Related papers: Pre-Main Sequence models for low-mass stars and br…
We report the discovery of a double-lined, spectroscopic, eclipsing binary in the Orion star-forming region. We analyze the system spectroscopically and photometrically to empirically determine precise, distance-independent masses, radii,…
Over the past year, we have conducted a multi-faceted program to investigate the origin and early evolution of brown dwarfs. Using high-resolution Keck optical spectra of ~30 objects near and below the sub-stellar boundary in several…
The fundamental properties of low-mass stars are not as well understood as those of their more massive counterparts. The best method for constraining these properties, especially masses and radii, is to study eclipsing binary systems, but…
There is no universally acknowledged criterion to distinguish brown dwarfs from planets. Numerous studies have used or suggested a definition based on an object's mass, taking the ~13-Jupiter mass (M_J) limit for the ignition of deuterium.…
The properties of multiple stellar systems have long provided important empirical constraints for star formation theories, enabling (along with several other lines of evidence) a concrete, qualitative picture of the birth and early…
Stellar evolution models of massive stars are very sensitive to the adopted mass-loss scheme. The magnitude and evolution of mass-loss rates significantly affect the main sequence evolution, and the properties of post-main sequence objects,…
We present a grid of evolutionary calculations for metal-poor low-mass stars for a variety of initial helium and metal abundances. The intention is mainly to provide a database for deriving directly stellar ages of halo and globular cluster…
We present results from a near-infrared spectroscopic study of candidate brown dwarfs and low mass stars in the young cluster NGC 2024. Using FLAMINGOS on the KPNO 2.1m and 4m telescopes, we have obtained spectra of ~70 new members of the…
Precise astrometric measurement with Gaia satellite resulted in the discovery of tens of wide binary systems consisting of a Sun-like star and an invisible component. The latter can be a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole. In this…
We present results of a systematic investigation of the evolution of low-mass (0.35, 0.40, and 0.65 solar mass) helium donors in semidetached binaries with accretors - white dwarfs. In the initial models of evolutionary sequences abundance…
We present the results of a simulation to investigate the prospects of measuring mass, age, radius, metallicity and luminosity data for brown dwarfs in fully eclipsing binary systems around late K and early M dwarfs identified by…
We discuss accretion and outflow properties of three very low-mass young stellar objects based on broad-band mid-resolution X-Shooter/VLT spectra. Our targets (FU TauA, 2M 1207-39, and Par-Lup3-4) have spectral types between M5 and M8, ages…
We discuss the evolutionary properties of primordial massive and very massive stars, supposed to have formed from metal-free gas. Stellar models are presented over a large range of initial masses (8 Msun <= Mi <= 1000 Msun), covering the…
We explore the evolution of hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-deficient white dwarf stars with masses between 1.012 and 1.307 Msun, and initial metallicity of Z=0.02. These sequences are the result of main sequence stars with masses between 8.8…
We expand upon the results of Close et al. 2005 regarding the young, low-mass object AB Dor C and its role as a calibration point for theoretical tracks. We present an improved spectral reduction and a new orbital solution with two…
We show that the dearth of brown dwarfs in short-period orbits around Solar-mass stars - the brown dwarf desert - can be understood as a consequence of inward migration within an evolving protoplanetary disc. Brown dwarf secondaries forming…
The evolution of helium stars with masses of 1.5 - 6.7 M_sun in binary systems with a 1.4 M_sun neutron-star companion is presented. Such systems are assumed to be the remnants of Be/X-ray binaries with B-star masses in the range of 8 - 20…
We suggest that low-mass hydrogen-burning stars like the Sun should sometimes form with massive extended discs; and we show, by means of radiation hydrodynamic simulations, that the outer parts of such discs (R>100 AU) are likely to…
Planets have been detected around a variety of stars, including low-mass objects, such as brown dwarfs. However, such extreme cases are challenging for planet formation models. Recent sub-millimeter observations of disks around brown dwarf…
(abbreviated) The evolution of intermediate mass stars at very low metallicity during their final thermal pulse asymptotic giant branch phase is studied in detail. As representative examples models with initial masses of 4Msun and 5Msun…