Related papers: L-dwarf variability: Magnetic star spots or non-un…
The Sun has long been considered a constant star, to the extent that its total irradiance was termed the solar constant. It required radiometers in space to detect the small variations in solar irradiance on timescales of the solar rotation…
We present new L' (3.75 um) photometry of six L and T dwarfs, and M' (4.70 um) photometry of ten L and T dwarfs, observed at Gemini Observatory, and new 3.55, 4.49, 5.73 and 7.87 um photometry of nine L and T dwarfs, obtained with the…
We have monitored the photometric variability of nine field L and T brown dwarfs for 10 nights during the course of one month with the Palomar 60 inch Telescope Near-Infrared Camera. Results of statistical analyses indicate that at least…
By combining rotation periods with spectroscopic determinations of projected rotation velocity, Jackson, Jeffries & Maxted (2009) have found that the mean radii for low-mass M-dwarfs in the young, open cluster NGC 2516 are larger than model…
Strong magnetic fields are observed in a substantial fraction of upper main sequence stars and white dwarfs. Many such stars are observed to exhibit photometric modulations as the magnetic poles rotate in and out of view, which could be a…
It has long been thought that starspots are not present in the A and B stars because magnetic fields cannot be generated in stars with radiative envelopes. Space observations show that a considerable fraction of these stars vary in light…
We present multi-colour photometry of the M8.5V ultracool dwarf "pulsar" TVLM 513-46546 (hereafter TVLM 513) obtained with the triple-beam photometer ULTRACAM. Data were obtained simultaneously in the Sloan-g' and Sloan-i' bands. The…
A small fraction of hot OBA stars host global magnetic fields with field strengths of the order of 0.1-10 kG. This leads to the creation of persistent surface structures (spots) in stars with sufficiently weak winds as a result of the…
We present a photometric variability survey of young planetary-mass objects using the New Technology Telescope in the Js and Ks bands. Surface gravity plays an important role in the atmospheric structure of brown dwarfs, as young low…
Models of brown dwarf atmospheres suggest they exhibit complex physical behaviour. Observations have shown that they are indeed dynamic, displaying small photometric variations over timescales of hours. Here I report results of infrared…
Brown dwarfs -- substellar bodies more massive than planets but not massive enough to initiate the sustained hydrogen fusion that powers self-luminous stars -- are born hot and slowly cool as they age. As they cool below about 2,300 K,…
While many M dwarfs are known to have strong magnetic fields and high levels of magnetic activity, we are still unsure about the properties of their starspots and the origin of their magnetic dynamos. Both starspots and chromospheric…
We discuss the behaviour of the JHKL'M' colors of L and T dwarfs, based on photometric and spectroscopic data obtained at the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope in Hawaii. We have measured the first accurate M' photometry for L and T dwarfs.…
We present the first detection of photometric variability of a spectroscopically-confirmed Y dwarf. The Infrared Array Camera on board the Spitzer Space Telescope was used to obtain times series photometry at 3.6 and 4.5 microns over a…
We report the discovery of a photometric variability in the bright T2.5 brown dwarf SIMP J013656.5+093347. Continuous J-band photometry has been obtained for several hours on four different nights. The light curves show a periodic…
The galactic magnetic chemically peculiar (mCP) stars of the upper main sequence are well known as periodic spectral and light variables. The observed variability is obviously caused by the uneven distribution of overabundant chemical…
One of the puzzles to have emerged from the Kepler and TESS missions is the existence of unexplained dips in the lightcurves of a small fraction of rapidly-rotating M dwarfs in young open clusters and star-forming regions. We present a…
Blue horizontal-branch stars are Population II objects which are burning helium in their core and possess a hydrogen-burning shell and radiative envelope. Because of their low rotational velocities, diffusion has been predicted to work in…
The light curves of magnetic, chemically peculiar stars typically show periodic variability due to surface spots that in most cases can be modeled by low-order harmonic expansion. However, high-precision satellite photometry reveals tiny…
We make use of the high photometric precision of Kepler to search for periodic modulations among 14 normal (DA- and DB-type, likely non-magnetic) hot white dwarfs (WDs). In five, and possibly up to seven of the WDs, we detect periodic, ~2…