Computer Science
Scientific paper
May 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007sptz.prop40857l&link_type=abstract
Spitzer Proposal ID #40857
Computer Science
Scientific paper
We propose to conduct a very wide-field census of young low-mass stars and brown dwarfs across the rho Ophiuchus cloud complex. Through a combination of archival c2d Spitzer Legacy data, the 2MASS all-sky catalog, and our own optical proper-motion imaging program, we will survey an area of 5 square degrees for young objects possessing circumstellar disks down to ~15 Mjup. Our selection methods have been proven to be exceptionally efficient, almost entirely free of the false positives (e.g. reddened background sources) that plague previous searches. Our census will represent more than an order of magnitude increase in area compared to past studies of this region and is uniquely capability of identifying the dispersed young population. For the resulting census of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, we will examine (1) the spatial distribution, (2) the disk structural properties (flat versus flared), and (3) the kinematic properties. Our proposed study will allow, for the first time, an examination of low-mass disk properties over a range of host star mass, ages, local density, and extinction within a single star-forming cloud complex. Moreover, in light of the current active emphasis to push to the lowest possible substellar masses with deep pencil beam surveys, our proposed study will provide complementary insights into the star/brown dwarf formation process over a very large spatial scales (~10 pc). Finally, the resulting populous census of young low-mass objects will provide a rich sample for detailed follow-up with current and future telescopes.
Allers Katelyn
Liu Michael
Magnier Eugene
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