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My Vision for MSC

My Vision for MSC. S. R. Kulkarni Professor of Astronomy & Planetary Science California Institute of Technology. SRK: Background. Built radio interferometer (Arecibo-Los Canos) Involved with SIM (“OSI”) since 1988 Aperture Synthesis on Hale 5-m (1987-1991)

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My Vision for MSC

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  1. My Vision for MSC S. R. Kulkarni Professor of Astronomy & Planetary Science California Institute of Technology

  2. SRK: Background • Built radio interferometer (Arecibo-Los Canos) • Involved with SIM (“OSI”) since 1988 • Aperture Synthesis on Hale 5-m (1987-1991) • Coronagraphic adaptive optics since 1991 (Gliese 229B) • Students and postdocs use PTI (1996-now) • SIM Interdisciplinary Scientist (2000-now) • Co-PI for EPICS Key project on SIM (with Shao) • Keck Commissioning PI for V2 and Differential Phase (2001-now)

  3. Goal 3 of MSC • “Play a prominent role in the science disciplines supported by Navigator missions, particularly for extra-planet research”

  4. Keck Interferometer: Future Keck Interferometer is a magnet to attract bright young people into interferometry MSC can and should provide the intellectual center for Keck Interferometry - Exploit unique Keck modes - Spearhead new modes

  5. Space Interferometry Mission Extra-solar planets: Nearest 200 stars will be done at extreme precision (1 microarcsecond) 2000 nearby stars will be observed at moderate precision (4 microarcsecond) These stars will form the basis of future Navigator missions (TPF, regardless of architecture). => Need to integrate SIM and non-SIM data

  6. Space Interferometry Mission Interdisciplinary scientist Promote new modes (e.g. differential phase) Promote novel usage of SIM (ie. Not astrometry and not planets) Promote awareness of SIM SIM does not have a large profile relative to other missions Need a larger pool of SIM users than present science team SIM Legacy Projects “SIM for Masses” (Beichman)

  7. Palomar Testbed Interferometer Productive facility but also training real astronomers and operational training for SIM team (Boden) • Propose to maintain it (via competitive grants and other funding opportunities) • Involve Michelson fellows (graduate and postdoc)

  8. Related Science Areas • Radial Velocity (HIRES, other data) • Stellar Astronomy • Galactic Structure • Dusty Disks & Young stars (KI, LBTI, SIRTF) • Coronagraphy (take advantage of Caltech AO effort, next door; Trauger, Serabyn at JPL)

  9. Outreach & Links • Develop strong links to NRAO • Education & Public outreach via Palomar Musuem • Focussed workshops • Summer program (coordinate with NRAO?)

  10. Synergism across the road • Increase theoretical component relevant to extra-solar planets using Caltech fellowships (GPS and Theoretical physics) • Attract bright experimentalists via the Millikan Fellowship program • Re’em Sari, new faculty in planetary astrophysics and theoretical astrophysics • Sabbatical visitors funded by Caltech (e.g. Moore Professors)

  11. Distance to Pleiades via AtlasX-P Pan, M. Shao & S. Kulkarni(Nature, negotiating with Editor) • Pleiades is a gold standard for intermediate mass stars, brown dwarfs and Cepheid distance scale • Hipparcos team published distance to Pleiades D = 118 +/- 4 pc • Traditional distance (color-mag diagram) D = 131 +/- 3 pc Hipparcos result generated “lively” controversy.

  12. Orbit of Atlas (Mark III & PTI) P(orbit)= 291day a = 13 mas e = 0.245 Inclination=108d

  13. Distance via Kepler’s 3rd law A3 = d3 a3= (m1+m2)P2

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