Building a New Galactic Synthesis Model to Aid in the Detection of Exoplanets
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Date
2021-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
With a planned launch in 2026, one of the aims of NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Tele- scope (Roman) will perform a large survey for exoplanets by detecting gravitational microlensing events. In this work, I further developed a new Galactic population synthesis model to improve our understanding of Roman's sensitivity function. While similar Galactic models exist, there are limits on their capabilities in certain areas, particularly in modeling the Galactic bulge as well as in their ability to be adapted and modified for unique use cases. Our model aims to improve on these points and provide the Roman team with a concrete tool to optimize the design of the survey and better predict the number of planets that will be detected. In this paper, I will describe the methods that were used to generate the model, the outputs from the model at various parameters, and future areas of improvement for our Galactic model.