Jan. 20

Tinsley Visiting Scholar: Planetary Group

"Habitability of Planets Orbiting M Dwarfs"

Current and future exoplanet surveys favor the discovery of potentially habitable planets around M dwarfs, which can then be spectroscopically characterized by JWST. This observation is so challenging that only ~1 planet is likely to be measured during the mission lifetime. Thus, prioritizing M dwarf planets for follow-up is a crucial step toward the discovery of an inhabited exoplanet. Identifying habitable planets begins with locating the planet's orbit relative to its star's "habitable zone." However, the habitable zone is only a zeroth order approximation for planetary habitability, i.e rocky worlds with liquid surface water. Many phenomena impact the stability and longevity of surface water, including processes that are negligible on Earth. M dwarfs can cool significantly during their first gigayear, which can strip giant planet atmospheres to reveal a rocky core, or can permanently desiccate terrestrial exoplanets. Tidal torques can circularize orbits, damp obliquities, and lock rotation periods at relatively large values. Tidal heating can be significant, even driving a runaway greenhouse independent of stellar radiation. In more modest cases, tidal heating can significantly alter the thermal cooling of the interior and suppress magnetic field generation, especially in multiplanet systems. Careful modeling of these phenomena can determine the best candidate(s) for transit transmission spectroscopy.

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Rory Barnes

University of Washington

host: Mike Endl

Jan. 27

"The Elusive and Ionized Gas Surrounding the Magellanic System"

abstract

Kathleen Barger

Texas Christian University

host: Cyndi Froning

Feb. 3

"Probing the Nature of Accretion and Planet Formation in Protoplanetary Disks: Connecting Theory with ALMA Observations"

abstract

Jacob B. Simon

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)

host: Neal Evans

Feb. 10

"The Large Reservoirs of Gas Around Galaxies"

abstract

Jessica Werk

UCO/Lick Observatory

host: Volker Bromm

Feb. 12
Thursday

Special Colloquium: "Insights into Galaxy Formation from z=15 to the Present Day"

abstract

Peter Behroozi

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

host: John Kormendy

Feb. 17

"Towards a Complete Theory of Lyman-Alpha Transfer in and around Galaxies"

abstract

Mark Dijkstra

University of Oslo: Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics

host: Steve Finkelstein

Feb. 19
Thursday

Special Colloquium: "Three Problems in Trying to Form Galaxies (and how ISM Physics can Save Us)"

abstract

Desika Narayanan

Haverford College

host: Chris Sneden

Feb. 24

"The Local Universe as a Cosmology Laboratory"

abstract

Michael Boylan-Kolchin

University of Maryland

host: Volker Bromm

Feb. 26
Thursday

Special Colloquium: "New Tools for Galactic Archaeology from the Milky Way"

abstract

Gail Zasowski

Johns Hopkins University

host: Adam Kraus

Mar. 3

"Massive Galaxy Growth since Cosmic Noon"

abstract

Stijn Wuyts

Max Planck Institut fur Extraterrestrische Physik

host: Chris Sneden

Mar. 10

Tinsley Visiting Professor

"David vs. Goliath: Exploiting the Black Hole Mass Scale to Better Constrain Accretion Physics"

abstract

Sera Markoff

University of Amsterdam

host: Pawan Kumar

Mar. 17

Spring Break: March 16 - 20: no Colloquium being held this week.

Mar. 24

"MOSFIRE: the Multi-Object Spectrometer for Infrared Exploration at Keck Observatory"

abstract

Ian McLean

University of California, Los Angeles

host: Gregory Mace

Mar. 31

Tinsley Visiting Scholar: Stars Group

"SPHERE: the New High-contrast Imager for the ESO-VLT"

abstract

Raffaele Gratton

INAF - Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Italy

host: Chris Sneden

Apr. 7

No talk scheduled.

Apr. 14

"Star-Formation Driven Molecular Superwinds as Understood from the Two Nearest Starburst Galaxies (and a Small Survey)"

abstract

Adam Leroy

Ohio State University

host: Neal Evans

Friday
12 noon
Apr. 17

Qualifying Exam/2nd-Year Defense

"Chemical Analyses of Metal-Poor Stars: A New Approach"

abstract

Marc Schaeuble

University of Texas at Austin

Apr. 21

"Tracking Planet Footprints in Dusty Disks"

abstract

Catherine Espaillat

Boston University

host: Adam Kraus

Monday
12 noon
Apr. 27

Qualifying Exam/2nd-Year Defense

"Connecting the Dots: Tracking Galaxy Evolution at 3 <= z <= 7 using Fixed Cumulative Number Density in SPH Simulations"

abstract

Jason Jaacks

University of Texas at Austin

Apr. 28

Tinsley Visiting Scholar: Extragalactic Group

"Early Galaxies: Alive, Dead, Transitioning and/or Active"

abstract

Stijn Wuyts

Max Planck Institut fur Extraterrestrische Physik

host: Shardha Jogee

Wed.
3 PM
Apr. 29

PhD Defense

"Innovative Technologies for - and Observational Studies of - Star and Planet Formation"

abstract

Michael Gully-Santiago

University of Texas at Austin

Thurs.
11 AM
Apr. 30
RLM 15.202A

Qualifying Exam/2nd-Year Defense

"External Inverse-Compton Emission from Jetted Tidal Disruption Events"

abstract

Wenbin Lu

University of Texas at Austin

Fri.
1 PM
May 1

PhD Defense

"On the Nature of Emission from Relativistic Jets"

abstract

Patrick Crumley

University of Texas at Austin

Fri.
2 PM
May 1

Qualifying Exam/2nd-Year Defense

"The Structure of Class 0 Protostars: BHR71 in Herschel View"

abstract

Yao-Lun Yang

University of Texas at Austin

Mon.
10 AM
May 4

Qualifying Exam/2nd-Year Defense

"Do Metal-Polluted Stars of the ZZ Ceti Instability Strip Have a Distinct Asteroseismic Signature?"

abstract

Kevin Jumper

University of Texas at Austin

Mon.
Noon
May 4

Qualifying Exam/2nd-Year Defense

"Peering Inside Galaxies in the First Two Billion Years"

abstract

Intae Jung

University of Texas at Austin

May 5

"Signatures of Neutron Star Mergers"

abstract

Brian Metzger

Columbia University

host: Pawan Kumar