Debra Fischer
San Francisco State University
Department of Physics and Astronomy
 

"Mission to Alpha Centauri"
 

We are launching a Doppler survey using the CTIO 1.5-m telescope to search for exoplanets orbiting the nearby stars, alpha Cen A and B. By collecting an intense data set with hundreds of observations each night for many nights each year, we will aim to beat down the single measurement Doppler precision to enable the detection of planets with velocity amplitudes of about 10 cm/s.  This would enable the detection of analogs of Venus, Earth and Mars in our own solar system. The extreme cadence data set will also be used to study p-mode oscillations and convective flow in these stars and should help us to understand detectability limits for Doppler signals from low mass planets.