Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Galaxy Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2010-12-29
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Galaxy Astrophysics
contribution to Proceedings of the 16th Cool Stars, Stellar Systems and the Sun (eds. C. Johns-Krull, M. Browning & A. West)
Scientific paper
The origin of the lowest mass free-floating objects -- brown dwarfs and planetary-mass objects -- is one of the major unsolved problems in star formation. Establishing a census of young substellar objects is a fundamental prerequisite for distinguishing between competing theoretical scenarios. Such a census allows us to probe the initial mass function (IMF), binary statistics, and properties of accretion disks. Our SONYC (Substellar Objects in Nearby Young Clusters) survey relies on extremely deep wide-field optical and near-infrared imaging, with follow-up spectroscopy, in combination with Spitzer photometry to probe the bottom end of the IMF to unprecedented levels. Here we present SONYC results for three different regions: NGC 1333, rho Ophiuchus and Chamaeleon-I. In NGC 1333, we find evidence for a possible cutoff in the mass function at 10-20 Jupiter masses. In rho Oph we report a new brown dwarf with a mass close to the deuterium-burning limit.
Geers Vincent Carlo
Jayawardhana Ray
Muzic Koraljka
Scholz Alexander
Tamura Motohide
No associations
LandOfFree
SONYC - Substellar Objects in Nearby Young Clusters does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with SONYC - Substellar Objects in Nearby Young Clusters, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and SONYC - Substellar Objects in Nearby Young Clusters will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-610632