An Integrated Analysis of Multi-planet Systems and Predicting Hidden Planets

Our current picture of exoplanet systems is quite blurry, with the search for and characterization of additional planets in partially explored systems still ongoing. To address this incomplete understanding, we developed DYNAMITE (the DYNAmical Multi-planet Injection TEster) to combine specific, incomplete information of any multi-planet system with population-level statistical knowledge to search for hidden planets. We use DYNAMITE to predict the presence, location, and physical parameters of previously unknown planets in multi-planet systems, based on the likelihoods obtained from exoplanet demographical statistics. We will share the most recent results from DYNAMITE and our four papers detailing the exciting predictions of additional planets in nearby systems: do tau Ceti and Proxima Centauri have “hidden” planets just waiting to be found? As the discovery rate of new exoplanet systems accelerates, DYNAMITE enables immediate and on-the-fly predictions of additional undetected planets in systems, helping with planet discoveries and guiding future surveys for habitable planets and their atmospheric biosignatures.