Related papers: Bridging the gap on tight separation brown dwarf b…
High-resolution imaging has revealed an unusually high binary fraction amongst objects spanning the transition between the L dwarf and T dwarf spectral classes. In an attempt to reproduce and unravel the origins of this apparent binary…
We present the results of a high-resolution imaging survey of 12 brown dwarfs and very low mass stars in the closest (~145 pc) young (~5 Myr) OB association, Upper Scorpius. We obtained images with the Advanced Camera for Surveys/High…
Luhman (2013) has reported the discovery of a brown dwarf binary system only 2.01+/-0.15 pc from the Sun. The binary is well-resolved with a projected separation of 1.5", and spectroscopic observations have identified the components as…
Evidence is presented that 2MASS J03202839-0446358, a late-type dwarf with discrepant optical (M8:) and near-infrared (L1) spectral types, is an as-yet unresolved stellar/brown dwarf binary with late-type M dwarf and T dwarf components.…
Binaries provide empirical key constraints for star formation theories, like the overall binary fraction, mass ratio distribution and the separation distribution. They play a crucial role to calibrate the output of theoretical models, like…
We use three field L and T dwarfs which were discovered to be wide companions to known stars by the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) to derive a preliminary brown dwarf companion frequency. Observed L and T dwarfs indicate that brown…
Most brown dwarfs show some level of photometric or spectral variability. However, finding the most variable dwarfs more suited for a thorough variability monitoring campaign remained a challenge until a few years ago with the design of…
I review the optical and near-infrared spectral characteristics of the extremely cool dwarfs grouped under the new classification of type L. These include both very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, and we discuss the likely temperature…
We survey a sample of 32 M5-M8 stars with distance < 40pc for companions with separations between 0.1 arcsec and 1.5 arcsec and with Delta m_i <5. We find five new VLM binaries with separations between 0.15 arcsec and 1.1 arcsec, including…
We describe a search for close spectroscopic dwarf M star binaries using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to address the question of the rate of occurrence of multiplicity in M dwarfs. We use a template fitting technique to…
We present the results of a high-resolution imaging survey of 22 brown dwarfs and very low mass stars in the nearby (~145 pc) young (~1-2 Myr) low-density star-forming region Taurus-Auriga. We obtained images with the Advanced Camera for…
While stars are often found in binary systems, brown dwarf binaries are much rarer. Brown dwarf--brown dwarf pairs are typically difficult to resolve because they often have very small separations. Using brown dwarfs discovered with data…
We present results of a high-resolution, near-infrared survey of 41 nearby, young (<~300 Myr) M0-M5.0 dwarfs using the Altair natural guide star adaptive optics system at the Gemini North telescope. Twelve of the objects appear to be…
Brown dwarfs are compact objects that do not reach temperatures high enough to produce sustained hydrogen fusion. Consequently, they cool over time, gradually evolving through later spectral types. In fact, three new spectral types (L, T,…
We present the first brown dwarf spectral binary characterized with JWST: WISE J014656.66+423410.0, the coldest blended-light brown dwarf binary straddling the T/Y transition. We obtained a moderate resolution (R$\sim$2700) G395H spectrum…
Context. Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) are thought to be in a transitory phase between O stars on the main-sequence and the Wolf-Rayet stage. Recent studies suggest that they might be formed through binary interaction. Only a few are known…
We present 27 new L subdwarfs and classify five of them as esdL and 22 as sdL. Our L subdwarf candidates were selected with the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Spectroscopic follow-up was carried out primarily…
Context: Brown dwarfs exhibit complex atmospheric signatures, and their properties depend sensitively on effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity. Several physical properties of brown dwarfs in binary systems can be well…
The formation of brown dwarfs (BDs) poses a key challenge to star formation theory. The observed dearth of nearby ($\leq 5$ AU) brown dwarf companions to solar-mass stars, known as the brown dwarf desert, as well as the tendency for…
We present a high-contrast imaging survey of intermediate-mass (1.75--4.5 $M_\odot$) stars to search for the most extreme stellar binaries, i.e., for the lowest mass stellar companions. Using adaptive optics at the Lick and Gemini…