Discerning Spectral Features in L Dwarfs

Details Discerning Spectral Features in L Dwarfs Discerning Spectral Features in L Dwarfs

Jan 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011aas...21724204n&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #217, #242.04; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 43, 2011

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Brown dwarfs are star-like objects that, due to their very low masses (less than 75 Jupiter masses,) never reach the main sequence, and instead cool with time. This cooling leads to a breakdown of the relationship between temperature and mass that exists for stars. Therefore, brown dwarfs with similar temperatures (as indicated by spectral type) could have very different masses and ages. We are investigating the near-infrared spectra of L dwarfs with the same optically derived spectral types (implying similar effective temperatures) with the goal of distinguishing subtle differences, patterns, and/or correlations among absorption features that could reveal information about their ages and masses. Our sample consists of 43 L0-L8 dwarfs with both optical and near-infrared spectra, thus covering the 0.65 to 2.4-micron range. Our analysis included objects with either "typical” or peculiar spectra. Some of the objects with peculiar spectra are suspected low-gravity/young and blue/low-metallicity dwarfs. For each optical type, we normalized and overplotted the spectra in four bands separately: Optical, J, H, and K band. Each resulting plot was examined by eye to look for subtle differences in spectral absorption features, likely due to age and mass. We present the preliminary results from this detailed spectral analysis. In particular, our analysis reveals the major spectral differences in the near infrared of both "red” and "blue” L dwarfs. This work was funded by the RISE Grant GM R25 6066, and we acknowledge the hospitality of the American Museum of Natural History.

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