Planetary Science Seminar Winter-2018

In this talk, I will first review the state of the art in direct imaging and spectroscopic characterization of giant exoplanets using ground-based adaptive optics (AO) systems. I will highlight recent high-impact scientific results and the techniques and technologies that enabled them. In the second part of this talk, I will describe our recent study quantifying the occurrence rate of giant planets in dusty systems, demonstrating that debris disks are bona fide signposts to long-period giant exoplanets. As a case in point, I will present the results of our new joint radial velocity and direct imaging exploration of the emblematic but curious case of the Epsilon Eridani planetary system, using Lick and Keck archival RV data and the NIRC2 L and M-band vortex coronagraph. The new coronagraph is the first step towards the Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) facility currently being deployed at W.M. Keck Observatory. I will conclude this talk by a status update of this four-pronged upgrade to the Keck AO system and instrument suite that is entirely dedicated to the deep exploration of exoplanetary systems with direct techniques.