Characterising Exoplanet Host Stars in the Solar Neighbourhood

Investigating the characteristics of the stellar hosts of exoplanets can reveal the conditions under which planetary systems may form. The temperature and size of the host star are key, but also the chemical makeup of the star, as this can be indicative of the raw material from which the planets form about the star. A complete chemical abundance analysis requires high resolution spectra at high signal-to-noise. Using the high resolution spectrograph, HERCULES (High Efficiency and Resolution Canterbury University Large Echelle Spectrograph), on the 1m McLellan Telescope at University of Canterbury Ōtehīwai Mt John Observatory, we will carry out detailed analysis of known exoplanet host stars and young stars with protoplanetary discs. This will be done by determining stellar parameters such as surface temperature and gravity, rotational velocities, and chemical abundances. This may reveal trends between the properties of exoplanets and their host stars.