activity
20242026
collaborators

5 papers

astro-ph.EP2026

An Increase in the Galactic Planet Host Fraction Fails to Reproduce the Galactic Height Trend in Planet Occurrence

Christopher Lam, Sarah Ballard, Sheila Sagear +1

While stellar metallicity has long been known to correlate with planetary properties, the galactic metallicity gradient alone does not account for the observed strong trend in plan…

astro-ph.EP2025

Are We There Yet? Challenges in Quantifying the Frequency of Earth Analogs in the Habitable Zone

Rachel B. Fernandes, Samson Johnson, Galen J. Bergsten +43

Searching for life elsewhere in the universe is one of the most highly prioritized pursuits in astronomy today. However, the ability to observe evidence of Earth-like life through…

astro-ph.EP2025

The Orbital Eccentricities of Planets in the Kinematic Thin and Thick Galactic Disks

Sheila Sagear, Sarah Ballard, Kathryne J. Daniel +4

The orbital eccentricity distribution of exoplanets is shaped by a combination of dynamical processes, reflecting both formation conditions and long-term evolution. Probing the orb…

astro-ph.EP2025

The Orbital Eccentricity-Radius Relation for Planets Orbiting M Dwarfs

Sheila Sagear, Sarah Ballard, Gregory J. Gilbert +2

The orbital eccentricity-radius relation for small planets is indicative of the predominant dynamical sculpting processes during late-stage orbital evolution. Previous studies have…

astro-ph.SR2024

zoomies: A tool to infer stellar age from vertical action in Gaia data

Sheila Sagear, Adrian M. Price-Whelan, Sarah Ballard +4

Stellar age measurements are fundamental to understanding a wide range of astronomical processes, including Galactic dynamics, stellar evolution, and planetary system formation. Ho…