Conti, Peter AST-9731520 Dr. Conti will continue his research into massive stars and star formation by carrying out observational studies in the near-infrared. He will expand on his earlier spectroscopic classification work for hot, massive stars in the K-band to develop a system of spectral classification at shorter wavelengths (H band), which will minimize the effect of thermal dust emission. He will carry out a systematic study of star forming regions containing massive stars, using infrared photometry to identify the hot star candidates, followed by spectroscopy to classify them and to investigate the existence and nature of circumstellar disks. His work will improve our knowledge of the initial phases of massive star formation, and our understanding of the properties of newly formed hot, massive stars.
