Tim Hallatt

Astrophysicist

I am a PhD student at McGill University, studying theoretical astrophysics. I focus on planet formation and the demographics of exoplanets. I am a data-driven theorist, leveraging information encoded in data to understand the underlying physical mechanisms sculpting the observations. In fall 2024, I will move to MIT as a Postdoctoral Associate.

Research

Planet Formation in the Milky Way's Thick Disk
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Exoplanet demographics appear to shift between different regions of the Milky Way. I explore how the formation environment of planets has differed between stellar populations in the Galaxy, and how that may manifest in the planet distribution.

Sculpting the sub-Saturn Period Distribution via Atmospheric Evaporation

The abundance of intermediate-sized planets drops at small orbital distances. I showed that this can be explained by these planets’ propensity to lose their puffy atmospheres closer in to their host stars. The theory predicts that such planets become less common around more massive stars, which has since been confirmed!

Can Disk Migration Explain the Giant Planet Period Distribution?

Gas giant planet abundance grows rapidly with orbital period. I showed analytically and numerically that this feature can be carved out if giant planets arrive at their final orbital locations via migration through their natal protoplanetary disks. This theory predicts that giant planets exhibit an increasing-outward gradient in mass.

The Galactic Dynamics of Interstellar Interlopers

Interstellar asteroids and comets pass through the solar system as they orbit the Galaxy, allowing us to study extrasolar bodies in exquisite detail. But can we understand where they may originate from, based on their orbits through the Milky Way?

Planet Formation in the Milky Way's Thick DiskNEW

Sculpting the sub-Saturn Period Distribution via Atmospheric Evaporation

Can Disk Migration Explain the Giant Planet Period Distribution?

The Galactic Dynamics of Interstellar Interlopers

Planet Formation in the Milky Way's Thick Disk
NEW