UCLA

Direct imaging and spectroscopy is fundamental to understanding the composition, evolution, and formation of exoplanets, and as such these techniques have been given high priority in the 2020 Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics. At its heart, the field of exoplanet science has been driven by advancements in technology and data reduction methods. This thesis focuses on direct imaging techniques, including their applications to circumstellar debris disks and the instrumentation required therein, addressing the following questions: What can we learn about the formation and dynamical history of planetary systems through direct imaging of warped debris disks? How can we improve upon our ability to detect planets and disks through advancements in astronomical instrumentation?

To date, observers have found several debris disks containing asymmetries and warps. Dynamical interactions between planetesimals, dust, radiation, and possibly planets work in tandem to shape dust into distinct morphologies. I discuss the morphological characteristics of the edge-on debris disk around HD 110058 as seen in infrared scattered light by the Gemini Planet Imager, and attempt to probe the dynamical history of the system. The presence of an asymmetric warp in the disk at a radius of 0.35 arcseconds ($\sim$38 AU) is revealed in PSF-subtracted total-intensity images, reminiscent of the disk around $\beta$ Pictoris. We discuss the results of scattered-light modeling intended to constrain the three-dimensional morphology of the warp. This complex morphology suggests the existence of large-scale dynamical perturbations due to a possible unseen planet.

As we seek to learn more about the universe, we must continually build astronomical instruments that can uncover more of the inner workings of the physical processes that underlie. Detailed studies of exoplanets and debris disks, such as that of HD 110058, are only made possible by well designed astronomical instruments. Through a set of instrument focused projects I will illustrate the cycle of instrument development from design to data and scientific discovery. With the characterization of the upgraded NIRSPEC detector, I explain the process used to ensure the data taken with the instrument is well-understood. Finally, I illustrate the instrument design process and the steps taken to transform scientific inquiries into instrument designs with the Fabry-P�rot etalon calibration system concept for OSIRIS.