Research
High-resolution spectroscopy of exoplanet atmospheres in the optical and near-infrared.
I'm currently employed as a Gemini Science Fellow at the Gemini South Observatory in La Serena, Chile. Here, my research focuses on characterizing the atmospheres of ultra-hot exoplanets using a new high-resolution optical spectrograph, GHOST. I am a member of the GHOST instrument science team and support GHOST PIs in preparing, obtaining, and analyzing their GHOST observations.
A photo of me at the Gemini South Observatory in Chile.
As a member of the GHOST early science team, I also led the first atmospheric characterization of an exoplanet with this powerful new instrument. In the resulting publication, "High-resolution Dayside Spectroscopy of WASP-189 b: Detection of Iron during the GHOST/Gemini South System Verification Run", I used high-resolution optical spectra obtained during the GHOST System Verification run in order to study the atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-189b. In this paper, I presented the first atmospheric analysis of an exoplanet using GHOST, and with just three hours of pre-eclipse observations, made a strong detection of iron emission in the planet's atmosphere. These results confirmed previous detections and demonstrated the efficacy of GHOST in observing and characterizing exoplanet atmospheres, setting the stage for future work.
A detection of iron in the atmosphere of WASP-189b, from Deibert et al. (2024).
Alongside my colleague Adam Langeveld, I'm now the Principal Investigator of a Large and Long Program at Gemini South titled SPECTRE-GHOST (Spectroscopically Probing Extremely hot Climate of TRansiting Exoplanets with GHOST). Nominally scheduled to obtain observations between the 2024B and 2027A semesters, SPECTRE-GHOST is carrying out a comprehensive survey of ultra-hot Jupiters in both transmission and emission in order to learn more about their three-dimensional atmospheric compositions and dynamics. The SPECTRE-GHOST survey builds upon my early GHOST results in Deibert et al. (2024) as well as a preliminary survey I led as Principal Investigator in the 2024A observing semester.
A photo of me in front of one component of the GHOST instrument.
Prior to starting at Gemini, I completed my PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Toronto. My PhD thesis focused on observations of exoplanet atmospheres using high-resolution optical and near-infrared observations from ground-based telescopes including Gemini North, Subaru, the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, and the Calar Alto Observatory. I was supported by a Vanier Scholarship throughout my PhD.
I have published five first-author studies on the atmospheres of hot Jupiters and super-Earths, and am also a Co-Investigator of an ongoing Gemini North Large and Long Program (the ExoGemS survey) which aims to characterize more than 40 transiting exoplanet atmospheres.
Contact
You can contact me through email at emily.deibert@noirlab.edu.
Address
Gemini South Observatory
Casilla 603
La Serena, Coquimbo
Chile