Discovering the First Exoplanets Around White Dwarf Stars with the Zwicky Transient Facility

Bell, Keaton John, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

Keaton Bell is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct a program of research and education at the University of Washington. He will use data from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) to attempt to make the first discoveries of extrasolar planets (exoplanets) orbiting white dwarf (WD) stars --- collapsed stars, which are no longer producing energy from nuclear fusion like normal stars, but are glowing faintly from residual heat. Bell will determine what fraction of WDs host exoplanets, and study the populations of WD exoplanets, which will lead him to a better understanding of how planetary systems survive the collapse of their star. In conjunction with his research, he will mentor college freshman students from groups underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and he will help train astronomy graduate students in methods of data science. The proposed scientific program seeks to characterize the properties of individual WD planetary systems and investigate the physical mechanisms that affect planets during post-main-sequence evolution. Bell proposes to identify candidate planet transits by searching the ZTF data set for statistically significant dips in measured flux. Strong candidates will be confirmed and characterized with follow-up photometric and spectroscopic observations. The educational component of his work will help promote a more capable and diverse STEM workforce by providing students with valuable skills in preparation for possible careers in science or engineering. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.