Course syllabus

Welcome!

Reading instructions will be uploaded under Files/Reading instructions/ before each lecture approximately one week in advance. Prepare before each session and participate in the discussions.

 

Course-PM

SEE145 (GU course code is FAM145) Exoplanets and the solar system lp2 HT23 (7.5 hp).

The course is offered by the department of Space, Earth and Environment (SEE).

 

Contact details

  • Carina Persson, associate professor, Astronomy and Plasma physics, SEE, carina.persson@chalmers.se, 0768-669604: Examiner, lecturer (all lectures except 2, 3, and 14), presentations, exercise 7, and two compulsory assignments.
  • Theo Khouri, senior researcher, Astronomy and Plasma physics, SEE, theo.khouri@chalmers.se: Lecturer (lecture 2-3) and exercises 1-3. 
  • Malcolm Fridlund, affiliated professor, Astronomy and Plasma physics, SEE malcolm.fridlund@chalmers.se: Guest lecturer (lecture 14). 
  • Emil Knudstrup, postdoc, Astronomy and Plasma physics, SEE emil.knudstrup@chalmers.se: Guest lecturer (part of lecture 5). 

 

Schedule overview (detailed schedule, lecture plan, and link to TimeEdit below)

Start: Tuesday 31 Oct 2023.
End: Friday 15 Dec (7 weeks).  

Lectures: Tuesdays 10.00-11.45 and Wednesdays 08.00-09.45. 
Exercises/presentations: Fridays 10.00-11.45.

 

Course purpose

This course provides an introduction to our own solar system and planets orbiting other stars - exoplanets. Thousands of exoplanets have been discovered in recent decades following the development of groundbreaking instruments and facilities, particularly after the launch of several dedicated space telescopes. One of the greatest discoveries is the exceptional diversity of exoplanets where several new types of planets without equivalents in our own solar system have been discovered. The aim is to make students familiar with this new research field and gain an understanding of our own planet and planetary system in this context.

 

Learning objectives and syllabus

Learning objectives

- Describe the structure of the solar system and the fundamental properties and physical processes of the planets and moons, including calculations of the planets' orbits. 
- Have an understanding of different detection methods of exoplanets, including the possibilities and limitations of each method and basic application to observational data.
- Give an overview of planet formation theories and how these can explain the diversity of exoplanets and the architecture of planetary systems.

Content

- Introduction to stars. 
- Structure and exploration of the solar system. 
- Celestial mechanics. 
- Detection methods and challenges.
- Telescopes and instrumentation. Ground vs space-based telescopes.
- Planet interiors. 
- Surface processes.
- Planet atmospheres and atmospheric escape. 
- The diversity of exoplanets, demographics and occurence. 
- Architecture of exoplanet systems. 
- Introduction to planet formation theories.
- Habitability criteria.

 

Course design

In addition to lectures, exercises and a written exam there will be three compulsory assignments which have to be passed in order to get the final grade of the course.

 

Examination form

Exam (100% of the grade):
First exam: afternoon 11 January 2024 (4 hours). 
Re-exam 1: afternoon 5 April 2024 (4 hours). 
Re-exam 2: afternoon 21 Aug 2024 (4 hours). 

 

Course literature (the books are available at Chalmers library as pdf files for download)

  • PS = ``Planetary sciences'' de Pater and Lissauer, updated 2nd edition, 2015. Selected chapters.
  • EH = ``The exoplanet handbook'' Perryman, 2nd edition, 2018. Selected chapters.
  • DM = ``The Doppler Method for the Detection of Exoplanets'', Artie P. Hatzes, 1st edition, 2020. Selected chapters.
  • Lecture power points (will be uploaded after each lecture to "Files/LecturePPT/").
  • Selected articles (uploaded to "Files/Articles/") in advance.

Compulsory assignments (pass/not passed) 

1) Oral presentation of a chosen topic to be presented on Friday 1 and 8 Dec. List of topics is uploaded to Files/Assignments/Assignment 1/ and will be discussed in lecture 1. (It is also possible to define your own topic.) Send an email to Carina with your chosen topic.

2) Dynamics: investigate orbits and resonances with the software Rebound and Jupyter notebooks. The notebook will be uploaded to Files/Assignments/Assignment 2/. Groups of 2 - 3 students are allowed, however, make individual Jupyter notebooks. Introduction to the assignment in exercise 2. Deadline 24 Nov. Send your Jupyter notebooks and written answers to the questions (if not in the notebook) by email to Theo.

3) Exoplanet detection and modeling. Introduced in detail in exercise 3. Data and instructions are uploaded to Files/Assignments/Assignment3/. Deadline 5 Jan 2024,  send an email to Carina with a written report. Groups of 2 - 3 students are allowed, however, you will all work on your own planet(s) and write individual reports. The assignment is divided in two parts:
    a) Exoplanet detection in transit photometry using the python software Lightkurve with a Jupyter notebook. Detect the planet, find the orbital period, and compute the planet radius.
    b) Perform basic modeling of radial velocities (RVs) to obtain planet mass using the orbital period obtained from the transit photometry as input (Jupyter notebook).
  
Detailed schedule 

(Lecture rooms are found here TimeEdit)

First week (week 44)

Lecture 1, Tuesday 31 Oct, 10.00-11.45: Introduction and overview of the course. The solar system. Introduction to assignment 1 (Carina)

Lecture 2, Wednesday 1 Nov, 08.00-09.45: Dynamics (Theo)

Exercise 1, Friday 3 Nov, 10.00-11.45: Exercise dynamics (Theo)

Second week (week 45)

Lecture 3, Tuesday 7 Nov, 10.00-11.45: Stars and brown dwarfs (Theo)

Lecture 4, Wednesday 8 Nov, 08.00-09.45: Overview exoplanet detection methods. Basics radiation. The radial velocity method in detail (Carina)

Exercise 2, Friday 10 Nov, 10.00-11.45: Exercise dynamics and stars. Introduction to assignment 2 (Theo)

Third week (week 46)

Lecture 5, Tuesday 14 Nov, 10.00-11.45: Detection methods in detail: Transit photometry (Carina) and the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect (Emil Knudstrup)

Lecture 6, Wednesday 15 Nov, 08.00-09.45: Detection methods in detail: imaging, microlensing, and astrometry (Carina)

Exercise 3, Friday 17 Nov, 10.00-11.45: Introduction to assignment 3 (Theo)

Fourth week (week 47)

Lecture 7, Tuesday 21 Nov, 10.00-11.45: Planet atmospheres (Carina)

Lecture 8, Wednesday 22 Nov, 08.00-09.45: Atmospheric escape. Observations of exoplanet atmospheres (Carina)

Exercise 4, Friday 24 Nov: Time to work on your assignments on your own. Deadline Assignment 2.

Fifth week (week 48)

Lecture 9, Tuesday 28 Nov, 10.00-11.45:  Planetary interiors (Carina)

Lecture 10, Wednesday 29 Nov, 08.00-09.45: Surface processes (Carina)

Exercise 5, Friday 1 Dec, 10.00-11.45: Oral presentation of assignment 1 (Carina)

Sixth week (week 49)

Lecture 11, Tuesday 5 Dec, 10.00-11.45: Demography and exoplanet diversity. Architecture of exoplanet systems (Carina)

Lecture 12, Wednesday 6 Dec, 08.00-09.45:  Introduction to planet formation and migration (Carina)

Exercise 6, Friday 8 Dec, 10.00-11.45: Oral presentation of assignment 1 (Carina)

Seventh week (week 50)

Lecture 13, Tuesday 12 Dec, 10.00-11.45: Habitability criteria. Searches for life (Carina)

Note! Lecture 14 is moved.

Lecture 14, Thursday 14 Dec, 15.15 - 17.00: ESA, NASA, past, current, and future exoplanet space missions (Malcolm). Room: Stora Mötesrummet (room number 4315), EDIT-building (AoP department), floor 4.

Exercise 7, Friday 15 Dec, 10.00-11.45: Typical exam questions (Carina)