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Searching for Photometric Variability across the L, T & Y Dwarf Sequence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 January 2014

A. Rajan ,
P. A. Wilson ,
J. Patience ,
F. Pont  and
R. J. De Rosa
A. Rajan
Affiliation:
School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZUSA85281 email: arajan6@asu.edu
P. A. Wilson
Affiliation:
Astrophysics Group, School of Physics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK
J. Patience
Affiliation:
School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZUSA85281 email: arajan6@asu.edu Astrophysics Group, School of Physics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK
F. Pont
Affiliation:
Astrophysics Group, School of Physics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK
R. J. De Rosa
Affiliation:
School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZUSA85281 email: arajan6@asu.edu
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Abstract

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To investigate the atmospheres of ultracool brown dwarfs with temperatures covering the range of transiting and directly imaged planets, we have monitored a sample of 76 L, T and Y brown dwarfs for infrared photometric variability. This survey was conducted in the J-band using both the SOFI camera on the 3.5-m NTT and the SWIRC camera on the 6.5-m MMT. Each target was observed for a period ranging from 2.0 hours to 6.0 hours, covering a significant fraction of the expected rotation period. Breakup of the iron and silicate clouds into a patchy cloud layer has been suggested as an explanation for the variability of several objects identified at the L/T transition, and a similar process with sulfide clouds may be manifest in T/Y transition objects; our data provides the first test of these patchy cloud scenarios across the entire brown dwarf spectral range.

Keywords

stars: low-massbrown dwarfsstars:variables:otherstechniques: photometric
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 8 , Symposium S299: Exploring the Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems , June 2013 , pp. 301 - 302
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2013 

References

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