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| Paper: |
Candidate Planetary Mass Objects in Rho Ophiuchi |
| Volume: |
448, 16th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun |
| Page: |
639 |
| Authors: |
Haisch Jr., K. E.; Barsony, M.; Tinney, C. |
| Abstract: |
We report the results of the first deep, wide-field, near-infrared methane imaging survey of the ρ Ophiuchi cloud core to search for T dwarfs. Among the 6587 objects detected, 22 were identified as T dwarf candidates. Brown dwarf models indicate that at the age and distance of the ρ Ophiuchi cloud, these T dwarf candidates have masses between 1 and 2 Jupiter masses. If confirmed as genuine T dwarfs, these objects would be the youngest, lowest mass, and lowest gravity free-floating objects ever directly observed. The existence of these candidates suggests that the initial mass function of the ρ Ophiuchi cloud extends well into the regime of planetary mass objects. |
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