PIs

Status: unreviewed revisit date: None Application status: none LOR status: not_needed
Department(s)/lab(s): Astronomy | Howard Group (California Planet Search / KPF) @ Caltech
Summary:

Howard is PI of the Keck Planet Finder (KPF), an ultra-stable Zerodur echelle spectrometer with laser-frequency-comb and etalon calibration achieving ~30-50 cm/s Doppler precision; the group measures masses, orbits and compositions of small exoplanets and studies exoplanet demographics. (Borderline inclusion: emphasis is precision RV instrumentation and demographics.) For context, this complements the established paradigm of NV-diamond ensemble magnetometry (Hahn-echo/DEER, nanoscale NMR, T1 relaxometry) operating near pT/√Hz sensitivity.

Created at: July 16, 2026, 10:31 a.m. Updated at: July 16, 2026, 10:31 a.m. Metadata: KPF precision RV instrument & exoplanet demographics; freshness 2026-07.