Related papers: Stars and brown dwarfs, spatial distribution, mult…
The young sigma Orionis cluster is an indispensable basis for understanding the formation and evolution of stars, brown dwarfs and planetary-mass objects. Our knowledge of its stellar population is, however, incomplete. I present the Mayrit…
We investigate the mass function in the substellar domain down to a few Jupiter masses in the young sigma Orionis open cluster (3+/-2 Ma, d = 360^+70_-60 pc). We have performed a deep IJ-band search, covering an area of 790 arcmin^2 close…
We combine results from imaging searches for substellar objects in the sigma Orionis cluster and follow-up photometric and spectroscopic observations to derive a census of the brown dwarf population in a region of 847 arcmin^2. We identify…
(ABRIDGED) We have analysed the near-infrared photometric data from the Fourth Data Release (DR4) of the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Suvey (UKIDSS) Galactic Clusters Survey (GCS) to derive the cluster luminosity and mass functions, evaluate the…
The nearby young sigma Orionis cluster (~360 pc, ~3 Ma) is becoming one of the most important regions for the study of ultra low-mass star formation and its extension down to the mass regimes of the brown dwarfs and planetary-mass objects.…
We present a CCD-based photometric survey covering 870 sq. arcmin in a young stellar cluster around the young multiple star sigma Orionis. Our survey limiting R, I, and Z magnitudes are 23.2, 21.8, and 21.0, respectively. From our…
The sigma Orionis cluster is to date the star-forming region with the largest number of confirmed brown dwarfs and substellar objects below the deuterium burning mass limit. The most massive star, sigma Ori Aa, just in the cluster centre,…
Because of the intense brightness of the OB-type multiple star system sigma Ori, the low-mass stellar and substellar populations close to the centre of the very young sigma Orionis cluster is poorly know. I present an IJHKs survey in the…
We report on our analysis of the VISTA Orion ZYJHKs photometric data (completeness magnitudes Z=22.6 and J=21.0mag) focusing on a circular area of 2798.4 arcmin^2 around the young sigma Orionis star cluster (~3Myr, ~352pc, solar…
Context: The very young sigma Orionis cluster (about 3 Ma) is a cornerstone for the understanding of the formation of stars and substellar objects down to planetary masses. However, its stellar population is far to be completely known.…
Understanding the evolution and dissipation of protoplanetary disks are crucial in star and planet formation studies. We report the protoplanetary disk population in the nearby young $\sigma$ Orionis cluster (d$\sim$408 pc; age$\sim$1.8…
Aims: We look for new regions for the search of substellar objects. Methods: Two circular areas, 45 arcmin-radius each, centred on the young massive star systems Alnilam and Mintaka in the Orion Belt, have been explored. The regions are…
By collecting optical and infrared photometry and low resolution spectroscopy, we have identified a large number of low mass stars and brown dwarf candidates belonging to the young cluster (~5 Myr) associated with the binary star lambda…
Low-mass stars and sub-stellar objects are essential in tracing the initial mass function (IMF). We study the nearby young $\sigma$ Orionis cluster (d$\sim$408 pc; age$\sim$1.8 Myr) using deep NIR photometric data in J, W and H-bands from…
Deep optical imaging is used to study time-domain properties of young brown dwarfs in sigma Orionis over typical rotational time-scales and to search for new substellar and planetary-mass cluster members. We used VIMOS at the VLT to monitor…
I have re-visited the spatial distribution of stars and high-mass brown dwarfs in the sigma Orionis cluster (~3 Ma, ~360 pc). The input was a catalogue of 340 cluster members and candidates at separations less than 30 arcmin to sigma Ori…
Whilst there is a generally accepted evolutionary scheme for the formation of low-mass stars, the analogous processes when moving down in mass to the brown dwarfs regime are not yet well understood. In this first paper we try to build the…
We have obtained low-resolution optical (0.7-0.98 micron) and near-infrared (1.11-1.34 micron and 0.8-2.5 micron) spectra of twelve isolated planetary-mass candidates (J = 18.2-19.9 mag) of the 3-Myr sigma Orionis star cluster with a view…
We report very intense and variable Halpha emission (pseudo-equivalent widths of ~180, 410 A) of S Ori 55, a probable free-floating, M9-type substellar member of the young sigma Orionis open star cluster. After comparison with…
Context. Although many studies have been performed so far, there are still dozens of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in the young sigma Orionis open cluster without detailed spectroscopic characterisation. Aims. We look for unknown strong…