Planet Formation, Planet Dynamics, Protoplanetary Disks
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (SSC)
Since the discovery of the first exoplanet just over twenty years ago, the study of exoplanets has grown explosively. By now, astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets, with an incredibly diverse array of properties. This growth will undoubtedly continue into the future, as new kinds of planets are being observed with increasingly advanced telescopes. Faculty in CIERA study exoplanets theoretically and build instruments to directly image them.
Research at CIERA
The groups of Professors Rasio and Lithwick carry out theoretical work and simulations to study the long-term dynamics of planetary systems. Both groups study the chaotic dynamics of multi-planet systems as they evolve. Professor Rasio’s group also studies planet-planet interactions, star-planet interactions and tidal disruptions, and planets in binary star systems.
Professor Ulmer’s group is developing new infrared camera technology to advance our understanding of planetary systems by directly imaging planets around other stars.
Professor Wang’s group works on developing and using new instrumentation (high contrast imaging, high resolution spectroscopy, optical interferometry) to study directly imaged planetary systems and measure properties such as mass, orbital configuration, composition, and spin.
Professor Geller studies how gravitational interactions within star clusters can modify planetary systems over time, using numerical simulations, and how these simulated planets correspond with observations.
Professor Muñoz studies mechanisms like disk-driven and high-eccentricity migration, distorted protoplanetary disks, and few-body secular dynamics and stellar obliquities.
Professor Fragione uses numerical methods to investigate the origin and fate of planetary systems in binary and triple stars.
News
Gallery
HDR Comparison – Total Solar Eclipse
HDR Comparison – Total Solar Eclipse
Many CIERA members travelled to the April 8th solar eclipse’s path of totality, including graduate student Imran Sultan. This photo was taken from Millinocket, Maine, the last part of the US on the path of totality. Totality is the only time we can see the sun’s corona with our eyes, when the moon has fully eclipsed the
Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA
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Baily’s Beads – Total Solar Eclipse
Baily’s Beads – Total Solar Eclipse
Many CIERA members travelled to the April 8th solar eclipse’s path of totality, including graduate student Imran Sultan. This photo was taken from Millinocket, Maine, the last part of the US on the path of totality. Moments before totality, we can see Baily’s Beads, which is sunlight going through the mountains, craters, and valleys on the moon.
Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA
- Science
Diamond Ring – Total Solar Eclipse
Diamond Ring – Total Solar Eclipse
Many CIERA members travelled to the April 8th solar eclipse’s path of totality, including graduate student Imran Sultan. This photo was taken from Millinocket, Maine, the last part of the US on the path of totality. The phenomenon pictured here is called the “Diamond Ring” and it occurs seconds before totality, just as the moon is
Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA
- Science
The Solar System
The Solar System
This composite image depicts photographer and CIERA graduate student Imran Sultan’s progress shooting the Solar System over 2022-2023. Sultan captured the Sun, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon. Each object in the photo is not to scale (in terms of the angular size of the objects in our sky), since different equipment and processing
Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA
- Science
Mineral Moon
Mineral Moon
Interestingly, our moon has its own rich colors due to the variety of minerals which compose it– these colors are invisible to the human eye but were all captured by photographer and CIERA graduate student Imran Sultan‘s camera. To improve the color signal Sultan “stacked” or combined over 100 photos, and made saturation adjustments to increase
Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA
- Science
Partial Solar Eclipse from Indiana
Partial Solar Eclipse from Indiana
The April 8, 2024 solar eclipse, photographed by CIERA Postdoctoral Associate Meng Sun. This image of the partial eclipse before totality was captured in New Castle, Indiana, USA. Sun spots can be seen just above the moon and on the upper left of the sun. New Castle was located close to the center of eclipse’s
Meng Sun/CIERA/Northwestern
- Science
People
Core Faculty
Associate Faculty
Suzan van der Lee
Sarah Rebecca Roland Professor, Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Computing
Affiliate Faculty
Neal Blair
Professor, Joint Appointment in Civil & Environmental Engineering
Magdalena Osburn
Associate Professor, Curriculum Chair, and Seminar Coordinator
External Faculty
Diego Muñoz
Visiting Scholar, Professor at University of Arizona