In search of Class I brown dwarfs

Details In search of Class I brown dwarfs In search of Class I brown dwarfs

May 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007sptz.prop40563w&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #40563

Computer Science

Scientific paper

Class I objects are the progenitors of classical T Tauri (Class II) stars. Recent surveys in star-forming regions, partly based on Spitzer data, have shown that the T Tauri population extends down to objects with only 5-15 Jupiter masses, the bottom of the Initial Mass Function. The origin of these ultra-low mass Class II sources is unclear. One way to constrain their nature is to search for their progenitors: Class I sources with substellar or even planetary masses. This is the aim of this proposal. Currently available Spitzer surveys (e.g., C2D) are not deep enough to detect these 'proto brown dwarfs'. We found that the current MIPS surveys are only sensitive down to 0.5mJy, while ultra-low mass Class I sources are expected to have 24mu fluxes down to 0.05 mJy. Broad wavelength coverage in the mid-infrared is mandatory for a reliable discrimination between Class I, Class II, and background objects. Therefore we propose to carry out a new, deep 24mu survey in the young, compact cluster NGC1333 located in the Perseus star forming region, known for a rich Class I population. We have developed a grid of SED models, together with a SED fitting machine, tailored for large object samples. It has been demonstrated that this grid is able to determine the evolutionary status of young stellar sources reliably based on Spitzer colours. We will combine the new 24mu data with publicly available IRAC data, and use the SED fitting machine to identify the lowest mass Class I sources in NGC1333. This candidate sample is the ideal starting point for dedicated follow-up observations, e.g. submm imaging and interferometry as well as near-infrared spectroscopy. Once confirmed as Class I brown dwarfs, these objects will serve as a valuable probe for the bottom of the Class I mass function as well as the origin of brown dwarfs.

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