BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Hikes across the desert - Dr. Amaury Triaud (IoA)
DTSTART:20160222T160000Z
DTEND:20160222T170000Z
UID:TALK63049@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Jean Teyssandier
DESCRIPTION:Low mass stars\, brown dwarfs and hot Jupiters have similar ra
 dii. For a fairly narrow size range (~0.7 to 2 Jupiter radii) Nature has p
 roduced objects covering nearly three orders of magnitude in mass (between
  0.2 and 200 Jupiter masses). This is of particular importance for transit
  surveys which are mostly sensitive to size. Those same surveys are also h
 eavily biased towards proximity to the central\, most luminous object. Thi
 s is how ground-based transit surveys have primarily found hot Jupiters. T
 hose fascinating planets can at times be hotter and bigger than the smalle
 st Hydrogen burning stars.\n\nMy talk will explore the transition from pla
 net to brown dwarf\, to low mass star\, and how one can compare them to on
 e another. I will show similarities\, but also distinctions between these 
 different classes of objects.\n\nI will present the results of observation
 s from the WASP survey including an independent and mostly unbiased confir
 mation of the brown dwarf desert. We also looked at the spin-orbit angle d
 istributions\, as measured from the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect\, between b
 oth ends of that desert. They are very different. In addition\, our observ
 ations discovered systems containing both planets and brown dwarfs that ca
 n make us wonder about their formation process.\n\nBrown dwarfs\, hot Jupi
 ters and low mass stars have similar fluxes.  I will show how colour-magni
 tude diagrams can be constructed to compare these objects and how they can
  used for observations. Their compilation unveiled a new diversity for exo
 planets: they show a wider variety of atmospheric properties than their br
 own dwarf cousins. \n\nFinally\, I will push into the realm of circumbinar
 y architectures\, and how they can expand the discussion on the distinctio
 n between planets\, brown dwarfs and low mass stars\, but also how they ca
 n be exploited to study stellar and planetary formation\, to investigate c
 old planetary atmospheres and help the search for and eventual characteris
 ation of habitable-zone rocky worlds.
LOCATION:MR14\,  Centre for Mathematical Sciences\, Wilberforce Road\, Cam
 bridge
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR