Title:  Off the Main Sequence: Investigating Star-Planet Systems at Early and Late Stages of Evolution

Abstract:  Optical transit surveys have been extraordinarily fruitful in the detection and characterization of exoplanets orbiting main-sequence stars. While the bulk of a star’s lifetime is spent undergoing core hydrogen fusion, much can be learned by turning our gaze away from the main sequence. In this talk, I discuss the observational constraints supplied by star-planet systems at early and late stages of evolution. More specifically, I discuss recent investigations of stellar rotation, chemical surface abundances, and orbital architectures at early and late stages of evolution, and what these data reveal about the underlying processes of star-planet formation and evolution. I end this talk with a look to the future and what constraints might be leveraged with upcoming NASA space observatories like the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope.

Host:  Suvrath Mahadevan

Please email CEHW-SEMINAR-QUESTIONS@lists.psu.edu to register.