MPS-Ascend: From Directly Imaged Planets to Directly Characterized Planets: A Multi-pronged Approach to Understand Planet Formation Processes

该奖项全部或部分根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。 Raquel Martinez被授予NSF数学和物理科学上升博士后研究奖学金（NSF MPS-Ascend），以开展与扩大STEM代表性不足的群体参与有关的研究和活动计划。Martinez博士的这项奖学金支持她在赞助科学家的指导下开展的题为“MPS-上升：从直接成像的行星到直接表征的行星：了解行星形成过程的多管齐下的方法”的研究项目。该奖学金的主办机构是加州大学欧文分校（UCI），赞助科学家是Steph Sallum博士。这一提议将促进对巨型气体系外行星和宽轨道行星质量同伴（PMC）的起源，演化和人口统计的理解。目前的行星和星星形成理论无法解释观测到的PMCs特征，主要是因为统计数据不足。提议者将通过有效地建立宽轨道行星质量和亚恒星伴星样本，然后对新的和已知的宽伴星发现进行详细的观测跟踪，从而揭示PMCs的主要形成途径。PI还将成为SCALES（用于系外行星光谱学的圣克鲁斯透镜阵列）仪器团队的成员。SCALES是一种中红外高对比度积分场摄谱仪，旨在探测和表征系外行星。马丁内斯将组织每周研讨会，并为UCI的夏季本科生研究机会奖学金（SURF）和Cal-Bridge/CAMPARE项目实施近同行导师计划。她还将指导一个SURF或CAMPARE学生在一个研究项目有关的建议工作，每年夏天在MPS上升奖学金。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Raquel Martinez is awarded a NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (NSF MPS-Ascend) to conduct a program of research and activities related to broaden participation by groups underrepresented in STEM. This fellowship to Dr. Martinez supports her research project entitled "MPS-Ascend: From Directly Imaged Planets to Directly Characterized Planets: A Multi-pronged Approach to Understand Planet Formation Processes", under the mentorship of a sponsoring scientist. The host institution for the fellowship the University of California, Irvine (UCI), and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Steph Sallum. This proposal will advance understanding of the origin, evolution, and demographics of gas giant exoplanets and wide-orbit planetary-mass companions (PMCs). Current theories of planet and star formation are unable to explain the observed characteristics of PMCs largely because of inadequate statistics. The proposer will reveal the dominant formation pathways of PMCs by efficiently building the wide-orbit planetary-mass and substellar companion sample, then pursuing detailed observational followup of new and known wide companion discoveries. The PI will also be a member of the SCALES (Santa Cruz Array of Lenslets for Exoplanet Spectroscopy) instrument team. SCALES is a mid-infrared high-contrast integral-field spectrograph designed to detect and characterize exoplanets.Martinez will organize weekly seminars and implement a near-peer mentorship program for the Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunities Fellowship (SURF) and Cal-Bridge/CAMPARE programs at UCI. She will also mentor a SURF or CAMPARE student in a research project related to the proposed work each summer during the MPS-Ascend Fellowship. The educational activities will reach 5-10 undergraduate summer researchers each year.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.