Speaker:
John Johnson
Institution:
Cal Tech
Date:
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Time:
4:00 pm
Location:
NS2 1201
ABSTRACT:
M-type dwarfs are the Galaxy’s most numerous denizens, and for many reasons they represent our best hope of finding Earth-like planets outside the Solar System. I will present recent advances in understanding the fundamental physical properties of M dwarfs using both broadband photometry and optical/NIR spectroscopy. These techniques provide estimates of stellar masses and metallicities without the need for parallaxes, allowing us to identify and characterize low-mass planet-search targets well beyond the solar neighborhood.
Host:
James Bullock