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At the current time, I am leading efforts to study debris disks using two facilities. I am the Principal Investigate for a Gemini Observatory Large and Long Program "Characterizing Dusty Debris in Exoplanetary Systems" that obtained deep, multi-filter Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) Spec and Pol observations of a dozen debris disks. These observations can be used to characterize asymmetries in the structures of the disks that indicate the presence of undetected planets. They can also be used to estimate the size of the smallest dust grains, their shapes (fluffy aggregates versus solid spheres), and compositions. More recently, I am looking forward to the launch of JWST. I have a JWST Guaranteed Time Observations program (described in Project 1) and a recently accepted Cycle 1 General Observer program.
Project 21: Thermal Emission Studies with JWST. I am a JWST Mid-infrared Instrument (MIRI) Scientist with Guaranteed Time Observations in Cycle 1. I have reserved MIRI Medium Resolution Spectrograph (MRS) observations of three nearby, archetypal debris disk systems: beta Pictoris, eta Crv, and eta Tel. The MIRI MRS is an integral field spectrograph that provides mid-infrared spectra (5-30 micron) and therefore access to silicate dust features (e.g. silica, olivine, pyroxene) and atomic and molecular gas features (e.g. H2O, CO2, HCN). All three systems have silicate emission features that were detected using the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph and CO emission detected using ALMA, indicating that they possess both terrestrial temperature dust and massive Kuiper Belts containing icy bodies. Thus, some of the science goals for this program include searching for changes in the silicate properties since the Spitzer observations (to indicate ongoing collisions) and conducting the first sensitive search for terrestrial temperature volatile gas. The detection of terrestrial temperature gas might indicate that there are undetected planets that are dynamically perturbing KBOs into the inner regions of the planetary systems.
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