Computer Science
Scientific paper
Dec 1997
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997hst..prop.7420g&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #7420
Computer Science
Hst Proposal Id #7420 Cool Stars
Scientific paper
Most stars are fainter and less massive than the Sun. Nevertheless, the luminosity function {LF} and mass-luminosity relation {MLR} for very-low- mass {VLM} stars {M < 0.2 Msun} remain poorly constrained. The best way to constrain these relations is a search for faint companions to nearby stars. Such a search has several advantages over field surveys, the most important of which are greater sensitivity to VLM objects and the availability of pre- cise parallaxes from which absolute luminosities and dynamic masses can be obtained. We propose a NICMOS snapshot search for VLM companions to 120 single stars within 10 pc of the Sun. This search will probe the previously unexplored circumstellar region lying between the search spaces of speckle searches {1-10 AU} and deep imaging searches {100-1000 AU}. With a 10 sigma detection limit of M_J 21.5 at 10 pc, we will detect objects at least 10 mag fainter than the empirical end of the main sequence and at least 6 mag fainter than the brown dwarf Gl 229B. Our ultimate goal is the largest, most sensitive, volume-limited search for VLM companions ever un- dertaken. The four colors selected for the search will permit unambiguous identification of VLM-companion candidates for follow-up observation. To- gether with the IR speckle and deep imaging surveys, our program will firmly establish both the LF for VLM companions at separations of 1-1000 AU and the multiplicity fraction of all stars within 10 pc.
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