NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2002B-0121
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2002B-0121 |
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PI: I. Neill Reid, STScI, inr@stsci.edu
Address: 3900 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21053, USA
CoI: Kelle L. Cruz, University of Pennsylvania
CoI: J. Liebert, University of Arizona
Title: Meeting the Neighbours
Abstract:
We are currently undertaking the first systematic, large-scale
survey for nearby ultracool dwarfs, using 2MASS data to search for late-
M and L dwarfs within 20 parsecs of the Sun. Follow-up observations of
our JHK-selected sample have already identified 76 L dwarfs, including
40 new discoveries. 159 priority targets remain, including the
faintest, reddest sources. These could double the number of L dwarfs in
the sample as a whole, with a corresponding effect on the derived local
number density. We propose to obtain observations of most of those
targets in this proposal. We will use intermediate resolution optical
spectroscopy to determine accurate distances and luminosities, as well
as characterising the level of chromospheric activity. Our goal is a
definitive determination of the luminosity function for late-M and L
dwarfs, and hence a statistically robust derivation of the mass function
across the hydrogen-burning limit.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2002B-0121 |
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