Speaker: Jessi Cisewski-Kehe
Field: Exoplanet Statistics
Institution: UW-Madison
Title: Uncovering Hidden Worlds: Challenges and Statistical Solutions in Detecting Low-Mass Exoplanets Amidst Stellar Activity
Abstract: Thousands of exoplanets have been discovered contributing to an improved understanding of our universe. However, a critical challenge remains related to the limited number of low-massed exoplanet detections. When a planet has a low mass (akin to the mass of the Earth or lower), the small signal is difficult to detect. Furthermore, stellar activity may hide a planetary signal or mimic a planetary signal leading to false detections.
Though a variety of methods have been developed to address these challenges, a sufficient and general methodology to uncover the population of low-mass exoplanets is not available. During this presentation, I plan to discuss the statistical challenge in the detection of low-mass exoplanets in the presence of stellar activity using extreme precision radial velocity spectra and introduce statistical methodology that has potential to address this challenge by focusing on absorption line modeling.
General comments about the field of astrostatistics will also be made, along with a possible brief discussion on topological data analysis and its relevance to astronomy.
Tea & cookies start at 3:15 PM. Zoom option available here.