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The missing M dwarfs
Citation
Dobbie, PD and Pinfield, DJ and Jameson, RF and Hodgkin, ST, The missing M dwarfs, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 335, (4) pp. L79-L83. ISSN 0035-8711 (2002) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2002 RAS
DOI: doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05882.x
Abstract
We present evidence which indicates the luminosity functions of star-forming regions, open star clusters and the field dips between spectral types M7 and M8. We attribute this to a sharp local drop in the luminosity–mass relation and speculate that this is caused by the beginning of dust formation in the atmospheres of objects in this effective temperature regime. This effect is not predicted by the current generation of low-mass stellar/substellar evolutionary models. If our interpretation is correct then this result has important implications for investigations concerned with the mass functions of star-forming regions and young open star clusters. For example, it suggests that some brown dwarfs have higher masses than previously thought.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | stars: atmospheres; stars: late-type; stars: low-mass, brown dwarfs; infrared: stars |
Research Division: | Physical Sciences |
Research Group: | Astronomical sciences |
Research Field: | Stellar astronomy and planetary systems |
Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in the physical sciences |
UTAS Author: | Dobbie, PD (Dr Paul Dobbie) |
ID Code: | 81175 |
Year Published: | 2002 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 38 |
Deposited By: | Mathematics and Physics |
Deposited On: | 2012-11-26 |
Last Modified: | 2012-12-11 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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