A possible dividing line between massive planets and brown-dwarf companions
Abstract
Brown dwarfs are intermediate objects between planets and stars. The lower end of the brown-dwarf mass range overlaps with the one of massive planets and therefore the distinction between planets and brown-dwarf companions may require to trace the individual formation process. We present results on new potential brown-dwarf companions of Sun-like stars, which were discovered using CORALIE radial-velocity measurements. By combining the spectroscopic orbits and Hipparcos astrometric measurements, we have determined the orbit inclinations and therefore the companion masses for many of these systems. This has revealed a mass range between 25 and 45 Jupiter masses almost void of objects, suggesting a possible dividing line between massive planets and sub-stellar companions.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1012.1319,
title = {A possible dividing line between massive planets and brown-dwarf companions},
author = {Johannes Sahlmann and Damien Segransan and Didier Queloz and Stephane Udry},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1012.1319},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to IAUS 276 conference proceedings