Origin of stars, brown dwarfs and planets

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I propose an ambitious, multi-faceted research program using state-of-the-art instruments on several of the world's largest telescopes to investigate key questions related to the origins of stars, brown dwarfs and planets. The specific research plans include: (1) studies of multiplicity among young stars and brown dwarfs, using both adaptive optics imaging and spectroscopic radial velocity measurements; (2) searches for and characterization of the lowest-mass free-floating objects, with masses in the giant planet regime, using wide-field optical and infrared instruments, complemented by data from Spitzer, Herschel and JCMT, to probe the stellar initial mass function to unprecedented depth; and (3) investigations of gas and dust disk evolution around young stars during the late stages of planet formation using the Herschel Space Observatory and ground-based telescopes. The proposed program will lead to fundamental advances in our understanding of stellar and sub-stellar origins, and may also pave the way for detecting giant planets around young stars.