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NEW CANDIDATES FOR PLANETARY-MASS BROWN DWARFS IN IC 348
K L Luhman1,2, C J Hapich1
1Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.
The Astronomical Journal
|August 6, 2020
Summary
Astronomers discovered 12 potential planetary-mass brown dwarfs in the IC 348 star cluster using Hubble Space Telescope infrared images. Four candidates were spectroscopically confirmed as late-type brown dwarfs, with one being the cluster's faintest known member.
Area of Science:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Exoplanet and Brown Dwarf Research
Background:
- Star-forming regions like IC 348 are crucial for understanding stellar and substellar object formation.
- Identifying low-mass objects, such as planetary-mass brown dwarfs, challenges current observational techniques.
- The Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 provides essential infrared capabilities for such studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To search for and identify planetary-mass brown dwarfs within the IC 348 star-forming cluster.
- To characterize the spectral types and masses of candidate objects.
- To determine the membership and age of the most promising candidates within the cluster.
Main Methods:
- Utilized infrared imaging data from the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3.
- Analyzed object colors to identify spectral types later than M8, indicative of low masses.
- Performed spectroscopic follow-up observations for bright candidates and analyzed ground-based photometry for others.
Main Results:
- Identified 12 candidate planetary-mass brown dwarfs (≲ 30 Jupiter masses) in IC 348.
- Spectroscopic confirmation of four late-type brown dwarf candidates.
- One confirmed brown dwarf is the faintest known member of IC 348, with an estimated mass of 4-5 Jupiter masses.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully identified multiple low-mass brown dwarf candidates in IC 348.
- Confirmed brown dwarfs provide valuable data points for understanding substellar object formation and evolution.
- Further observations are needed to ascertain the membership and precise masses of all candidates.
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