CAREER: Probing the Extremes of Star Formation: A Census of Very Low-Mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs in the Local Neighborhood

极低质量（VLM）恒星和褐矮星组成了银河系中最小、最不发光，但最占主导地位的重子种群之一。它们是对星星形成过程中最小的极端情况的重要探测器，它们的性质告诉我们所有恒星形成和演化过程中的边界条件和变化。然而，尽管它们的普遍性和重要性，VLM的样本历史上一直很小，由于其内在的微弱。PI将建立一个全面的，交叉匹配的VLMs目录，这些目录在UKIDSS，WISE，2 MASS和SDSS全天空调查中观察到。他将测量超过10万个VLM的自行，这将是有史以来组装的VLM共同自行对的最大样本。他还将在4.3米的探索频道望远镜上进行视差计划，以测量太阳33秒差距内100多个VLMs的精确距离。这项工作是必不可少的，以解决我们的VLM和VLM双星编目以前的缺陷，它将提供一个至关重要的新的理解如何低质量和非常低质量的恒星form.The PI将整合他的科学使命与多样性的努力，通过创建波士顿大学（BU）预科专业（Pre-MaP）计划。他的计划将通过增加物理科学中代表性不足的学生数量来直接解决国家对额外STEM专业的需求。BU Pre-MaP将使一年级代表性不足的学生参与研究，并将增加天文学和STEM学科的参与和多样性。

Very low-mass (VLM) stars and brown dwarfs make up the smallest, least luminous, but one of the most dominant baryonic populations of the Milky Way. They are vital probes of the smallest extremes of the star formation process, and their properties inform us about the boundary conditions and variations in the formation and evolution of all stars. However, despite their ubiquity and importance, samples of VLMs have historically been small due to their intrinsic faintness. The PI will build a comprehensive, cross-matched catalog of VLMs that were observed in the UKIDSS, WISE, 2MASS and SDSS all-sky surveys. He will measure proper motions for more than 100,000 VLMs, which will be the largest sample of VLM common-proper motion pairs ever assembled. He will also conduct a parallax program at the 4.3m Discovery Channel Telescope to measure accurate distances to more than 100 VLMs within 33 parsecs of the Sun. This work is essential to address the previous deficiencies in our cataloging of VLMs and VLM binaries, and it will provide a vital new understanding of how low mass and very low-mass stars form.The PI will integrate his science mission with diversity efforts by creating the Boston University (BU) Pre-Majors (Pre-MaP) program. His program will directly address the national need for additional STEM majors by increasing the number of underrepresented students in the physical sciences. BU Pre-MaP will expose first-year underrepresented students to research, and it will increase the participation and diversity in astronomy and STEM disciplines.