Collaborative Research: MINERVA - A dedicated, global, precision radial velocity machine for TESS

George Mason University, Fairfax VA

Investigators

Abstract

A research collaboration between Harvard University, George Mason University, the University of California-Riverside, and the University of Montana will use a telescope network to observe planet candidates orbiting nearby stars. The planet candidates have been identified by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Planets will be confirmed, their masses and orbits will be measured. The work will help create improved theories of the formation and evolution of planets with a broad range of environments. Some of the planets confirmed will be the ones that provide the best chance of detecting life in the future. The award will fund students to participate in Harvard's Banneker Institute. This undergraduate summer program focuses on recruiting under-represented minorities for a program of research, graduate school preparation, and social justice education. The investigation will employ two dedicated robotic arrays of four 0.7-meter telescopes (MINERVA-North and MINERVA-Australis) in both hemispheres for all sky access to confirm and characterize TESS planet candidates. The facilities will perform a large scale survey to measure the orbital obliquities of approximately 180 planets, enabling a more robust understanding of formation and migration of planets as a function of the properties of the host star and their planets. MINERVA will also measure planet masses and orbital eccentricities, and search for additional planets in each system. The confirmation and characterization of new planetary systems around the bright TESS host stars will identify the best possible targets for future detailed follow up. The planets confirmed and characterized will be the ones the next generation of space-borne exoplanet missions and ground-based extremely large telescopes will prioritize to measure the detailed atmospheric compositions and will provide the best chances of detecting biomarkers. The survey will allow a more detailed understanding of planet formation and migration as a function of stellar and planetary properties. The nature of exoplanet observations generates opportunities for projects ideal for student involvement at all levels. In addition, MINERVA's dedicated array of small telescopes provides a unique platform to develop valuable instrumentation experience. MINERVA provides a scientific backbone for undergraduate research opportunities, undergraduate theses, post-baccalaureate research experience, and graduate research experience. 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.