Observations and Models of Very Low Luminosity Objects Discovered with the Spitzer Space Telescope

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

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Scientific paper

Recent Spitzer Space Telescope observations of low-mass protostars have shown that many objects have luminosities < 0.1 Solar Luminosities, and the discovery of these objectas has led us to define a new class of Very Low Luminosity Objects (VeLLOs). Assuming spherical mass accretion at a rate of about 2E-06 Solar Masses per year onto a star with a typical protostellar radius of about 4 Solar Radii, an object on the stellar/substellar boundary would have an accretion luminosity of L 1.2 Solar Luminosities. VeLLOs, with luminosities more than an order of magnitude lower than this, are difficult to understand in the standard model of star formation. We report on a systematic search for such objects in Spitzer observations of nearby star-forming regions, obtained as part of the "From Molecular Cores to Planet Forming Disks" Legacy Project. We also present radiative transfer models of several VeLLOs in order to investigate the nature of these objects, and we suggest a possible mechanism for their very low luminosities.

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