My research interests surround characterizing exoplanets through transit photometric observations. I combined transit observations of exoplanets by the Kepler space telescope and the Spitzer space telescope to further refine parameters like mass, radius, and orbital inclination. We present new Spitzer observations K2-36c, K2-79b,K2-167b, and K2-212b and in the case of K2-167b, a reanalysis with the most recent TESS observations. I analyzed Kepler data by using the EPIC Variability Extraction and Removal for Exoplanet Science Targets (EVEREST) pipeline to detrend pointing errors for the K2 mission. EVEREST provides a photometric precision within a factor of 2 of the original Kepler mission. We then leverage the long baseline between the Spitzer and K2 observations to reduce transit central time uncertainties by an order of magnitude compared to previously published ephemeris. After the light curves were detrended I used a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to vary planet parameters and fit a model transit to my data. I also used a MCMC to fit a model to Spitzer data for each planet which Dr. Deming had detrended using Pixel Level Decorrelation. After each data set had been fit individually I further refined the planetary parameters using another MCMC that jointly varied the parameters for both the K2 and Spitzer observations. I presented the results of this analysis as an honors thesis in spring semester as well as presenting a poster at the AAS meeting in Seattle. Our paper is accepted by the Astronomical Journal.
Currently, I am working with Prof. Scott Gaudi at The Ohio State University to investigate the differences in planet parameters that arise from different methods of breaking the mass radius degeneracy in the host star. In the paper currently under review, “An Exploration of Systematic Errors in Transiting Planets and Their Host Stars” Duck et al. 2023b, we re-analyze the KELT-15 system with four different methods of characterizing the host star and quantify the additional systematic uncertainties passed down to the derived planetary parameters.
In “The EBLM project X. Benchmark masses, radii and temperatures for two fully convective M-dwarfs using K2” Duck et al 2023a, I apply a similar approach to two binary systems containing and M-dwarf and an FGK host star. I analyze the host stars with several different methods and quantify the systematic uncertainties in the properties of the transiting M-dwarf.
Previously, I have studied RR Lyrae with the GROWTH collaboration at the National Central University in Taiwan. I created light curves for RR Lyrae stars from Zwicky Transient Facility photometry data to assess accuracy of calculated absolute magnitudes from the ZTF native photometric system. Next, I simulated Gaussian noise and used Chi Square Fit RR Lyrae stars to determine period, magnitude luminosity relation for the RR Lyrae stars in our sample. Finally, I virtually Presented Results at GROWTH 2018 winter meeting in India