Ultracool Dwarfs and Their Companions: A Census of Binaries and a Search for Planets

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。Cullen Blake被授予美国国家科学基金会天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在普林斯顿大学开展研究和教育项目。布雷克博士将致力于开发新技术，在比以前用于径向速度测量的波长更长的波长上测量精确的径向速度（RV）。这些技术将使我们能够在可居住带（HZ）中搜索围绕冷恒星和褐矮星（超冷矮星；UCDs）运行的行星，在那里表面温度可能适合生命，以及测量将帮助我们更好地了解UCDs的物理特性。PI将对UCD进行多普勒调查，以便更好地了解小轨道距离下UCD双星的性质。PI还将研究利用地球大气中的大地吸收特征作为波长参考，获得精确的ucd RV测量值。Blake还将通过组织一个名为“青年科学家配对导师”（MMYS）的项目，让有才华的高中生参与天文学研究，该项目将把来自美国科学研究机会较少地区的高中生与导师配对。PI将涉及一名高中生，作为上述UCD研究计划的组成部分。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Dr. Cullen Blake is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at Princeton University. Dr. Blake will work to develop new techniques for measuring precise radial velocities (RVs) at wavelengths longer than those previously used for RV measurements. These techniques will enable searches for planets orbiting cool stars and brown dwarfs (Ultracool Dwarfs; UCDs) in the Habitable Zone (HZ), where surface temperatures may be amenable to life, as well as measurements that will help us to better understand the physical properties of UCDs. The PI will conduct a Doppler survey of UCDs in order to better understand the properties of UCD binaries at small orbital separations. The PI will also investigate obtaining precise RV measurements of UCDs using telluric absorption features in Earth's atmosphere as a wavelength reference.Dr. Blake will also work to involve talented high school students in astronomy research by organizing a program called Matching Mentors with Young Scientists (MMYS) to match high school students from regions of the country where there are fewer opportunities for scientific research with a mentor. The PI will involve one high school student as an integral part of the aforementioned UCD research program.