What would you like to introduce to readers in this series?

Are there planets circling other stars the way our solar system circles the Sun? If there are, what are they like? While it’s intriguing to imagine unknown worlds, a variety of technological difficulties arise when we try to actually observe those worlds. It’s no easy task to search for dark, miniscule bodies (planets) circling bright, massive bodies (stars). In these articles, it has been our goal to introduce you to the process of spectrographic research, which brings these distant objects closer to us.

Efforts at Japan’s Okayama Astrophysical Observatory continue to focus on the search for planets around what are known as G-type giant stars. Observatory scientists use a method of precisely observing the spectra of these stars, then determining changes in their radial velocity from shifts in the wavelengths of their spectra in order to find astronomical objects that are not directly visible to us. The results obtained thereby are made possible by the passion of the research associates at Okayama in putting together an environment conducive to high-dispersion spectrography, their determination in performing precise computer modeling, and their perseverance in diligently continuing the laborious work of observation.

My research field and current interests:

I am currently working on revamping our 188 cm telescope in order to improve our ability to search for planets outside our solar system. Once this work is complete, I hope to engage in my primary work of high-dispersion spectrography-based research of low-temperature stars. Nothing will please me more than to be able to find and work on new research topics requiring detailed, long-term spectroscopic observation.

Data

Name

Hideyuki Izumiura

Affiliation

Okayama Astrophysical Observatory

Job Title

Associate Professor

Field of Expertise

Stellar physics, Galactic astronomy