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| Paper: |
Observational Clues to Brown Dwarf Origins |
| Volume: |
321, Extrasolar Planets: Today and Tomorrow |
| Page: |
145 |
| Authors: |
Jayawardhana, R. |
| Abstract: |
Brown dwarfs, which straddle the mass range between stars and planets, appear to be common both in the solar neighborhood and in starforming regions. Their origin is a question of much current interest and debate. Studies of young sub-stellar objects could provide valuable insight into their formation and early evolution. Here I report on the results from our observational programs at Keck, VLT, Magellan and IRTF on the disk and accretion properties of young brown dwarfs. We find that many young brown dwarfs exhibit infrared excesses and spectroscopic signatures consistent with accretion disks. We argue that our results make a compelling case for sub-stellar objects undergoing a T Tauri phase analogous to that of their stellar counterparts. |
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