We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
from I - Searches in Clusters, Stellar Associations and the Field
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2010
The initiation of the DENIS and 2MASS surveys are resulting in the discoveries of dozens of field brown dwarf candidates, and the need to develop a new spectral class of L dwarfs. The L dwarfs are perhaps only a few hundred degrees cooler than the latest M dwarfs (M9–9.5 V), and are many hundreds of degrees warmer than the brown dwarf Gliese 229B. However, the formation of dust removes TiO and VO from the atmospheres, resulting in qualitatively different red spectra, with for example a strong, pressure-broadened K I resonance doublet. In contrast, the infrared spectra show the same (H2O and CO) molecular features as in late M dwarfs, with no evidence of methane. The detection of the Li I 6707 Å resonance doublet shows that many L dwarfs, at least, have substellar masses. Based on analysis of point sources from the first 1% of sky, well over 1,000 L dwarfs should be detected in the 2MASS survey. Our results suggest that several might exist within 5 pc of the Sun.
Introduction
After waiting three decades since Kumar (1963) proposed their existence, we are gratified to see literally dozens of candidates probably or definitely below the stellar mass limit being found in young clusters and associations. Here one has the big advantages that the age, the distance and luminosity of a cluster member are generally known. In this presentation, complementary to the topic of this meeting, we report the finding of a large number of candidates in one of the first infrared surveys of the field population.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
