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博士被授予NSF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计划。Blake博士将致力于开发新技术，用于测量比以前用于RV测量的波长更长的精确径向速度（RV）。这些技术将能够在可居住区（HZ）中搜索围绕冷恒星和棕矮星（超冷矮星; UCD）运行的行星，其中表面温度可能适合生命，以及有助于我们更好地了解UCD物理特性的测量。PI将对UCD进行多普勒调查，以便更好地了解UCD双星在小轨道间隔处的特性。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来获得UCD的精确RV测量。Blake博士还将通过组织一个名为Matching Mentors with Young Scientists（MMYS）的项目，为来自美国科学研究机会较少的地区的高中生提供导师，从而让有才华的高中生参与天文学研究。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.