Collaborative Research: K-KIDS -- A Reconnaissance of the 5000 Nearest K Dwarfs

5000个最近的K矮星星星系统的环境将被探索，以回答这个问题，“我们的太阳与其他恒星相比如何”？ 将进行调查，以提供对星星和行星形成过程的详细了解。它将描述我们的太阳有多独特，并告诉我们我们的太阳（一颗G矮星星星）与其他G、K、M矮星的比较情况，提供基本的统计数据，推动星星和行星形成的理论工作，并提供可能发现其他太阳系的恒星列表，让未来的天体生物学家评估这些恒星周围的环境。 学生将参与这项研究，并通过参与这项研究计划获得科学，数学，计算机科学和工程方面的STEM专业知识。 将为南康涅狄格州立大学的本科生开发新的双星观测计划。 K-KIDS计划是对5000颗最近的K矮星的侦察，将使用三次调查来研究K矮星。 一个大视场的巡天来描述伴星的特征，一个高分辨率的斑点成像巡天来将单颗恒星在类似于我们太阳系的空间尺度上分裂成双星和更高阶的多颗恒星，以及一个高分辨率的光谱巡天来揭示近距离的恒星双星，发现低质量的棕矮星和木星行星伴星，并估计恒星的金属丰度和年龄。 这将使我们的太阳是多么不寻常的发现，提供关于G，K和M型矮星的基本统计数据的理论研究星星和行星的形成，并提供一个候选人名单定位其他附近的太阳系在银河系中。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得的支持，通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

The environments of the 5000 nearest K Dwarf star systems will be explored to answer the question, "How does our Sun compare to other stars"? Surveys will be carried out to provide a detailed understanding of star and planetary formation processes. It will characterize how unique is our Sun and tell us how our Sun (a G Dwarf star) compares to other G,K,M Dwarf stars, provide fundamental statistics that will drive theoretical work on star and planet formation and provide a list of stars where other solar systems may be found, allowing future astrobiologists to evaluate the environment around these stars. Students will be involved in this research and gain STEM expertise in science, mathematics, computer science, and engineering through their participation in this research program. Novel observing programs on binary stars will be developed for the undergraduate students at Southern Connecticut State University. This program K-KIDs, a reconnaissance of the 5000 nearest K Dwarfs, will study the K dwarf stars using three surveys. A wide field survey to characterize companion stars, a high resolution speckle imaging survey to split single stars into doubles and higher order multiples at spatial scales similar to our Solar System, and a high resolution spectroscopic survey to reveal close stellar binaries and discover low mass brown dwarfs and Jovian planet companions and estimate metallicities and ages for the stars. This will allow the discovery of how unusual our Sun is, provide fundamental statistics on G,K and M Dwarf type stars for theoretical studies on star and planet formation, and provide a candidate list for locating other nearby solar systems in the galaxy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.