Eduardo Martin

UC Berkeley

Title: Observational clues to the origins of SUMOs, low-mass stars and 
black holes 

Abstract: I will present a synoptic view of several topics that have 
intrigued me for the past few years, and will continue to do so for 
years to come. Some recent developments toward the solution of 
long-standing problems 
like the post T Tauri paradox or the minimum mass of the 
Initial Mass Function, which are important pieces in the big puzzle 
of star formation, will be highlighted. I will discuss observational 
strategies for advancing our understanding of these and other 
"origins" problems, which make use of the impressive array of facilities 
available to astronomers working at the University of Hawaii. 
The topics of my talk will cover a wide parameter space, 
from the very low-mass (extrasolar planets) 
to the very high mass (black hole progenitors). The common locus among them is 
that they are all at a redshift of zero.