Lili Alderson
Papers
1
Total Citations
9
H-Index
1
About
Lili Alderson is an astronomer whose research focuses on the atmospheres of exoplanets and the stellar activity of their host stars, particularly M dwarfs. Her work is critical for disentangling planetary signals from the confounding effects of starspots and faculae. Alderson's major contribution lies in quantifying the "transit light source effect," a phenomenon where unocculted stellar surface features bias measurements of a planet's atmospheric composition. In her highly cited 2024 study on AU Microscopii, a young, active M dwarf, she combined high-resolution spectroscopy and multicolor photometry to directly measure spot temperatures and surface coverage, providing a robust method to correct for stellar contamination in transmission spectroscopy. This work, which has already garnered 9 citations, is foundational for interpreting observations from the James Webb Space Telescope. By refining how we account for stellar variability, Alderson is paving the way for more accurate characterization of exoplanets like the warm sub-Neptunes AU Mic b and c, ensuring that future atmospheric detections are truly planetary in origin.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
- 1