Date of Award

Spring 1-1-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Astronomy

First Advisor

Rice, Malena

Abstract

The quantity and quality of astronomical data has advanced to the point in which truly detailed and nuanced theoretical models are necessary. In the field of exoplanetary dynamics, it has become increasingly clear that we must account for the effects of planetary structure when considering the dynamics of the system. In other words, Planets are not Points. This dissertation details my contributions to the field of exoplanet dynamics, split into three subcategories: • Part I (Chapters 2 - 3): Numerical Methods & the N-Body Problem. These chapters discusses the numerical methods I have developed to study the analytically unsolvable N-Body problem, and details their implementation into the popular open-source software REBOUND. • Part II (Chapters 4 - 5): Spin-Orbit Dynamics. These chapters explore my work into the complex interplay between a planet’s spin and it’s motion, driven by tidal forces. I present an origin story for the large obliquity of the planet Uranus, and I show that such large obliquity can also explain the anomalously low density of the super-puff planet HIP-41378 f. • Part III (Chapter 6). Coupled Planetary Structure and Dynamical Evolution. This chapter details my work into self-consistent evolution of a planet’s interior structure and the system’s dynamical evolution. I present a case study of the intriguing HAT-P-11 system, a dynamical puzzle that can only be explained via truly self-consistent evolution.

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