Dr. Carson and collaborators will conduct a large scale, coordinated census of extrasolar planets across a wide range of temperatures and distances from their parent stars. This project will focus on stars that are more massive than the Sun. The investigators will obtain and analyze images from satellites and from ground-based telescopes to uncover planets of many different types, and will examine whether planet sizes or star/planet separations depend on the temperature or chemical composition of the parent stars. One major goal of the project is to compare large new data sets with the predictions of theoretical models of planet formation.
This project will include undergraduate students, who will receive training in scientific computing, data visualization, and statistical analysis. Dr. Carson will also continue his activities in public outreach, presentations to K-12 students, and teacher training.
