Formation and Physical Properties of Substellar Objects

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AST-0507833Michael LiuUniversity of HawaiiFormation and Physical Properties of Substellar ObjectsABSTRACTThe goal of the work is to explore the multiplicity of brown dwarfs, to determine the physicalproperties of substellar binaries, and to find low-temperature/low-mass brown dwarf and planetarycompanions. This is motivated by the need for better statistical properties of substellar populationsin order to understand their formation. The techniques to be used are high angular resolutioninfrared imaging of large samples of brown dwarfs to reveal binary companions (and extract thebinary frequency, separation distribution, and mass ratio distribution of the population) and tosearch for very low temperature (Y-class brown dwarf and planetary) companions, and imagingplus near-IR spectroscopy to determine the physical properties of the binary members (particularlydynamical masses and temperatures, which can in turn be used to test theoretical models). Theproject will be carried out using the Keck Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics system.A postdoctoral fellow will be trained in laser guide star adaptive objects - a growing and potentiallyvery important tool within the astronomical community. The training of an undergraduate is alsoincluded, who will participate through the NSF sponsored Research Experiences forUndergraduates program at the Institute for Astronomy at Hawaii.