Confronting the Stellar Gyrochronology Paradigm Using Wide Binaries

天体物理学家正在研究的一系列重要问题，从系外行星的宜居性到我们银河系的演化结构，都要求我们首先准确地确定恒星的年龄。虽然我们在测量其他恒星特性方面取得了很大进展，但年龄仍然是最难确定的。这个研究小组将进行几项详细的研究，利用地面和太空望远镜对双星的详细观测来更好地确定它们的年龄。本科生将参与这个项目的方方面面，从校园的数据采集到亚利桑那州、智利和西班牙的远程访问天文台。该项目还将与附近的白求恩-库克曼大学(HBCU)建立新的合作伙伴关系，这将增加两所大学的教育机会。旋转年代学是旋转与年龄之间的经验关系，被认为是目前确定恒星年龄的最佳方法之一。该团队将使用K2字段中已确定的3000多个宽二进制文件来改进当前的范例。宽双星对提供了一个独特的机会来解开和校准主序星的自转-活度-金属丰度与年龄的关系。它们的年龄和金属丰度范围比恒星团大得多。工作将主要集中在与国家天文台的后续地面光谱学和使用SARA(东南天文研究协会；ERAU是成员)望远镜的基于CCD的成像。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A wide range of important questions being studied by astrophysicists, from the habitability of exoplanets to the evolving structure of our galaxy, require that we first accurately determine the ages of stars. While we have made great progress measuring other stellar properties, age remains the most difficult to determine. This research team will carry out several detailed studies that use detailed observations of binary stars from ground-based and space-based telescopes to better determine their ages. Undergraduate students will participate in every aspect of this project, from data acquisition with the campus and remote-access observatories in Arizona, Chile and Spain. This project will also enable a new partnership with nearby Bethune-Cookman University (HBCU) that will enhance the educational opportunities at both institutions.Gyrochronology, an empirical relation between rotation and age, is believed to be among the best current methods of stellar age determination. This team will refine the current paradigm using over 3000 wide binaries already identified in the K2 fields. Wide pairs provide a unique opportunity to unravel and calibrate the rotation-activity-metallicity vs. age relations for main sequence stars. They span a much broader age and metallicity range than stellar clusters. Efforts will focus primarily on follow-up ground-based spectroscopy with the national observatories and CCD-based imaging with the SARA (Southeast Association for Research in Astronomy; ERAU is a member) telescopes.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.