Scottish Universities Physics Alliance

SUPA Astronomy & Space Physics

Graham Woan

University of Glasgow

Scottish Universities Physics Alliance

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Astronomy and Space Physics in Scotland

Exoplanets

Galaxy dynamics

Cosmology

Solar physics

Scottish Universities Physics Alliance

Gravitational waves

Large telescopes

SUPA institutions carry out world-leading astronomical research over a broad range of topics:

– cosmology, galaxy structure & evolution, stellar astrophysics, planet formation & extrasolar planets, solar physics, gravitational waves, telescopes and instrumentation …

– cross-theme initiatives: SPARK (with Particle Physics), UK Centre for Astrobiology (with PaLS)

– grant income of ~£6-7M/y– 133 staff 86 PhD students– ~550 publications over report period.

– Today, give a snapshot of our two extrasolar planet projects: SUPAscope and HARPS-North

Scottish Universities Physics Alliance

• current & competitive position

– SUPA-led international team at the forefront of robotic telescope networks, studying microlensing and time-variability

– 15 scopes to be deployed at 6 sites

– Key Project 1 – cool-planet mass/orbit distributions down to Earth-size

– Key Project 2 – echo-mapping of AGN accretion disks

– Nature papers in 2005 for discovery of first rocky planet and 2012 for first cool-planet abundance distribution

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SUPAscope– Global Robotic Telescope Network

for Time-Domain Astrophysics

Scottish Universities Physics Alliance

• strategy, aspiration & progress– cool planet census complete enough to detect or rule out predicted cool-

planet desert– detection of cool Earth-mass planets– AGN luminosity distances (at redshifts 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 3) constraining WM, WL,

and w

– first robotic 1-m LCOGT scope currently being commissioned at McDonald Observatory

– six southern hemispheres telescopes to be deployed in 2012– three northern hemisphere telescopes to be deployed in 2013– ready for 2013 observing season 4

SUPAscope– Global Robotic Telescope Network

for Time-Domain Astrophysics

Scottish Universities Physics Alliance

• current & competitive position– HARPS-North: the characterization and discovery of terrestrial planets

by combining transit and Doppler measurements– international collaboration: Geneva (lead), SUPA, Harvard, QUB, TNG-

INAF Observatory – SUPA (StA, Ed, UK-ATC) are major funding and construction partners – HARPS-North will be capable of better than 20 cm/s precision for bright

stars – world-leading precision– first light achieved in March 2012– Kepler intension to use HARPS-North for follow-ups

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Kepler + HARPS-North Planet Masses and Densities

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Scottish Universities Physics Alliance

• Strategy, aspiration & progress

– confirming an Earth-twin planet in the habitable zone, with a precision of 30% in mass

– characterizing Earth-like planets of 2-5 Earth masses ("super-Earths") in various orbits, distinguishing between water-rich and dry planets

– characterizing the transition between super-Earths and Ice Giants (e.g., hot Neptunes) near 10 Earth masses, to 5% in mass

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Kepler + HARPS-North Planet Masses and Densities

– observing time requirements: • for 2 planets  (over 3 years)        - 160 h = 16 nights per year• for 20 planets in various orbits     - 250 h = 25 nights per

year• for 20 planets in various orbits     - 210 h = 20 nights per

year

HARPS-N first light, 24 March 2012