SAM QUINN
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle
Sam Quinn
I'm an Astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts. My research interests include the detection and characterization of exoplanets, planet formation and migration, young planetary systems (like those in open clusters), and the dynamics of multiple systems.
ABOUT ME
I’m a research scientist at the CfA focused on the discovery of planets orbiting other stars, and on studying the processes that shape the population of planets in our galaxy. I enjoy working with students on a wide array of research projects to better understand the planets in our solar neighborhood and the environments in which they form and evolve. I work on NASA's TESS mission to identify transiting planet candidates and organize spectroscopic observations for the TESS Follow-up Observing Program (TFOP).
NASA Goddard
MY RESEARCH
The ways in which planets form and evolve in their short-lived youth dictate the properties of the mature planets which comprise most of what we observe in the galaxy. Studying the processes that drive evolution can therefore help us understand how common (or rare) certain types of planets are. Observationally, there are two ways to approach this: individual planetary systems currently susceptible to dynamical or physical changes (typically orbiting young stars) provide opportunities to observe these phenomena in progress, and the ensemble properties of a population of planets can be compared to the properties expected to emerge from various evolutionary processes. I take both approaches in my research, studying individual planetary systems in detail and examining larger samples of planets to identify patterns that reveal the underlying processes shaping the population. Some of the topics I study with this approach include the influence of the birth environment and the host star on planetary properties, the drivers of planetary migration, and the compositions of small planets and the transitions between rocky, gaseous, and water-rich worlds. To measure the masses of giant planets and characterize exoplanet host stars, I use radial velocities precise to ~10 m/s from high resolution spectrographs at facilities with modest apertures, like TRES on the 1.5m telescope at SAO's Whipple Observatory and CHIRON on the 1.5m SMARTS telescope at CTIO. To measure the masses of small planets, I obtain precise (~1 m/s) radial velocities from instruments like HARPS-N, PFS, NEID, MAROON-X, and ESPRESSO.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt
Composition of small planets
We use precise radial velocities to measure the masses of small transiting planets, thereby constraining their densities and compositions. We are particularly interested in planets near the transition between rocky and gaseous worlds, and those that may be undergoing atmospheric mass loss (especially young and/or short-period planets).
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As TESS continues its extended missions, it uncovers planets with longer periods and shallower transits. From among these candidates, we aim to confirm temperate planets that may harbor thin atmospheres and liquid water on the surface.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt
Giant planet migration
To constrain the timescale of migration and its primary driving mechanisms, we search for and characterize hot Jupiters orbiting young stars. We also use the ensemble orbital properties of giant planets to make inferences about their migration histories.
Collaboration in the exoplanet community
In the current era of publicly available high quality data from space missions like TESS, many research teams are likely to identify the same exciting planet candidates. To facilitate coordination and collaboration between teams, make efficient use of our ground-based resources, improve the TESS science yield, and promote a supportive environment for early career researchers, we have organized the TESS Follow-up Observing Program (TFOP) Working Group, currently with more than 600 members worldwide.