SGER: Starting the Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign

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This award supports the largest and most sensitive direct imaging survey for extrasolarplanets conducted to date. The NICI (Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager) is the newhigh contrast adaptive optics instrument for the Gemini-South 8.1-meter telescope,tailored to direct detection of extrasolar planets through dual-channel methane-bandimaging. NICI will provide excellent sensitivity to planetary ( 1 Jupiter Mass)companions around young ( 1 Million years) stars in the extended solar neighborhood.Specifically, key preparatory activities will be undertaken during the beginning of asignificant multi-year imaging search for extrasolar planets. These include optimizingobserving and analysis algorithms, conducting the observations on-site for the first 25%of the team's awarded time, and pursuing prompt follow-up of newly identified planetarycompanions. It is anticipated that these observations may well yield the firstunambiguous extrasolar planets found by direct imaging.The research goals of this work will be accomplished in tandem with the training of apostdoc in the rapidly growing fields of exoplanets and science with adaptive optics, aswell as hands-on experience with real-time observing on an 8-meter telescope.This work is funded from the Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics program of theDivision of Astronomical Sciences, as a Small Grant for Exploratory Research.