Cloudless atmospheres for young low-gravity substellar objects

Cloudless atmospheres for young low-gravity substellar objects

Authors:

Tremblin et al

Abstract: 

Atmospheric modeling of low-gravity (VL-G) young brown dwarfs remains a challenge. The presence of very thick clouds has been suggested because of their extremely red near-infrared (NIR) spectra, but no cloud models provide a good fit to the data with a radius compatible with evolutionary models for these objects. We show that cloudless atmospheres assuming a temperature gradient reduction caused by fingering convection provides a very good model to match the observed VL-G NIR spectra. The sequence of extremely red colors in the NIR for atmospheres with effective temperature from ~2000 K down to ~1200 K is very well reproduced with predicted radii typical of young low-gravity objects. Future observations with NIRSPEC and MIRI on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will provide more constrains in the mid-infrared, helping to confirm/refute whether or not the NIR reddening is caused by fingering convection. We suggest that the presence/absence of clouds will be directly determined by the silicate absorption features that can be observed with MIRI. JWST will therefore be able to better characterize the atmosphere of these hot young brown dwarfs and their low-gravity exoplanet analogues.

HH1165: The First Large-scale Herbig–Haro Jet Driven by a Proto-brown Dwarf

First Large-scale Herbig–Haro Jet Driven by a Proto-brown Dwarf

Authors:

Riaz et al

Abstract:

We report the discovery of a new Herbig–Haro jet, HH 1165, in SOAR narrow-band imaging of the vicinity of the σ Orionis cluster. HH 1165 shows a spectacular extended and collimated spatial structure, with a projected length of 0.26 pc, a bent C-shaped morphology, multiple knots, and fragmented bow shocks at the apparent ends of the flow. The Hα image shows a bright halo with a clumpy distribution of material seen around the driving source, and curved reflection nebulosity tracing the outflow cavities. The driving source of HH 1165 is a Class I proto-brown dwarf, Mayrit 1701117 (M1701117), with a total (dust+gas) mass of ~36 M Jup and a bolometric luminosity of ~0.1 L ⊙. High-resolution VLT/UVES spectra of M1701117 show a wealth of emission lines indicative of strong outflow and accretion activity. SOAR/Goodman low-resolution spectra along the jet axis show an asymmetrical morphology for HH 1165. We find a puzzling picture wherein the northwest part exhibits a classical HH jet running into a pre-dominantly neutral medium, while the southern part resembles an externally irradiated jet. The C-shaped bending in HH 1165 may be produced by the combined effects from the massive stars in the ionization front to the east, the σ Orionis core to the west, and the close proximity to the B2-type star HR 1950. HH 1165 shows all of the signatures to be considered as a scaled-down version of parsec-length HH jets, and can be termed as the first sub-stellar analog of a protostellar HH jet system.

The effect of accretion on the pre-main-sequence evolution of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs

The effect of accretion on the pre-main-sequence evolution of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs

Authors:

Vorobyov et al

Abstract:
The pre-main-sequence evolution of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs is studied numerically starting from the formation of a protostellar/proto-brown dwarf seed and taking into account the mass accretion onto the central object during the initial several Myr of evolution. The stellar evolution was computed using the STELLAR evolution code developed by Yorke & Bodenheimer with recent modifications by Hosokawa et al. The mass accretion rates were taken from numerical hydrodynamics models of Vorobyov & Basu computing the circumstellar disk evolution starting from the gravitational collapse of pre-stellar cloud cores of various mass and angular momentum. The resulting stellar evolution tracks were compared with the isochrones and isomasses calculated using non-accreting models. We find that mass accretion in the initial several Myr of protostellar evolution can have a strong effect on the subsequent evolution of young stars and brown dwarfs. The disagreement between accreting and non-accreting models in terms of the total stellar luminosity L_st, stellar radius R_st and effective temperature T_eff depends on the thermal efficiency of accretion, i.e., on the fraction of accretion energy absorbed by the central object. The largest mismatch is found for the cold accretion case, in which essentially all accretion energy is radiated away. The relative deviations in L_st and R_st in this case can reach 50% for 1.0-Myr-old objects and remain notable even for 10-Myr-old objects. In the hot and hybrid accretion cases, in which a constant fraction of accretion energy is absorbed, the disagreement between accreting and non-accreting models becomes less pronounced, but still remains notable for 1.0-Myr-old objects. These disagreements may lead to the wrong age estimate for objects of (sub-)solar mass when using the isochrones based on non-accreting models .

JVLA Observations of Young Brown Dwarfs

JVLA Observations of Young Brown Dwarfs

Authors:

Rodríguez et al

Abstract:
We present sensitive 3.0 cm JVLA radio continuum observations of six regions of low-mass star formation that include twelve young brown dwarfs (BDs) and four young BD candidates. We detect a total of 49 compact radio sources in the fields observed, of which 24 have no reported counterparts and are considered new detections. Twelve of the radio sources show variability in timescales of weeks to months, suggesting gyrosynchrotron emission produced in active magnetospheres. Only one of the target BDs, FU Tau A, was detected. However, we detected radio emission associated with two of the BD candidates, WL 20S and CHLT 2. The radio flux densities of the sources associated with these BD candidates are more than an order of magnitude larger than expected for a BD and suggest a revision of their classification. In contrast, FU Tau A falls on the well-known correlation between radio luminosity and bolometric luminosity, suggesting that the emission comes from a thermal jet and that this BD seems to be forming as a scaled-down version of low-mass stars.

Characterizing Proto Brown Dwarfs in Serpens

A MULTIWAVELENGTH CHARACTERIZATION OF PROTO-BROWN-DWARF CANDIDATES IN SERPENS

Authors:

Riaz et al

Abstract:

We present results from a deep submillimeter survey in the Serpens Main and Serpens/G3–G6 clusters, conducted with the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA-2) at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. We have combined near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy, Herschel PACS far-infrared photometry, submillimeter continuum, and molecular gas line observations, with the aim of conducting a detailed multiwavelength characterization of "proto-brown-dwarf" (proto-BD) candidates in Serpens. We have performed continuum and line radiative transfer modeling and have considered various classification schemes to understand the structure and the evolutionary stage of the system. We have identified four proto-BD candidates, of which the lowest-luminosity source has an L bol ~ 0.05 L ☉. Two of these candidates show characteristics consistent with Stage 0/I systems, while the other two are Stage I-T/Class Flat systems with tenuous envelopes. Our work has also revealed a ~20% fraction of misidentified Class 0/I/Flat sources that show characteristics consistent with Class II edge-on disk systems. We have set constraints on the mass of the central object using the measured bolometric luminosities and numerical simulations of stellar evolution. Considering the available gas+dust mass reservoir and the current mass of the central source, three of these candidates are likely to evolve into BDs.

The MARVELS-7a ^ MARVELS-7b Question Current Understanding of Planetary Formation

Everything we know about the formation of solar systems might be wrong, says University of Florida astronomy professor Jian Ge and his postdoc, Bo Ma. They've discovered the first "binary-binary" - two massive companions around one star in a close binary system, one so-called giant planet and one brown dwarf, or "failed star" The first, called MARVELS-7a, is 12 times the mass of Jupiter, while the second, MARVELS-7b, has 57 times the mass of Jupiter.

link.

How Brown Dwarfs Form

Self-consistent evolution of accreting low-mass stars and brown dwarfs

Authors:

Barraffe et al

Abstract:

We present self-consistent calculations coupling numerical hydrodynamics simulations of collapsing pre-stellar cores and stellar evolution models of accreting objects. We analyse the main impact of consistent accretion history on the evolution and lithium depletion of young low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. These consistent models confirm the generation of a luminosity spread in Herzsprung-Russell diagrams at ages ∼ 1-10 Myr. They also confirm that early accretion can produce objects with abnormal Li depletion, as found in a previous study that was based on arbitrary accretion rates. The results strengthen that objects with anomalously high level of Li depletion in young clusters should be extremely rare. We also find that early phases of burst accretion can produce coeval models of similar mass with a range of different Li surface abundances, and in particular with Li-excess compared to the predictions of non-accreting counterparts. This result is due to a subtle competition between the effect of burst accretion and its impact on the central stellar temperature, the growth of the stellar radiative core and the accretion of fresh Li from the accretion disk. Only consistent models could reveal such a subtle combination of effects. This new result could explain the recent, puzzling observations of Li-excess of fast rotators in the young cluster NGC 2264. Present self-consistent accreting models are available in electronic form.

IRAS 16253-2429: the First Proto-Brown Dwarf Binary Candidate Identified through Dynamics of Jets

IRAS 16253-2429: the First Proto-Brown Dwarf Binary Candidate Identified through Dynamics of Jets

Authors:

Hsieh et al

Abstract:

The formation mechanism of brown dwarfs (BDs) is one of the long-standing problems in star formation because the typical Jeans mass in molecular clouds is too large to form these substellar objects. To answer this question, it is crucial to study a BD at the embedded phase. IRAS 16253-2429 is classified as a very low luminosity object (VeLLO) with internal luminosity 0.1 Lsun. VeLLOs are believed to be very low-mass protostars or even proto-BDs. We observed the jet/outflow driven by IRAS 16253-2429 in CO (2-1), (6-5), and (7-6) using the IRAM 30 m and APEX telescopes and the SMA in order to study its dynamical features and physical properties. Our SMA map reveals two protostellar jets, indicating the existence of a proto-binary system as implied by the precessing jet detected in H2 emission. We detect a wiggling pattern in the position-velocity diagrams along the jet axes, which is likely due to the binary orbital motion. Based on this, we derive the current mass of the binary as ~0.032 Msun. Given the low envelope mass, IRAS 16253-2429 will form a binary that probably consist of one or two BDs. Furthermore, we found that the outflow force as well as the mass accretion rate are very low based on the multi-transition CO observations, which suggests that the final masses of the binary components are at the stellar/substellar boundary. Since IRAS 16253 is located in an isolated environment, we suggest that BDs can form through fragmentation and collapse like low-mass stars.

Ejection of gaseous clumps from gravitationally unstable protostellar disks

Ejection of gaseous clumps from gravitationally unstable protostellar disks

Authors:

Vorobyov et al

Abstract:

We investigate the dynamics of gaseous clumps formed via gravitational fragmentation in young protostellar disks, focusing on the fragments that are ejected from the disk via many-body gravitational interaction. Numerical hydrodynamics simulations were employed to study the evolution of young protostellar disks formed from the collapse of rotating pre-stellar cores with mass in the 1.1-1.6 M_sun range. Protostellar disks formed in our models undergo gravitational fragmentation driven by continuing mass loading from parental collapsing cores. A few fragments can be ejected from the disk during the early evolution, but the low-mass fragments (less than 15~M_Jup) disperse creating spectacular bow-type structures while passing through the disk and collapsing core. The least massive fragment that survived the ejection (21 M_Jup) straddles the planetary-mass limit, while the most massive ejected fragments (145 M_Jup) can break up into several pieces, leading to the ejection of wide separation binary clumps in the brown-dwarf mass range. About half of the ejected fragments are gravitationally bound, the majority is supported by rotation against gravity, and all fragments have the specific angular momentum that is much higher than that expected for brown dwarfs. We found that the internal structure of the ejected fragments is distinct from what would be expected for gravitationally contracting clumps formed via cloud core fragmentation, which can help to differentiate their origin. The ejection of fragments is an important process inherent to massive protostellar disks, which produces freely-floating pre-brown dwarf cores, regulates the disk and stellar masses, and potentially enriches the intracluster medium with processed dust and complex organics.

A non-uniform distribution of the nearest brown dwarfs

A non-uniform distribution of the nearest brown dwarfs

Authors:

Bihain et al

Abstract:

The census of solar neighbours is still complemented by new discoveries, mainly of very low-mass, faint dwarfs, close to or within the substellar domain. These discoveries contribute to a better understanding of the field population; its origin in terms of Galactic dynamics and (sub)stellar formation and evolution. Also, the nearest stars and brown dwarfs at any given age allow the most precise direct characterization, including the search for planetary companions. We aim to further assess the substellar census on the Galactic plane. We projected the 136 stars and 26 brown dwarfs known at less than 6.5 pc on the Galactic plane and evaluated their distributions. Stars present a uniform- and brown dwarfs a non-uniform distribution, with 21 objects behind the Sun and only five ahead relative to the direction of rotation of the Galaxy. This substellar configuration has a probability of 0.098+10.878−0.098% relative to uniformity. The helio- and geocentric nature of the distribution suggests it might result in part from an observational bias, which if compensated for by future discoveries, might increase the brown-dwarf-to-star ratio, shifting it closer to values found in some star forming regions.

"Hot" Brown Dwarfs may not be Possible Around Stars Larger Than M Dwarfs

Can brown dwarfs survive on close orbits around convective stars?

Authors:

Damiani et al

Abstract:

Brown dwarfs straddle the mass range transition from planetary to stellar objects. There is a relative paucity of brown dwarfs companions around FGKM stars compared to exoplanets for orbital periods less than a few years, but most of the short-period brown dwarf companions fully characterised by transits and radial velocities are found around F-type stars. We examine the hypothesis that brown dwarf companions could not survive on close orbit around stars with important convective envelopes because the tides and angular momentum loss through magnetic breaking should lead to a rapid orbital decay and quick engulfment of the companion. We use a classical Skumanich-type braking law, and constant time-lag tidal theory to assess the characteristic timescale for orbital decay for the brown dwarf mass range as a function of the host properties. We find that F-type stars may host massive companions for a significantly longer time than G-type stars for a given orbital period, which may explain the paucity of G-type hosts for brown dwarfs with orbital period less than 5 days. On the other hand, we show that the small radius of early M-type stars contributes to orbital decay timescales that are only half those of F-type stars, despite their more efficient tidal dissipation and magnetic braking. For fully convective later type M-dwarfs, orbital decay timescales could be orders of magnitude greater than for F-type stars. For orbital periods greater than 10 days, brown dwarf occurrence should largely be unaffected by tidal decay, whatever the mass of the host. On closer orbital periods, the rapid engulfment of massive companions could explain the lack of G and K-type hosts in the sample of known systems with transiting brown dwarfs. However, the paucity of M-type hosts can not be an effect of tidal decay alone, but may be the result of a selection effect in the sample and/or the formation mechanism.

Two Proto Brown Dwarfs Confirmed in Taurus

Two confirmed class I very low-mass objects in Taurus

Authors:

Dang-Duc et al

Abstract:

[GKH94] 41 and IRAS 04191+1523B were previously identified to be proto-brown dwarf candidates in Taurus. [GKH94] 41 was classified to be a class I object. The dereddened spectral energy distribution of the source was later found to be suggestive of a class II object. IRAS 04191+1523B is a class I object that is the secondary component of a binary. We determine the evolutionary stage of [GKH94] 41 and estimate the final masses of the two proto-brown dwarf candidates. We used archive millimeter observations to produce continuum maps and collected data from the literature to construct the spectral energy distribution of the targets. Our continuum maps revealed that both [GKH94] 41 and IRAS 04191+1523B are surrounded by envelopes. This provides direct evidence that [GKH94] 41 is a class I object, not class II, as previously classified. For IRAS 04191+1523B, our continuum map spatially resolved the binary. Our estimated final masses are below 49+56−27 MJ and 75+40−26 MJ for [GKH94] 41 and IRAS 04191+1523B, respectively. This indicates that both sources will likely become brown dwarfs or very low-mass stars. Therefore, [GKH94] 41 and IRAS 04191+1523B are two new confirmed class I very low-mass objects. Their existence also supports the scenario that brown dwarfs have the same formation stages as low-mass stars.

Forming isolated brown dwarfs by turbulent fragmentation

Forming isolated brown dwarfs by turbulent fragmentation

Authors:

Lomax et al

Abstract:

We use Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics to explore the circumstances under which an isolated very-low-mass prestellar core can be formed by colliding turbulent flows and collapse to form a brown-dwarf. Our simulations suggest that the flows need not be very fast, but do need to be very strongly convergent, i.e. the gas must flow in at comparable speeds from all sides, which seems rather unlikely. We therefore revisit the object Oph-B11, which Andre, Ward-Thompson and Greaves (2012) have identified as a prestellar core with mass between ∼0.020M⊙ and ∼0.030M⊙. We reanalyse the observations using a Markov-chain Monte Carlo method that allows us (i) to include the uncertainties on the distance, temperature and dust mass opacity, and (ii) to consider different Bayesian prior distributions of the mass. We estimate that the posterior probability that Oph-B11 has a mass below the hydrogen burning limit at ∼0.075M⊙, is between 0.66 and 0.86. We conclude that, if Oph-B11 is destined to collapse, it probably will form a brown dwarf. However, the flows required to trigger this appear to be so contrived that it is difficult to envisage this being the only way, or even a major way, of forming isolated brown dwarfs. Moreover, Oph-B11 could easily be a transient, bouncing, prolate core, seen end-on; there could, indeed should, be many such objects masquerading as very low-mass prestellar cores.

Searching for pre- and Proto-brown Dwarfs in Chamaeleon II

A submillimeter search for pre- and proto-brown dwarfs in Chamaeleon II

Authors:

de Gregorio-Monsalvo et al

Abstract:

Context.

Chamaeleon II molecular cloud is an active star forming region that offers an excellent opportunity for studying the formation of brown dwarfs in the southern hemisphere. Aims. Our aims are to identify a population of pre- and proto- brown dwarfs (5 sigma mass limit threshold of ~0.015 Msun) and provide information on the formation mechanisms of substellar objects.

Methods.

We performed high sensitivity observations at 870 microns using the LABOCA bolometer at the APEX telescope towards an active star forming region in Chamaeleon II. The data are complemented with an extensive multiwavelength catalogue of sources from the optical to the far-infrared to study the nature of the LABOCA detections.

Results.

We detect fifteen cores at 870 microns, and eleven of them show masses in the substellar regime. The most intense objects in the surveyed field correspond to the submillimeter counterparts of the well known young stellar objects DK Cha and IRAS 12500-7658. We identify a possible proto-brown dwarf candidate (ChaII-APEX-L) with IRAC emission at 3.6 and 4.5 microns.

Conclusions.

Our analysis indicates that most of the spatially resolved cores are transient, and that the point-like starless cores in the sub-stellar regime (with masses between 0.016 Msun and 0.066 Msun) could be pre-brown dwarfs cores gravitationally unstable if they have radii smaller than 220 AU to 907 AU (1.2" to 5" at 178 pc) respectively for different masses. ALMA observations will be the key to reveal the energetic state of these pre-brown dwarfs candidates.

Chemical Tracers of Pre-Brown Dwarf Cores Formed Through Turbulent Fragmentation

Chemical Tracers of Pre-Brown Dwarf Cores Formed Through Turbulent Fragmentation

Authors:

Holdship et al

Abstract:

A gas-grain time dependent chemical code, UCL\_CHEM, has been used to investigate the possibility of using chemical tracers to differentiate between the possible formation mechanisms of brown dwarfs. In this work, we model the formation of a pre-brown dwarf core through turbulent fragmentation by following the depth-dependent chemistry in a molecular cloud through the step change in density associated with an isothermal shock and the subsequent freefall collapse once a bound core is produced. Trends in the fractional abundance of molecules commonly observed in star forming cores are then explored to find a diagnostic for identifying brown dwarf mass cores formed through turbulence. We find that the cores produced by our models would be bright in CO and NH3 but not in HCO+. This differentiates them from models using purely freefall collapse as such models produce cores that would have detectable transitions from all three molecules.

T Class Brown Dwarf Gliese 504b Formed Like a Planet, NOT a Star

The LEECH Exoplanet Imaging Survey: Characterization of the Coldest Directly Imaged Exoplanet, GJ 504 b, and Evidence for Super-Stellar Metallicity

Authors:

Skemer et al

Abstract:

As gas giant planets and brown dwarfs radiate away the residual heat from their formation, they cool through a spectral type transition from L to T, which encompasses the dissipation of cloud opacity and the appearance of strong methane absorption. While there are hundreds of known T-type brown dwarfs, the first generation of directly-imaged exoplanets were all L-type. Recently, Kuzuhara et al. (2013) announced the discovery of GJ 504 b, the first T dwarf exoplanet. GJ 504 b provides a unique opportunity to study the atmosphere of a new type of exoplanet with a ~500 K temperature that bridges the gap between the first directly imaged planets (~1000 K) and our own Solar System's Jupiter (~130 K). We observed GJ 504 b in three narrow L-band filters (3.71, 3.88, and 4.00 microns), spanning the red end of the broad methane fundamental absorption feature (3.3 microns) as part of the LEECH exoplanet imaging survey. By comparing our new photometry and literature photometry to a grid of custom model atmospheres, we were able to fit GJ 504 b's unusual spectral energy distribution for the first time. We find that GJ 504 b is well-fit by models with the following parameters: T_eff=544+/-10 K, g less than 600 m/s^2, [M/H]=0.60+/-0.12, cloud opacity parameter of f_sed=2-5, R=0.96+/-0.07 R_Jup, and log(L)=-6.13+/-0.03 L_Sun, implying a hot start mass of 3-30 M_jup for a conservative age range of 0.1-6.5 Gyr. Of particular interest, our model fits suggest that GJ 504 b has a super-stellar metallicity. Since planet formation can create objects with non-stellar metallicities, while binary star formation cannot, this result suggests that GJ 504 b formed like a planet, not like a binary companion.

Formations of Substellar Bodies From Hydrogen and Helium

Formation of H2-He Substellar Bodies in Cold Conditions: Gravitational Stability of Binary Mixtures in a Phase Transition

Authors:

Füglistaler et al

Abstract:

Molecular clouds consist typically of 3/4 H2, 1/4 He and traces of heavier elements. In an earlier work we showed that at very low temperatures and high densities, H2 can be in a phase transition leading to the formation of ice clumps as large as comets, or even planets. However, He has very different chemical properties and no phase transition is expected before H2 in dense ISM conditions. The gravitational stability of fluid mixtures has been studied before, but not including a phase transition.

We study the gravitational stability of binary fluid mixtures with special emphasis if one component is in a phase transition. The results are aimed at applications in molecular cloud conditions.

We study the gravitational stability of van der Waals fluid mixtures using linearised analysis and examine virial equilibrium conditions using the Lennard-Jones inter-molecular potential. Then, combining the Lennard-Jones and gravitational potentials, the non-linear dynamics of fluid mixtures are studied using the molecular dynamics code LAMMPS.

Besides the classical ideal-gas Jeans instability criterion, a fluid mixture is always gravitationally unstable if it is in a phase transition. In unstable situations the species can separate: in some conditions He precipitates faster than H2, while in other conditions the converse occurs. Also, for an initial gas phase collapse the geometry is essential: contrary to spherical or filamentary collapses, sheet-like collapses starting below 15 K allow to easily reach H2 condensation conditions because then it is the fastest, and both the increase of heating and opacity are limited.

Depending on density, temperature and mass, either rocky H2 planetoids, or gaseous He planetoids form. H2 planetoids are favoured by high density, low temperature and low mass, while He planetoids need more mass and can form at temperature well above the critical one.

DE0823−49 is a Pair of Juvenile Binary L Class Brown Dwarf ~67.5 Light Years Away

DE0823−49 is a juvenile binary brown dwarf at 20.7 pc

Authors:

Sahlmann et al

Abstract:

Astrometric monitoring of the nearby early-L dwarf DE0823−49 has revealed a low-mass companion in a 248-day orbit that was announced in an earlier work. Here, we present new astrometric and spectroscopic observations that allow us to characterise the system in detail. The optical spectrum shows LiI-absorption indicative of a young age and/or substellar mass for the primary component. The near-infrared spectrum is best reproduced by a binary system of brown dwarfs with spectral types of L1.5 + L5.5 and effective temperatures of 2150±100 K and 1670±140 K. To conform with the photocentric orbit size measured with astrometry and the current understanding of substellar evolution, the system must have an age in the 80--500 Myr range. Evolutionary models predict component masses in the ranges of M1≃0.028−0.063M⊙ and M2≃0.018−0.045M⊙ with a mass ratio of q≃0.64−0.74. Multi-epoch radial velocity measurements unambiguously establish the three-dimensional orbit of the system and allow us to investigate its kinematic properties. DE0823−49 emerges as a rare example of a nearby brown dwarf binary with orbit, component properties, and age that are characterised well. It is a juvenile resident of the solar neighbourhood, but does not appear to belong to a known young association or moving group.

First Detection of Thermal Radio Jets of Proto Brown Dwarfs

First detection of thermal radio jets in a sample of proto-brown dwarf candidates

Authors:

Morata et al

Abstract:

We observed with the JVLA at 3.6 and 1.3 cm a sample of 11 proto-brown dwarf candidates in Taurus in a search for thermal radio jets driven by the most embedded brown dwarfs. We detected for the first time four thermal radio jets in proto-brown dwarf candidates. We compiled data from UKIDSS, 2MASS, Spitzer, WISE and Herschel to build the Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of the objects in our sample, which are similar to typical Class~I SEDs of Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). The four proto-brown dwarf candidates driving thermal radio jets also roughly follow the well-known trend of centimeter luminosity against bolometric luminosity determined for YSOs, assuming they belong to Taurus, although they present some excess of radio emission compared to the known relation for YSOs. Nonetheless, we are able to reproduce the flux densities of the radio jets modeling the centimeter emission of the thermal radio jets using the same type of models applied to YSOs, but with corresponding smaller stellar wind velocities and mass-loss rates, and exploring different possible geometries of the wind or outflow from the star. Moreover, we also find that the modeled mass outflow rates for the bolometric luminosities of our objects agree reasonably well with the trends found between the mass outflow rates and bolometric luminosities of YSOs, which indicates that, despite the "excess" centimeter emission, the intrinsic properties of proto-brown dwarfs are consistent with a continuation of those of very low mass stars to a lower mass range. Overall, our study favors the formation of brown dwarfs as a scaled-down version of low-mass stars.

The dynamical evolution of low-mass hydrogen-burning stars, brown dwarfs and planetary-mass objects formed through disc fragmentation

THE DYNAMICAL EVOLUTION OF LOW-MASS HYDROGEN-BURNING STARS, BROWN DWARFS, AND PLANETARY-MASS OBJECTS FORMED THROUGH DISK FRAGMENTATION

Authors:

Li et al

Abstract:

Theory and simulations suggest that it is possible to form low-mass hydrogen-burning stars, brown dwarfs (BDs), and planetary-mass objects (PMOs) via disk fragmentation. As disk fragmentation results in the formation of several bodies at comparable distances to the host star, their orbits are generally unstable. Here, we study the dynamical evolution of these objects. We set up the initial conditions based on the outcomes of the smoothed-particle hydrodynamics simulations of Stamatellos & Whitworth, and for comparison we also study the evolution of systems resulting from lower-mass fragmenting disks. We refer to these two sets of simulations as set 1 and set 2, respectively. At 10 Myr, approximately half of the host stars have one companion left, and approximately 22% (set 1) to 9.8% (set 2) of the host stars are single. Systems with multiple secondaries in relatively stable configurations are common (about 30% and 44%, respectively). The majority of the companions are ejected within 1 Myr with velocities mostly below 5 km s−1, with some runaway escapers with velocities over 30 km s−1. Roughly 6% (set 1) and 2% (set 2) of the companions pair up into very low-mass binary systems, resulting in respective binary fractions of 3.2% and 1.2%. The majority of these pairs escape as very low-mass binaries, while others remain bound to the host star in hierarchical configurations (often with retrograde inner orbits). Physical collisions with the host star (0.43 and 0.18 events per host star for set 1 and set 2, respectively) and between companions (0.08 and 0.04 events per host star for set 1 and set 2, respectively) are relatively common and their frequency increases with increasing disk mass. Our study predicts observable properties of very low-mass binaries, low-mass hierarchical systems, the BD desert, and free-floating BDs and PMOs in and near young stellar groupings, which can be used to distinguish between different formation scenarios of very low-mass stars, BDs, and PMOs.