Program: GN-2010A-Q-75

We propose to conclude a search for companions to nearby young A-stars using the Altair AO system and the NIRI camera. The requested observations, supplemented by those previously obtained at Gemini-North and other AO-equipped observatories, will complete a volume limited (D < 75 pc) survey of A-type stars. The primary goals of this proposal are: (1) a systematic vetting of candidate targets for future high-contrast extreme AO planet searches, e.g. the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), and (2) an investigation of A star binary properties. The results of this systematic survey will detail key binary statistics for A-stars, i.e. the frequency, mass ratio distribution and separation distribution, at a level previously measured only for later spectral types.