Giant Planets Transiting Giant Stars

Abstract

Every Sun-like star will eventually evolve into a red giant, a transition which can profoundly affect the evolution of a surrounding planetary system. The timescale of dynamical planet evolution and orbital decay has important implications for planetary habitability, as well as post-main sequence star and planet interaction, evolution and internal structure. In this thesis, I investigate the population of giant planets transiting low luminosity red giant branch stars observed by the NASA K2 mission. I report the discovery of two new planets orbiting evolved stars, and confirm the existence of a third, doubling the number of evolved (R∗>3.5 Rsun, Teff6 Rsun). Further surveys of these stars by the NASA TESS mission will reveal the dependence of late-stage planetary evolution on star and planet properties.