Matthew J. Holman
A5072561448- Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
- Astro and Planetary Science
- Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
- Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
- Planetary Science and Exploration
- Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation
- Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
- Space Exploration and Technology
- Scientific Research and Discoveries
- Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
- Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies
- Quantum chaos and dynamical systems
- Geophysics and Gravity Measurements
- History and Developments in Astronomy
- Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Atmospheric Ozone and Climate
- Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing
- Space exploration and regulation
- Spacecraft Dynamics and Control
- Graphite, nuclear technology, radiation studies
- Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
- Historical Astronomy and Related Studies
- Astronomical and nuclear sciences
- Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics
Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian
2015-2024
MesoScribe Technologies (United States)
2024
Courtauld Institute of Art
2023
University College London
2016-2022
Harvard University
2005-2018
University of York
2016
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
1999-2015
Harvard University Press
2008-2013
Community Farm Alliance
2008
Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics
1997-2005
The Kepler mission was designed to determine the frequency of Earth-sized planets in and near habitable zone Sun-like stars. is region where planetary temperatures are suitable for water exist on a planet's surface. During first 6 weeks observations, monitored 156,000 stars, five new exoplanets with sizes between 0.37 1.6 Jupiter radii orbital periods from 3.2 4.9 days were discovered. density Neptune-sized Kepler-4b similar that Neptune GJ 436b, even though irradiation level 800,000 times...
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will search for planets transiting bright and nearby stars. TESS has been selected by NASA launch in 2017 as an Astrophysics Explorer mission. spacecraft be placed into a highly elliptical 13.7-day orbit around the Earth. During its two-year mission, employ four wide-field optical CCD cameras to monitor at least 200,000 main-sequence dwarf stars with I = 4-13 temporary drops brightness caused planetary transits. Each star observed interval...
The present study generalizes the mapping method of Wisdom (1982) to encompass all gravitational n-body problems with a dominant central mass. rationale for generalized is discussed as well details problem. Some refinements are considered, and relationship other symplectic integration methods shown. used compute evolution outer planets billion years. resulting compared 845 million year performed on Digital Orerry using standard numerical techniques. This calculation provides independent...
On 2011 February 1 the Kepler mission released data for 156,453 stars observed from beginning of science observations on 2009 May 2 through September 16. There are 1235 planetary candidates with transit-like signatures detected in this period. These associated 997 host stars. Distributions characteristics separated into five class sizes: 68 approximately Earth-size (Rp < 1.25 R⊕), 288 super-Earth-size (1.25 R⊕ ⩽ Rp 662 Neptune-size (2 6 165 Jupiter-size (6 15 and 19 up to twice size Jupiter...
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS ) will search for planets transiting bright and nearby stars. TESS has been selected by NASA launch in 2017 as an Astrophysics Explorer mission. spacecraft be placed into a highly elliptical 13.7-day orbit around the Earth. During its two-year mission, employ four wide-field optical CCD cameras to monitor at least 200,000 main-sequence dwarf stars with I<sub>C</sub> (approximately less than) 13 temporary drops brightness caused planetary...
New transiting planet candidates are identified in 16 months (2009 May-2010 September) of data from the Kepler spacecraft.Nearly 5000 periodic transit-like signals vetted against astrophysical and instrumental false positives yielding 1108 viable new candidates, bringing total count up to over 2300.Improved vetting metrics employed, contributing higher catalog reliability.Most notable is noise-weighted robust averaging multiquarter photo-center offsets derived difference image analysis that...
We report the distribution of planets as a function planet radius (R_p), orbital period (P), and stellar effective temperature (Teff) for P < 50 day orbits around GK stars. These results are based on 1,235 (formally "planet candidates") from Kepler mission that include nearly complete set detected small 2 Earth radii (Re). For each 156,000 target stars we assess detectability R_p P. also correct geometric probability transit, R*/a. consider first within "solar subset" having Teff = 4100-6100...
About one-third of the ∼1200 transiting planet candidates detected in first four months Kepler data are members multiple candidate systems. There 115 target stars with two planets, 45 three, 8 four, and 1 each five six. We characterize dynamical properties these multi-planet The distribution observed period ratios shows that vast majority pairs neither nor near low-order mean-motion resonances. Nonetheless, there small but statistically significant excesses both resonance spaced slightly too...
We report the detection of a planet whose orbit surrounds pair low-mass stars. Data from Kepler spacecraft reveal transits across both stars, in addition to mutual eclipses giving precise constraints on absolute dimensions all three bodies. The is comparable Saturn mass and size, nearly circular 229-day around its two parent eclipsing stars are 20% 69% as massive sun, have an eccentric 41-day orbit. motions bodies confined within 0.5 degree single plane, suggesting that formed circumbinary disk.
Future surveys for transiting extrasolar planets are expected to detect hundreds of jovian-mass and tens terrestrial-mass planets. For many these newly discovered planets, the intervals between successive transits will be measured with an accuracy 0.1 100 minutes. We show that timing measurements allow detection additional in system (not necessarily transiting) by their gravitational interaction planet. The transit-time variations depend on mass planet, some cases produce a measurable...
A simple question of celestial mechanics is investigated: in what regions phase space near a binary system can planets persist for long times? The are taken to be test particles moving the field an eccentric system. range values eccentricity and mass ratio studied, both case orbiting close one stars, that outside system's center mass, examined. From results, empirical expressions developed 1) largest orbit around each 2) smallest as whole, which survive length integration (10^4 periods)....
We present refined values for the physical parameters of transiting exoplanets, based on a self-consistent and uniform analysis transit light curves observable properties host stars. Previously it has been difficult to interpret ensemble because widely different methodologies that have applied in individual cases. Furthermore, previous studies often ignored an important constraint mean stellar density can be derived directly from curve. The main contributions this work are 1) critical...
We report on the masses, sizes, and orbits of planets orbiting 22 Kepler stars. There are 49 planet candidates around these stars, including 42 detected through transits 7 revealed by precise Doppler measurements host Based an analysis brightness measurements, along with high-resolution imaging spectroscopy, (for 11 stars) asteroseismology, we establish low false-positive probabilities (FPPs) for all transiting (41 have FPP under 1%), constrain their sizes masses. Most smaller than three...
We present multiband photometry of 185 type-Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), with over 11,500 observations. These were acquired between 2001 and 2008 at the F. L. Whipple Observatory Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). This sample contains largest number homogeneously observed reduced nearby SNe Ia (z ≲ 0.08) published to date. It more than doubles sample, bringing SN cosmology point where systematic uncertainties dominate. Our natural system has a precision ≲0.02 mag in BVRIr'i' ≲0.04...
We report on the orbital architectures of Kepler systems having multiple-planet candidates identified in analysis data from first six quarters and reported by Batalha et al. (2013). These show 899 transiting planet 365 provide a powerful means to study statistical properties planetary systems. Using generic mass–radius relationship, we find that only two pairs planets these candidate (out 761 total) appear be Hill-unstable orbits, indicating ∼96% are correctly interpreted as true little...
NASA's Kepler Mission uses transit photometry to determine the frequency of earth-size planets in or near habitable zone Sun-like stars. The mission reached a milestone toward meeting that goal: discovery its first rocky planet, Kepler-10b. Two distinct sets events were detected: 1) 152 +/- 4 ppm dimming lasting 1.811 0.024 hours with ephemeris T[BJD]=2454964.57375+N*0.837495 days and 2) 376 9 6.86 0.07 T[BJD]=2454971.6761+N*45.29485 days. Statistical tests on photometric pixel flux time...
The Kepler spacecraft is monitoring more than 150,000 stars for evidence of planets transiting those stars. We report the detection two Saturn-size that transit same Sun-like star, based on 7 months observations. Their 19.2- and 38.9-day periods are presently increasing decreasing at respective average rates 4 39 minutes per orbit; in addition, times inner body display an alternating variation smaller amplitude. These signatures characteristic gravitational interaction near a 2:1 orbital...
In the Solar system planets' compositions vary with orbital distance, rocky planets in close orbits and lower-density gas giants wider orbits. The detection of close-in giant around other stars was first clue that this pattern is not universal, can change substantially after their formation. Here we report another violation orbit-composition pattern: two orbiting same star distances differing by only 10%, densities a factor 8. One planet likely `super-Earth', whereas more akin to Neptune....
In the spring of 2009, Kepler Mission commenced high-precision photometry on nearly 156,000 stars to determine frequency and characteristics small exoplanets, conduct a guest observer program, obtain asteroseismic data wide variety stars. On 15 June 2010 released from first quarter observations. At time this publication, 706 set have exoplanet candidates with sizes as that Earth larger than Jupiter. Here we give identity 306 planetary candidates. Data for remaining 400 will be in February...
We report the detection of Kepler-47, a system consisting two planets orbiting around an eclipsing pair stars. The inner and outer have radii 3.0 4.6 times that Earth, respectively. binary star consists Sun-like companion roughly one-third its size, each other every 7.45 days. With orbital period 49.5 days, eighteen transits planet been observed, allowing detailed characterization orbit those planet's is 303.2 although not Earth-like, it resides within classical "habitable zone", where...
We report homogeneous spectroscopic determinations of the effective temperature, metallicity, and projected rotational velocity for host stars 56 transiting planets. Our analysis is based primarily on stellar parameter classification (SPC) technique. investigate systematic errors by examining subsets data with two other methods that have often been used in previous studies (Spectroscopy Made Easy (SME) MOOG). The SPC SME results, both comparisons between synthetic spectra actual spectra,...