Probing the Very Low Mass IMF: Brown Dwarf Stars in Star--Forming Regions

Details Probing the Very Low Mass IMF: Brown Dwarf Stars in Star--Forming Regions Probing the Very Low Mass IMF: Brown Dwarf Stars in Star--Forming Regions

Dec 1997

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997hst..prop.7417m&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #7417

Computer Science

Hst Proposal Id #7417 Young Stars And Circumstellar Material

Scientific paper

We propose to characterize the shape of the IMF near the sub- stellar limit from HST observations of the rich embedded cluster associated with the Mon R2 nebula. This newly-formed cluster {age < 1 Myr} contains more than 100 stars whose luminosities suggest masses ranging from 0.03-0.4 M_odot. Our study will be performed in two steps; first constructing an observed H-R diagram for a flux-limited sample of stars within cluster; and then estimating the stellar mass for each star with the aid of PMS evolutionary tracks. Recent observations and model calculations suggest that low resolution {R 200} J- and H-band spectra obtained with NICMOS will permit classification of a large number of stars with the accuracy needed to place the stars on the H-R diagram. Due the difficulties experienced by the NIC3 camera, we have chosen to alter our program to take advantage of the unique capabilities still afforded by NICMOS with NIC2. Our overall goal - characterizing the shape of the initial mass function of the Mon R2 cluster - remains the same. However we now combine a deep infrared imaging survey of the cluster with narrow-band filter photometry aimed at deriving both the extinction and effective temperature of a sample complete down to 0.05 Msun. While we cannot derive the detailed shape of the IMF in the sub-stellar regime from this reconstituted program, we will still be able to discern whether or not the initial mass function of the Mon R2 cluster turns over near the hydrogen burning limit, or continues to rise well into the brown dwarf regime.

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