Collaborative Project: Methane Imaging Search for Planetary Mass Objects in the Nearest Star-Forming Regions

合作项目：甲烷成像搜索最近恒星形成区域的行星质量物体

• 批准号: 1240116
• 负责人: Mary Barsony
• 金额: $ 9.64万
• 依托单位: SETI Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-03-15 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1240116&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Project; Methane; Imaging; Search

In this project, Dr. Barsony and her collaborators will conduct an observational survey to search for sub-stellar or planetary-mass objects in regions of star formation. These objects, called T-dwarfs, are relatively luminous when young, and can be detected because they exhibit broad absorption features from methane in their spectra. The research team will conduct a wide-area infrared survey to find T-dwarfs by imaging at the wavelength of the methane band and at an adjacent wavelength. Objects that are faint in the methane band are likely to be T-dwarf stars.The research activity will have a broader educational impact through the involvement of undergraduate students in the research effort. Students will be recruited at San Francisco State University and at Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University), and will have the opportunity to visit the other institution in the collaboration. The detection of large numbers of T-dwarfs will help improve theories of star formation, especially in the domain between the least-massive stars and the most-massive planets.

在这个项目中，巴索尼博士和她的合作者将进行一项观测调查，以寻找恒星形成区域的亚恒星或行星质量物体。 这些被称为 T 矮星的天体在年轻时相对较亮，并且可以被检测到，因为它们在光谱中表现出广泛的甲烷吸收特征。 研究小组将进行广域红外勘测，通过在甲烷波段和邻近波长的波长成像来寻找T矮星。 甲烷带中暗淡的天体很可能是 T 矮星。通过本科生参与研究工作，这项研究活动将产生更广泛的教育影响。 学生将在旧金山州立大学和犹他谷州立学院（现为犹他谷大学）招收，并将有机会参观合作中的另一所院校。 大量 T 矮星的探测将有助于改进恒星形成理论，特别是在质量最小的恒星和质量最大的行星之间的领域。