NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2010B-0287
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2010B-0287 |
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PI: Gaspard Duchene, UC Berkeley (Astronomy), gduchene@berkeley.edu
Address: Department of Astronomy, 601 Campbell Hall #3411, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3411, USA
CoI: Catarina Alves de Oliveira, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble
CoI: Estelle Moraux, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble
CoI: Jerome Bouvier, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble
CoI: Herve Bouy, European Space Astronomy Centre (ESA)
Title: Identification of Very Low Mass Brown Dwarfs in IC348
Abstract:
We propose to perform near-infrared low resolution spectroscopic follow-up
observations with NIRI/Gemini North of 15 planetary mass brown dwarf (BD)
candidates in IC 348 (300pc, 3Myr). The sample was identified from a
wide-field deep photometric survey using MegaCam and WIRCam/CFHT. The
proposed observations will allow us to confirm the membership of the
candidates via the study of spectral youth indicators, to derive the spectral
types and reddening, and assess the low mass nature of the confirmed sources
by placing them in a H-R diagram. This will represent an unprecendent sample
to eventually achieving a complete census of the low-mass population in IC
348, ideally suited to constrain the stellar, substellar and planet formation
processes.
Over the last decade, a number of large deep surveys (UKIDSS, GDPS, C2d,
GOODS, PanSTARR, and more modestly the one we present here) have lead to some
of the most important discoveries in the field of substellar star formation.
The outcoming samples usually require follow-up time on 8m-class telescopes,
without which the time, money and expertise invested in these large programs
are not returned. An observatory like Gemini provides a unique opportunity to
obtain these follow-up observations and achieve the final scientific goals of
these surveys.
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 > 2010B-0287 |
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