Search for brown dwarfs and late M dwarfs in the Hyades and the Pleiades

Journal Article · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/184962· OSTI ID:5831394

Zuckerman, B; Becklin, E E

The J and K colors of 14 white dwarfs that are believed to be single stars and members of either the Hyades or Pleiades clusters or the Hyades supercluster were measured, and no indication of any excess 2.2 micron (K) emission above that expected from the white dwarf was found. Based on recently published theoretical cooling curves for brown dwarfs, the existence of any cool companion stars, with masses greater than approximately 0.03 solar mass within a radius of 6 arcsec of eight white dwarfs in the Hyades cluster and greater than approximately 0.015 solar mass toward the single white dwarf in the Pleiades, is ruled out. This latter limit, only 15 Jupiter masses, is probably the lowest that has yet been established for any star by purely infrared techniques. 21 references.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Los Angeles; Hawaii Univ., Honolulu
• OSTI ID: 5831394
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 319; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COOLING
DENSITY
DWARF STARS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
INFRARED RADIATION
MASS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
STAR CLUSTERS
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS
WHITE DWARF STARS