European Research Report Paper Award and Research Encouragement Award of the Astronomical Society of Japan

A research paper authored by Associate Professor Teruyuki Hirano of the Astrobiology Center has received the 2024 Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan Award, which is given to papers that are original and contribute to the development of the field of astronomy. The winning paper was published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan on September 10, 2020.Hirano et al., “Precision radial velocity measurements by the forward-modeling technique in the near-infrared”.

M-type stars, which are low-temperature stars, are considered targets for the search for extraterrestrial life, and line-of-sight techniques are often used to capture the planets that orbit them. The research team observed M-type stars using IRD, a high-precision infrared spectrograph on the Subaru Telescope, and succeeded in obtaining accurate line-of-sight velocity information in the near-infrared region. This paper summarizes a method for realizing precise line-of-sight velocity measurements in the near-infrared using IRD, and this method has attracted much attention worldwide.

Dr. Hirano also received the 2024 Young Scientist Award from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in the field of science and technology.

Stevanus Nugroho, a research fellow at the Astrobiology Center, received the 2024 Astronomical Society of Japan Research Encouragement Award, which is given to astronomers who have achieved outstanding research results within eight years of receiving their doctoral degree. The subject of his research is “Detection of New Molecules in the Ultra-Hot Jupiter Atmosphere and Discovery of a Temperature Inversion Layer Using High Dispersion Spectroscopy at the Subaru Telescope.

Nugroho observed Ultra Hot Jupiters, which are Jupiter-like exoplanets orbiting near their central stars, especially those that are extremely hot due to their close proximity to their central stars, in order to gain a detailed understanding of the atmospheric properties of these planets. Nugroho has been a driving force in the development of research in this field. Nugroho has been a major driving force in the development of research in this field.

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