Postdoctoral Fellowship: AAPF: Snapshots of Planet Formation Around Small Stars with Keck NIRC2 Polarimetry

Briley Lewis is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Lewis will contribute to cutting-edge instrumentation for the W.M. Keck Observatory in order to observe debris disks around low-mass stars in polarized light.

Results from this project will advance our understanding of how planet formation occurs around smaller stars, and provide a novel observing capability for other astronomical investigations. For the educational component of this project, Lewis will create a series of planetarium shows featuring tactile resources accessible to blind and low-vision audiences for the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum.

She will also develop and offer a disciplinary writing workshop series for graduate students in Physics and Astronomy.

Polarimetry is a key technology for resolving dusty disks around other stars; historically, however, high-contrast polarimetric capabilities have been mostly restricted to observing bright stars due to limitations of adaptive optics systems. The investigator will create a data processing pipeline and perform calibrations and commissioning observations for the upcoming Keck NIRC2 polarimetry upgrade, making Keck II the largest telescope on which infrared (Y to L band) polarimetry capabilities will be available.

This polarimetry mode will be able to work in conjunction with the existing facility-grade laser guide star adaptive optics system to uniquely target fainter and redder stars than those accessible by other facilities. The investigator will use this mode to complete a survey of debris disks around K- and M-dwarf stars and analyze trends in their composition and morphology to inform planet formation models.

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.