About Me
Education:
Williams College - B.A. - Astrophyiscs and Computer Science - (2028)
Research Interests: Exoplanets/Brown Dwarfs, Atmospheric Analysis, Direct Imaging, Spectroscopy
Research
Poster from Summer 2026 poster sessions on this work
Characterization of Brown Dwarf HD 176535B with KPIC
This work was done with support from the 2026 CIERA REU.
Abstract: We present results from a characterization of the brown dwarf HD 176535B.
Previous direct imaging studies on this brown dwarf have used photometric and low-resolution spectroscopy.
However, we utilize Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer(KPIC) high-resolution spectroscopy to get detailed spectra from this brown dwarf.
We used forward modeling techniques with the BT-Settl grid model to ascertain the parameters of this object.
HD 176535B is a brown dwarf with a effective temperature of 1496K, log(g) of 4.5, radial velocity of -29.59 km/s, and vsin(i) of -47.28km/s.
With these parameters, we believe that HD 176535B is a late-L dwarf.
Methods:
We used a grid-based forward modelling approach with BT-Settl to create model spectra for HD 176535B.
We then used nested sampling with DYNESTY to find the best-fit parameters.
Results & Discussion:
HD 176535B is a late-L brown dwarf with a effective temperature of 1496K, log(g) of 4.5, radial velocity of -29.59 km/s, and vsin(i) of -47.28km/s.
With these parameters, we believe that HD 176535B is a late-L dwarf.
We found our RV(-29.6 km/s) to be consistent with Gaia data on its host star(-31.7 km/s).
We anticipate that our future analysis of HD 176535B with petitRADTRANS will yield more insight into its chemical composition and internal properties, adding it to the list of well parameterized, directly-imaged substellar objects.
Presentation of Work:
- Adler Planetarium--8/19/26
- CIERA Poster Session--8/20/26
- 249th AAS--1/27
Community
Teaching:
- PHYS 141 Teaching Assistant and Grader (Fall 25)
- Observatory TA and Tutor(Fall 25-Present)
- Sculptrue Studio TA (Spring 26-Present)
Outreach:
- Planetarium Presenter (Fall 26-Present)
- Digital Litercy Instructor and After School Staff, Williamstown Youth Center (Winter 26-Present)
Contact
Email:
vhh1 at williams.edu
Address:
33 Lab Campus Drive
Williamstown, MA 01267