The Physics of the Smallest Stars and the Planets That Orbit Them

Newton Elisabeth R, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Elisabeth Newton is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Newton will study M dwarf stars using data from the Kepler space telescope and new ground-based observations with the Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF). An M dwarf star is the smallest, most common type of star in the Galaxy. A detailed understanding of M dwarfs is important in its own right, but also because they are perhaps the best places to discover Earth-like planets: the smaller size of the star enhances the signal from an orbiting planet. Equipped with this detailed understanding, Newton will investigate planetary systems around M dwarfs. She will also develop and teach an introductory astronomy course for the Boston University Prison Education Program (BUPEP), with the goal of increasing the mathematical skills, quantitative reasoning, and scientific literacy of inmates in preparation for life outside prison. Newton will undertake a multi-pronged observational study of M dwarfs, with a focus on evolutionary trends in stellar and planet populations. The program will consist of (1) using photometry from Kepler surveys to measure rotation periods for field M dwarfs and analyze their angular momentum evolution; and (2) a new, extensive campaign with the IRTF to study magnetic field strengths in cool dwarfs. Newton will target M dwarfs with measured rotation periods to investigate the relation between magnetism and rotation, and M and K dwarfs with measured radii to test whether magnetism can be responsible for the observed radius inflation. Finally, Newton will use information on the masses, metallicities, and ages of low-mass M dwarf planet-hosts to investigate the origins of multi-planet systems in compact orbits. As part of her education plan, Newton will develop and teach an introductory astronomy course, which will be the first science course offered to inmates through BUPEP, and which will serve as the foundation for a sustainable astronomy curriculum within the program.