A. Hjelstrom
Papers
2
Total Citations
50
H-Index
2
About
A. Hjelstrom is an observational astronomer whose work centers on the discovery and characterization of exoplanets, with a particular focus on the design and operation of cutting-edge robotic telescope networks. As a key contributor to the Miniature Exoplanet Radial Velocity Array (MINERVA), Hjelstrom helped design and commission a dedicated U.S.-based facility that employs four robotic 0.7-meter telescopes to detect exoplanets around bright, nearby stars. This foundational work, detailed in the 2015 paper "Miniature Exoplanet Radial Velocity Array I," has garnered 37 citations and established a critical infrastructure for high-precision radial velocity measurements. Hjelstrom has also been instrumental in the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT), a pioneering global network of nine 1-meter and two 2-meter robotic telescopes spread across five continents. The 2014 paper "Science operations for LCOGT" (13 citations) describes the dynamic scheduling and instrumentation—including optical imagers and high-stability spectrographs—that enable continuous, round-the-clock observations. Through these contributions, Hjelstrom has advanced the field's ability to conduct efficient, large-scale exoplanet surveys, demonstrating a lasting impact on the design of modern robotic observatories.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Miniature Exoplanet Radial Velocity Array I: design, commissioning, and early photometric results37 citations · 2015
- 2Science operations for LCOGT - a global telescope network13 citations · 2014