EPJ Web of Conferences (Jul 2011)

Understanding sub-stellar populations using wide-field infrared surveys

  • Hewett P.C.,
  • Ishi M.,
  • McMahon R.G.,
  • Lucas P.W.,
  • Jones H.R.A.,
  • Warren S.J.,
  • Mortlock D.J.,
  • Dupuy T.,
  • Huelamo N.,
  • West A.A.,
  • Deacon N.R.,
  • Lodieu N.,
  • Homeier D.,
  • Liu M.C.,
  • Tinney C.G.,
  • Tamura M.,
  • Beaumont H.,
  • Leggett S.K.,
  • Burningham B.,
  • Day-Jones A.C.,
  • Pinfield D.J.,
  • Zapatero-Osorio M.R.,
  • Martin E.L.,
  • Venemans B.P.,
  • Barrado D.,
  • Zhang Z.,
  • Morales-Calderon M.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20111606002
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16
p. 06002

Abstract

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This paper discusses benchmark brown dwarfs in various environments, and focuses on those in wide binary systems. We present a summary of the recently discovered T dwarf population from the UKIDSS Large Area Survey, and describe the constraints that it places on our knowledge of the sub-stellar initial mass function. We also present some exciting results from our ongoing search for wide companions to this sample, that has so far revealed an M4-T8.5 binary system at ∼12 parsecs and also the first ever Tdwarf-white dwarf binary system. The T dwarfs in these binaries have their properties constrained by the primary object and are thus benchmark objects that are already testing the predictions of theoretical model atmospheres.