called the Keck Planet Finder that was recently installed on the mighty 10-meter Keck Telescope is helping us unravel the mysteries of these planets.