*** WELCOME TO THE UCSB EXOPLANET POLARIMETRY LAB HOMEPAGE ***Last updated: Oct 6, 2026NEWS · 2026-10-02: Recruiting a new graduate studentNEWS · 2026-10-02: Onward and upwardNEWS · 2026-08-25: First-light paper for the NIRC2 polarimeterNEWS · 2026-08-19: Dr. Rebecca ZhangNEWS · 2026-04-15: Postdoc Position at UC BerkeleyPlease sign our guestbook before you leave!Best viewed in Netscape Navigator 4.0 at 800x600 *** WELCOME TO THE UCSB EXOPLANET POLARIMETRY LAB HOMEPAGE ***Last updated: Oct 6, 2026NEWS · 2026-10-02: Recruiting a new graduate studentNEWS · 2026-10-02: Onward and upwardNEWS · 2026-08-25: First-light paper for the NIRC2 polarimeterNEWS · 2026-08-19: Dr. Rebecca ZhangNEWS · 2026-04-15: Postdoc Position at UC BerkeleyPlease sign our guestbook before you leave!Best viewed in Netscape Navigator 4.0 at 800x600

Millar-Blanchaer
Research Group

University of California, Santa Barbara

EXOPLANETS · POLARIMETRY · HIGH-CONTRAST IMAGING

SCIENCE ~/science

I am interested in furthering our understanding of planet properties and formation processes by asking questions such as: What are planets outside our solar system made of? How did they form? What are the architectures of their solar systems? To answer these questions I use high-contrast direct imaging techniques to observe exoplanets and their neighbouring debris, extrasolar analogs to the Kuiper and Asteroid belts. In particular, I focus on using polarimetry as a tool for the detection and characterization of both exoplanets and circumstellar disks.

Here's an example of actual images of an exoplanet orbiting its star. The video shows observations of the planet Beta Pictoris b obtained with the Gemini Planet Imager. You see the planet get closer to its star (center left) over a span of roughly 2.5 years.

I currently have observational projects using data from a wide range of telescopes including: Keck, Gemini, Subaru, JWST and HST. In the two pages below, I give some more examples of my current and past projects.

Exoplanet and Brown Dwarf Atmospheres in Polarized Light

Luhman 16, the WIRC+Pol brown dwarf survey, and clouds seen through polarization.

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Circumstellar Disk Morphology and Composition

Debris disks with GPI, and water ice in HD 141569A with JWST.

Tell me more!