Luke Keller has conducted research programs in the astrophysics of star formation and planetary system formation and in imaging and spectroscopic instrumentation (Publication list via Google Scholar). His focus is now in the communication of astronomy and other areas of science to the general public.
Past astronomical and astrophysical research programs
Luke's astrophysical interests are in the origins of stars and their planetary systems. His recent studies were of young stars that may be forming solar systems in environments where the abundances of heavy elements (e.g. O, C, Si, etc.) are low. This allows a glimpse into the process of planet formation in earlier era of the universe. He was a member of a team that used the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope to gather infrared spectra of dust and gas orbiting stars other than the sun. He and his students used spectra from Spitzer data archives and analyzed the results, looking for atomic and molecular signatures of material that may be forming planets. Luke also used ground-based observatories to gather spectra and images of these objects.
Luke was Project Scientist (1999-2003) and co-investigator (2003-2015) on a team that built the Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST), a mid-infrared camera that will operate on the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), 2.7-meter telescope housed in a 747 aircraft. He lead the final optical design, helped test the FORCAST optical system, and lead development of the FORCAST data analysis software. He also lead a team funded by NASA and the Universities Space Research Association to add spectroscopic capabilities to FORCAST. FORCAST was a widely utilized facility instrument throughout the SOFIA mission, which ended in 2022.