The Road to exo-Earths: Doppler Velocimetry in the 2020s

  • CART Astrophysics Seminar Series

May 7, 2026 2:00 PM - May 7, 2026 3:00 PM
PAIS 3205

Host:
Diana Dragomir
Presenter:
Sam Halverson (JPL)
A new generation of ground-based exoplanet instruments has now reached the sensitivity required to detect low-mass planets orbiting nearby stars. As the astronomical community prepares for future space-based observatories that will directly image and characterize Earth-like planets, it is increasingly important to continue advancing the capabilities of ground-based exoplanet surveys. In this talk, I will present recent results from two state-of-the-art radial velocity (RV) exoplanet instruments: the Keck Planet Finder (KPF) and the NEID Doppler facility. These systems are designed to achieve sub-meter-per-second Doppler precision through a combination of optimized instrument design and new data analysis techniques. I will highlight key design features of KPF and NEID and present their long-term on-sky performance across different stars. I will also discuss recent science results, including the detection and characterization of a diverse set of planetary systems. A central focus of the talk will be ongoing efforts to mitigate stellar activity signals, which now represent the primary limitation in detecting true Earth analogs. I will describe a range of complementary approaches being developed and applied to real data, including high-resolution line-by-line spectral analysis, chromatic diagnostics, studies using solar observations, and data-driven modeling techniques that leverage the full information content of stellar spectra. Together, these efforts aim to disentangle stellar variability from planetary signals and improve detection sensitivity on astrophysically relevant timescales.

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