A new era for stellar ages with older benchmark star clusters

Jason Curtis被授予NSF天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在哥伦比亚大学开展研究和教育计划。利用地面和太空望远镜的观测，柯蒂斯将研究磁场活动和恒星旋转之间的关系，以及这种关系如何随着年龄的变化而变化。由于恒星在其生命的大部分时间内变化很小，因此确定它们的年龄具有挑战性，但这对于了解其他恒星周围的行星至关重要。柯蒂斯还将为一个为少数民族学生准备研究生院的项目的参与者举办一个关于基本计算、统计和数据分析方法的年度数据科学研讨会;他将担任该项目一名学生的研究导师。拟议的研究将通过双管齐下的观测计划来解决恒星年龄问题：（1）柯蒂斯将分析他正在用开普勒太空望远镜对鲁普雷希特147进行的调查中的3 GYr恒星的旋转数据，这些恒星的质量低至0.39太阳质量，以校准老年低质量的陀螺年代学关系。开普勒巡天还将对这个基准星星群中的矮星进行星震测量。比较年龄相近的NGC 6819和R147的红巨星星震质量和FGK矮星旋转序列，将证明每种方法的精度和相对精度;（2）Curtis已经开始使用多镜望远镜（MMT）对中年星星团进行大型色球活动调查，以建立适用于K矮星的活动-年龄关系。作为教育计划的一部分，Curtis将被纳入哥伦比亚大学的Bridge to the Ph.D Program，以（1）举办年度数据科学研讨会系列，指导Bridge参与者使用Python进行基本计算，统计方法和数据分析（讲习班的材料将纳入天文学家数据科学入门）;以及（2）监督一名桥梁参与者的研究，该研究将侧重于测量3 GYr M的矮星旋转。

Jason Curtis is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at Columbia University. Using observations from ground- and space-based telescopes, Curtis will study the relationship between magnetic activity and rotation of stars and how this relationship changes with age. Because stars change very little over most of their lifetimes, determining their ages is challenging, but it is essential for understanding planets around other stars. Curtis will also conduct an annual data science workshop in basic computing, statistical, and data analysis methods for the participants of a program that prepares underrepresented minority students for graduate school; and he will serve as research mentor to one student from this program.The proposed research will address stellar ages with a two-pronged observational program: (1) Curtis will analyze rotation data for 3 GYr stars down to 0.39 Solar masses from his ongoing survey of Ruprecht 147 with the Kepler space telescope, to calibrate gyrochronology relations at low mass at older ages. The Kepler survey also will yield asteroseismic measurements for dwarfs in this benchmark star cluster. Comparison of the red giant asteroseismic masses and FGK dwarf rotation sequences between the similarly aged NGC 6819 and R147 will demonstrate the precision and relative accuracy of each method; and (2) Curtis has initiated a large chromospheric activity survey of middle-aged star clusters with the Multi Mirror Telescope (MMT) to establish an activity-age relationship that is applicable to K dwarfs. As part of his education plan, Curtis will be integrated into Columbia University's Bridge to the Ph.D Program to (1) conduct an annual data science workshop series that will instruct Bridge Participants in basic computing, statistical methods, and data analysis with Python (materials from the workshop will be incorporated in a Data Science Primer for Astronomers); and (2) supervise one Bridge Participant's research, which will focus on measuring 3 GYr M dwarf rotation.