Extremely Close and Not Alone: Exploring the Habitability of M-dwarf Multi-planet Systems

Shields Aomawa L, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

Ms. Aomawa Shields is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. M-dwarfs, much smaller and cooler than our Sun, are the most plentiful stars in the Galaxy, and are known to host systems with multiple planets, suggesting a new, major planetary population. They are also the likeliest hosts for rocky planets. For these reasons, there is a strong likelihood that the first habitable, Earth-like planet will be found orbiting an M-dwarf star. However, the question of whether any of the planets discovered so far around M-dwarf stars are habitable is complicated by how close they are to their stars, and the tightly packed nature of these systems. This close packing can result in strong tidal effects, including changes in the rotation rate of a planet, and the effect on climate has not yet been explored. Ms. Shields will conduct the first comprehensive study of the effect of these interactions on the climate and habitability of M-dwarf multiple-planet systems. This work will ultimately provide an integrated model for assessing the habitability potential of M-dwarf systems discovered by ground- and space-based telescopes. Ms. Shields will also develop and implement an innovative, science communication-based astronomy workshop entitled, "The Universe: More Than Meets the Eye" for middle-school girls of color in Los Angeles, CA and Cambridge, MA. She will train high-school girls as teaching assistants for future workshop sessions, and create a teaching guide based on the workshop, providing a multi-tiered, bi-coastal approach to interactive enrichment in astronomy for girls from groups historically underrepresented in the sciences. To carry out this work, Ms. Shields will leverage her expertise in the climate modeling of M-dwarf planets, and the observational data and planetary dynamics expertise of collaborators at both institutions. She will run n-body and climate simulations for eight of the known potentially habitable planets in confirmed multiple-planet systems Kepler-32, Kepler-42, GJ 667 C, and Gl 581. This will be the first time that n-body dynamical constraints will be coupled to global climate models. She will apply her model to potentially habitable planets in new systems as they are discovered. She will also leverage her background in astronomy, theater, and science communication to create activities that excite and engage ethnic minority girls in the field of astronomy at a crucial stage in their development, using methods that encourage individual self-expression interwoven with scientific engagement and discovery. Her training of high-school girls to assume leadership roles as workshop teachers and junior mentors will help empower the next generation of young leaders in STEM fields. Ms. Shields will create and disseminate a teachers' guide that will expand the benefits of this workshop beyond the girls she works with directly.