I'm an Astronomer at Harvard working on the TESS Science Team and with the Origins of Life Collaboration. I search for and study planets outside our solar system - to study planetary formation, architecture, and habitability.
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Outside of planetary research, I also study self-lensing binaries with white dwarf companions to investigate white-dwarf structure models and hope to find new self-lensing binaries in TESS data.
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To read more about my research interests and experience, see my research page!
I'm an Astronomer at Harvard working on the TESS Science Team and with the Origins of Life Collaboration. I search for and study planets outside our solar system - to study planetary formation, architecture, and habitability.
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Outside of planetary research, I also study self-lensing binaries with white dwarf companions to investigate white-dwarf structure models and hope to find new self-lensing binaries in TESS data.
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To read more about my research interests and experience, see my research page!
As an undergraduate at MIT, I led an investigation into the micro-lensing of the first discovered, strongly lensed type Ia supernova, iPTF16geu. This system cause commotion when it was discovered, as its standard candle nature plus time delay values, could theoretically lead to a constraint of the Hubble parameter. However, the macro-models published by More et al. 2017 showed significant flux ratio anomolies with the observations of the four images. I constructed a Monte-Carlo simulation, in Python, which showed that the likelihood for micro-lensing to cause these flux ratio anomalies between observations and macro-models was ~3/1000. I then showed that even if the macro-models fit perfectly, the microlensing probability density functions create a probability distribution on the intrinsic brightness with a full width half maximum of 0.73 magnitudes. As such, the error for the standard candle brightness is quite large. This reduces the utility of the standard candle nature of type Ia supernovae. This project led to a first author paper, and cover article, in the MIT Undergraduate Research Journal Fall 2017, which has 10 academic citations (as of November 2019). I then built on this work, leading three other micro-lensing projects that took advantage of the code that I had generated, culminating in my senior thesis, entitled “Statistical Analyses of Gravitational Microlensing Probability Densities.”
As an undergraduate at MIT, I led an investigation into the micro-lensing of the first discovered, strongly lensed type Ia supernova, iPTF16geu. This system cause commotion when it was discovered, as its standard candle nature plus time delay values, could theoretically lead to a constraint of the Hubble parameter. However, the macro-models published by More et al. 2017 showed significant flux ratio anomolies with the observations of the four images. I constructed a Monte-Carlo simulation, in Python, which showed that the likelihood for micro-lensing to cause these flux ratio anomalies between observations and macro-models was ~3/1000. I then showed that even if the macro-models fit perfectly, the microlensing probability density functions create a probability distribution on the intrinsic brightness with a full width half maximum of 0.73 magnitudes. As such, the error for the standard candle brightness is quite large. This reduces the utility of the standard candle nature of type Ia supernovae. This project led to a first author paper, and cover article, in the MIT Undergraduate Research Journal Fall 2017, which has 10 academic citations (as of November 2019). I then built on this work, leading three other micro-lensing projects that took advantage of the code that I had generated, culminating in my senior thesis, entitled “Statistical Analyses of Gravitational Microlensing Probability Densities.”
Publications
First Author Publications
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Yahalomi, D. A. et al. “The Mass of the White Dwarf Companion in the Self-Lensing Binary KOI-3278: Einstein vs. Newton.” The Astrophysical Journal, 880, 33 (2019).
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Yahalomi, D. A., Schechter, P. L, and Wambsganss, J. “A Quadruply Lensed SN Ia: Gaininga Time-Delay. . . Losing a Standard Candle.” MIT Journal of Undergraduate Research, Fall 2017 – arXiv:1711.07919.
Co-Author Publications
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Scarsdale, N. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “TKS V. Twin sub-Neptunes Transiting the Nearby G Star HD63935.” The Astronomical Journal, accepted - arXiv:2110.06885.
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Hoyer, S. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “TOI-220 b: a warm sub-Neptune discovered by TESS.” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, accepted - arXiv:2105.01944.
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Dong, J. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “Warm Jupiters in TESS Full-Frame Images: A Catalog and Observed Eccentricity Distribution for Year 1.” The Astrophysical Journal Supplement, submitted - arXiv:2104.01970.
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Guerrero, N. M. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “The TESS Objects of Interest Catalog from the TESS Prime Mission.” The Astrophysical Journal Supplement, 254, 2, (2021).
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Ikwut-Ukwa, M. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “Two Massive Jupiters in Eccentric Orbits from the TESS Full Frame Images.” AAS Journals, submitted – arXiv:2102.02222.
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Palatnick S., Kipping D., and Yahalomi D. “Validation of HD183579b using archival radial velocities: a warm-neptune orbiting a bright solar analog.” The Astrophysical Journal Letters, accepted – arXiv:2101.12137.
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Rodriguez, J. E. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “TESS Delivers Five New Hot Giant Planets Orbiting Bright Stars from the Full Frame Images.” The Astronomical Journal, accepted – arXiv:2101.01726.
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Zhou, G. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “Two young planetary systems around field stars with ages between 20-320 Myr from TESS.” The Astronomical Journal, accepted – arXiv:2011.13349.
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Teske, J. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “The Magellan-TESS Survey I: Survey Description and Mid-Survey Results.” The Astrophysical Journal Letters, accepted – arXiv:2011.11560.
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Brahm, R. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “TOI-481 b & TOI-892 b: Two long period hot Jupiters from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.” The Astronomical Journal, accepted – arXiv:2009.08881.
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Ikwut-Ukwa, M. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “The K2 & TESS Synergy I: Updated Ephemerides and Parameters for K2-114, K2-167, K2-237, & K2-261.” The Astronomical Journal, 160, 209 (2020).
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Mireles, I. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “TOI 694 b and TIC 220568520 b: Two Low-Mass Companions Nearthe Hydrogen Burning Mass Limit Orbiting Sun-like Stars” AAS Journals, submitted – arXiv:2006.14019.
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Beatty, T. G. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “The TESS Phase Curve of KELT-1b Suggests a High Dayside Albedo” AAS Journals, submitted – arXiv:2006.10292.
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Wong, I. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “Systematic Phase Curve Study of Known Transiting Systems from Year 1 of the TESS Mission” The Astronomical Journal, submitted – arXiv:2003.06407.
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Dragomir, D. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “Securing the Legacy of TESS through the Care and Maintenance of TESS Planet Ephemerides” The Astronomical Journal, 159, 219 (2020).
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Diaz, M. R. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. “TOI-132 b: A short-period planet in the Neptune desert transiting a V=11.3 G-type star.” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 493, 973 (2020).
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Wong, I., et al. including Yahalomi, D. A. “Exploring the atmospheric dynamics of the extreme ultra-hot Jupiter KELT-9b using TESS photometry.” The Astronomical Journal, submitted – arXiv:1910.01607.
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Rodriguez, J., et al. including Yahalomi, D. A. “An Eccentric Massive Jupiter Orbiting aSub-Giant on a 9.5 Day Period Discovered in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite Full Frame Images.” The Astronomical Journal, 157, 191 (2019).
Awarded Proposals
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Pooley, D. A. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. (co-investigator) “Nano-arcsecond Tomography of the Central Regions of the Quasar in SDSS J0924+0219.”, Chandra Cycle 23, Large Target of Opportunity Proposal.
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Angus, R. et al. including Yahalomi D. A. (collaborator) “Measuring long rotation periods from TESS light curves.”, NASA TESS Guest Investigator program, Cycle 3, large program.