In this research the investigators are developing a new, very fast camera system for very rapid, multi-object photometry, and are exploiting this new capability for new studies of extra-solar planet candidates using the transit technique. They will learn more about the prevalence of planets around other stars, and the relationship between our planetary system and other planetary systems. The signatures searched for are brief reductions in flux of field stars due to the transits by planets in orbit around these stars. There is a compelling need to photometer many stars as frequently as possible. For this reason, a major part of this program comprises the development of a novel CCD camera which can operate very quickly. The main goal of the camera effort is to have a camera based on one frame-transfer CCD that can monitor one star very quickly and with the exquisite precision of one part in 10,000 relative photometry.
Broader impact. There is an international collaboration, which requires close working relationships with colleagues in Taiwan, South Korea, and Chile, exposing the students to the cultures of these nations, and allowing them to learn how to work in unfamiliar environments.
