SPIRONA
Small Planets on Inclined oRbits as prObes of plaNetary formAtion
Small Planets on Inclined oRbits as prObes of plaNetary formAtion
SPIRONA is a postdoctoral project proposed by Ján Šubjak in collaboration with the Czech Academy of Sciences, the KESPRINT consortium, which includes 17 scientists from 12 institutions globally assigned to this initiative, and the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard and Smithsonian.
The project's primary objective is to systematically discover and characterize small planets on inclined orbits to deepen our understanding of planetary formation and orbital evolution. By investigating these uniquely positioned planets, SPIRONA aims to illuminate the dynamical processes, such as interactions with massive companions, primordial disk tilts, and planetary scattering, that shape planetary system architectures.
The project plans to achieve its goals through:
Conducting large-scale observational surveys to identify new inclined planetary candidates.
Performing high-precision spectroscopic measurements to precisely characterize the orbital geometries and physical properties of identified planets.
Developing advanced dynamical models to interpret observational data and reconstruct the complex evolutionary histories of these planetary systems.
Exploring how orbital misalignment affects planetary atmospheres, leveraging targeted follow-up observations and theoretical modeling.
SPIRONA's comprehensive study of small inclined planets has the potential not only to enhance our knowledge of exoplanetary diversity but also challenge and refine current models of planetary formation and migration, laying essential groundwork for future theoretical and observational advancements.