Dr. Fan Liu
My research mainly focuses on detailed spectroscopic analyses of solar-type single or binary stars, which potentially host exoplanets, as well as open cluster stars using high resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra obtained at large telescopes (e.g., Keck, VLT, and Gemini). I have developed a strictly line-by-line differential analysis technique, which allows me to achieve extremely high precision in stellar parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity) and elemental abundance (0.01 dex, 2%), a five-fold improvement over traditional spectroscopic analyses. Therefore I am able to detect minor chemical abundance variations in a selected group of stars that are similar to each other (e.g. solar twins relative to the Sun). This could reveal the possible chemical signatures imprinted by planet formation, or due to the effect of stellar evolution and diffusion.
I obtained my PhD degree at Australian National University in 2016. I worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Lund University in Sweden for 3 years. At Swinburne University, I will work with Prof. Michael Murphy on a project about testing possible variations in electromagnetism's strength as a function of dark matter density across our Galaxy using solar twins. This project aims to provide significant clues towards our understanding of the physics beyond the Standard Model.
| Phone | +61 3 9214 5244 | |
| Office | AR 312b |