For roughly the past 100 years classifying stars according to their spectral features has been of inestimable value in the astronomical sciences. This kind of classification is the basis of much of our present understanding of the physical structure and evolution of stars. Until recently, such classification systems have been limited to the optical range. It is now possible to extend them into the near-infrared (NIR) range. The Principal Investigator (PI) proposes to develop a NIR classi- fication system for stars throughout the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram that will complement the traditional optical Morgan-Keenan (MK) system. In establishing the NIR system, the PI will take full advantage of the high quantum efficiency of modern silicon- based detectors in the wavelength range of approximately 5800-9000 angstroms. Like the MK system, the NIR system will be based on the appearance of the various spectral lines, bands, and blends. The new system should contribute to the study of red and heavily reddened stars, the initial mass function of low and high mass stars, the luminosity function, stellar variability, and star counts. The observational work will be carried out with the 36-inch telescope and a charge-coupled device (CCD) of the PI's home institution, located at a dark site 5000 ft above sea level and 40 miles SE of Monterey.
