Planet Search

I am working on applying the gravitational microlensing to the search for extra-solar planetary systems. In collaboration with Prof. Sun Hong Rhie, I have shown that microlensing is the only known ground based planet search technique that is sensitive to planets with masses as small as that of the Earth. The planet detection program requires more frequent observations of microlensing events from a network of telescopes on several continents in the Southern Hemisphere. We are currently working to set up a planet search telescope network which we expect to become operational in mid-1997.

References

• "Detecting Earth-Mass Planets with Gravitational Microlensing", Ap. J., in press, (Dec. 1, 1996) (astro-ph/9603158).

For more information about this research project of the Astrophysics Group, please send an e-mail to bennett@nd.edu.