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2006 Annual Science Report

University of California, Los Angeles Reporting  |  JUL 2005 – JUN 2006

No Title Given

Project Summary

We have been observing circumstellar environments around
other stars to learn about the formation and evolution of extrasolar planetary systems. There are two highlights of our work

4 Institutions
3 Teams
0 Publications
0 Field Sites
Field Sites

Project Progress

We have been observing circumstellar environments around
other stars to learn about the formation and evolution of extrasolar planetary systems. There are two highlights of our work. 1. We have discovered an infrared excess around GD 362, an externally-polluted white dwarf. We propose that we
are witnessing emission from a tidally-disrupted asteroid that is
an analog to Saturn’s rings. 2. We have discovered hydrocarbons in the infrared spectrum of a disk orbiting HD 233517, an oxygen-rich red giant. We suggest
that carbonaceous material in this disk, and by analogy with the young solar system, can be explained by Fischer-Tropsch catalytic reactions.

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  • PROJECT INVESTIGATORS:
  • PROJECT MEMBERS:
    Michael Jura
    Co-Investigator

  • RELATED OBJECTIVES:
    Objective 1.2
    Indirect and direct astronomical observations of extrasolar habitable planets