Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Oct 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010dps....42.2727s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42, #27.27
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
There is no universally acknowledged criterion to distinguish planets from brown dwarfs. The most common definition is based on an object's mass, with the dividing line taken to be the 13-Jupiter mass (M_J) limit for the ignition of deuterium. But this mass is model dependent. While 13 M_J is generally a reasonable rule of thumb, the deuterium fusion mass depends on the helium abundance, the initial deuterium abundance, the metallicity of the model, and on what fraction of an object's initial deuterium abundance must combust in order for the object to qualify as having burned deuterium. For models ranging from zero-metallicity to more than three times solar metallicity, the deuterium burning mass ranges from 11.0 M_J (for 3-times solar metallicity, 10% of initial deuterium burned) to 16.3 M_J (for zero metallicity, 90% of initial deuterium burned). This broad range highlights the fact that this standard definition is less clear-cut than has sometimes been appreciated.
Burrows Adam
Milsom John A.
Spiegel David S.
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