We present the results of a deep, optical/IR wide field imaging survey of selected fields in the nearby (d~ 140 pc) Taurus star-forming region. We report the discovery of 9 new members with spectral types M5.75–M9.5. We derive an Initial Mass Function encompassing 54% of the known members in Taurus. Comparison with dense regions like the Trapezium Cluster in Orion shows that Taurus has produced x2 less brown dwarfs. We suggest that the lower frequency of brown dwarfs in Taurus may result from the low-density star-forming environment, leading to larger minimum Jeans masses.

We report the discovery of the first young brown dwarf in the Serpens cloud (BD-Ser 1). It is obscured by more than ten magnitudes of visual absorption as indicated by near infrared (NIR) photometric survey at the NTT and confirmed by NIR spectroscopy at the VLT. We estimate the mass of this brown dwarf to be M ~ 0.05 M⊙ and its age to be ~ 3.5 Myr. Available NIR indices in the literature (designed for field brown dwarfs) fail to provide its current spectral type but using a model they correctly determine its future spectral type to be T. This is the first young brown dwarf ever found deeply embedded in the Serpens star formation region

We are currently conducting three kinds of IR surveys of star forming regions (SFRs) in order to seek for very low-mass young stellar populations. First is a deep JHKs-bands (simultaneous) survey with the SIRIUS camera on the IRSF 1.4m or the UH 2.2m telescopes. Second is a very deep JHKs survey with the CISCO IR camera on the Subaru 8.2m telescope. Third is a high resolution companion search around nearby YSOs with the CIAO adaptive optics coronagraph IR camera on the Subaru. In this contribution, we describe our SIRIUS camera and present preliminary results of the ongoing surveys with this new instrument.

We briefly describe recent studies of the low-mass young stellar populations including substellar objects and of their luminosity functions and mass functions, especially at lower-ends, in different star-forming regions. The mass function is determined by the technique based on the near-infrared photometry for estimating stellar luminosities and then translating them into stellar masses. We compare the local environmental characteristics of regions in which high-mass stars form with those of regions producing only low-mass stars and intermediate stars. We find that there exist numerous very low-mass YSO candidates including young brown dwarfs and young isolated objects with planetary masses in common. Further, the luminosity functions and mass functions in the star-forming regions might not have a uniform shape below the hydrogen-burning limit.

We present an analysis of low-resolution infrared spectra for 25 brown dwarf candidates in the NGC 1333 molecular cloud. Candidates were chosen on the basis of their association with the high column density cloud core, and near-infrared fluxes and colors. We compare the depths of water vapor absorption bands in our candidate objects with a grid of dwarf, subgiant, and giant standards to determine spectral types which are independent of reddening. These data are used to derive effective temperatures and bolometric luminosities which, when combined with theoretical tracks and isochrones for pre-main sequence objects, enable us to estimate masses and ages. Depending on the models considered, a total of 9 to 20 brown dwarfs are identified with a median of age of <1 Myr.

I present the latest results in a continuing effort to spectroscopically identify the substellar members of the young cluster IC 348. I have combined new images at I and Z with IR photometry from previous studies and from 2MASS and selected candidate members of the cluster across a larger area and at lower masses than probed in previous surveys. After observing these candidates with spectroscopy, the latest census for IC 348 contains 234 members with spectral types, 22 of which are later than M6 and thus are probably substellar. Individual masses of cluster members are estimated by combining their positions on the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram with theoretical evolutionary models. From an extinction-limited sample of members (AV ≤ 4), I construct an IMF for IC 348 that should be complete down to 0.02 M⊙. This IMF is compared to a similarly derived mass function for Taurus by Briceño et al. (2002); these data provide clear evidence for a variation of the IMF with star-forming conditions.

The σ Orionis cluster (~3 Myr, 350 pc) is an ideal site to investigate the early evolution of substellar (brown dwarf and planetary mass) objects. To date, the cluster photometric and spectroscopic sequence of free-floaters is known for a wide mass range from 1 M⊙ down to roughly 3 MJup. The substellar domain covers spectral types that go from mid-M classes to the recently defined “methane” T-types, i.e., surface temperatures between ~3000K and 800 K. We derive a rising initial substellar mass function in the mass interval of 150–5 MJup (dN/dM ~ M-α, with α = 0.9 ± 0.4). We also find evidence for a extension of this mass function toward lower masses down to 2–3 MJup. This indicates that the population of isolated planetary mass objects with masses below the deuterium burning threshold is rather abundant in the cluster.

VRI images within the belt of Orion and the Ori OB1a association reveal a pre-main sequence locus extending to below our completeness limit of about V=21. We report here on followup JHK imaging and optical and near–IR spectroscopy of the faintest and reddest of the PMS candidates. We find that they are unreddened mid-to-late M “stars” which fall on a few million year isochrone. Masses are largely substellar, reaching as low as about 0.02 M⊙ (20 Jovian masses). The space density of the substellar objects is high.

We have photometrically identified eleven candidate brown dwarfs in 0.2 deg2 of the Orion OB1b association. This is consistent with a rising mass function down to ~0.06M⊙. Assuming the IMF of Kroupa (2002) this suggests a population of 40–200 brown dwarfs per deg2 (0.01M<0.075M⊙).

We discuss evidence for and properties of disks associated with brown dwarfs in the star-forming region ρ Oph. We derived photospheric parameters from low resolution near infrared spectroscopy and modeled the mid-infrared excess of nine substellar object candidates in the ρ OphISOCAM survey of Bontemps et al. (2001). In all cases, the mid-infrared excess is consistent with the SED expected from irradiated disks. These results suggest that circumstellar disks are commonly associated to young brown dwarfs and planetary-mass objects. Finally, we discuss the possibility of using these data to discriminate between various formation scenarios for substellar objects.

We present some results from a systematic survey for disks around spectroscopically identified young brown dwarfs and very low mass stars. We find that ≈75% of our sample show intrinsic IR excesses, indicative of circum(sub)stellar disks. The observed excesses are well-correlated with Hα emission, consistent with a common disk accretion origin. Because the excesses are modest, conventional analyses using only IR colors would have missed most of the sources with disks. In the same star-forming regions, we find that disks around brown dwarfs and T Tauri stars are contemporaneous; assuming coevality, this demonstrates that substellar disks are at least as long-lived as stellar disks. Altogether, the frequency and properties of circumstellar disks are similar from the stellar regime down to the substellar and planetary-mass regime. This offers compelling evidence of a common origin for most stars and brown dwarfs.

We present the first mid-infrared (MIR) detection of a field brown dwarf (BD) and the first ground-based MIR measurements of a disk around a young BD candidate. We prove the absence of warm dust surrounding the field BD LP 944–20. In the case of the young BD candidate Cha Hα2, we find clear evidence for thermal dust emission from a disk. Surprisingly, the object does not exhibit any silicate feature as previously predicted. We show that the flat spectrum can be explained by an optically thick flat dust disk but not by a flared one.

Studies of disks around young brown dwarfs are of paramount importance to our understanding of the origin, diversity and early evolution of sub-stellar objects. Here we present first results from a systematic search for disk emission in a spectroscopically confirmed sample of young objects near or below the sub-stellar boundary in a variety of star-forming regions. Our VLT and Keck L'-band observations of the σ Orionis and TW Hydrae associations suggest that if a majority of brown dwarfs are born with disks, at least the inner regions of those disks evolve rapidly, possibly clearing out within a few million years.

We have investigated evidence for active accretion in a sample of ~ 30 young, very low mass objects, including at least 10 brown dwarfs. About 30% of the sample exhibits broad, asymmetric Hα emission line profiles, indicative of gas accretion via magnetospheric infall. There is a distinct lack of associated optical continuum veiling in these accretors, suggesting very low mass accretion rates. Our models yield an upper limit to the accretion rates that is several orders of magnitude smaller than typical of higher-mass T Tauri stars, suggesting a dependence of accretion rates with stellar mass.

We present high resolution optical spectra obtained with the Keck I telescope of low mass T Tauri stars and brown dwarfs in the Taurus star forming region. Based on the inferred photospheric and circumstellar properties, we conclude that objects in Taurus with masses as low as 50 Jupiters form and evolve in the same way as higher-mass T Tauri stars, but with smaller disks and shorter disk lifetimes.

We report new estimates for the lower mass function of 5 young open clusters spanning an age range from 80 to 150 Myr. In all studied clusters, the mass function across the stellar/substellar boundary (~ 0.072 M⊙) and up to 0.4 M⊙ is consistent with a power-law with an exponent α ⋍ –0.5 ± 0.1, i.e., dN/dM ∝ M-0.5.

By collecting optical and infrared photometry, as well as medium resolution spectroscopy, we have discovered a sample of low mass stars and brown dwarfs in the young cluster IC2391. Using the lithium depletion boundary near the substellar limit, we have estimated the age of the cluster as ~50 Myr. We have also studied the Hα emission in this sample.

We have obtained a new, deep, wide-field optical imaging survey of the young Alpha Persei cluster which reveals a well-populated lower main sequence extending into the substellar mass regime. Subsequent infrared photometry confirms that most of the candidate brown dwarfs are indeed likely to be cluster members, with a predicted minimum mass of order 0.035 solar masses. We have combined the new candidate list with previous member catalogs to derive an IMF for Alpha Per; the slope of the IMF at the low mass end is α ~ 0.66. The Alpha Per IMF slope is thus very similar to that found in the Pleiades.

We present evidence for a drop in the luminosity function around spectral type M7–M8. This shows in both field stars and the clusters σ–Orionis, the Trapezium, IC 348, IC 2391, α–Perseii, the Pleiades and, possibly, the globular cluster M4. This can be explained by a sudden drop in the luminosity-mass relation. Theoretical models, which include dust, do not show this effect, although they predict dust forming at about spectral type M7. We suggest that this drop in the luminosity-mass relation could be modelled by considering larger size dust grains. The drop in the luminosity-mass relation suggests that star/brown dwarf masses below M7–M8 will be larger than predicted by current models.

We present a statistical method to derive the mass functions of open clusters using sky survey data such as the 2 Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) and the Guide Star Catalogue (GSC). We have used this method to derive the mass functions in the stellar/substellar regime of three young, nearby open clusters, namely IC 348, σ Orionis and Pleiades. The mass function in the low mass range (M< 0.50M⊙) is appreciably flatter than the stellar Salpeter function for all three open clusters. The contribution of objects below 0.5 M⊙ to the total mass of the cluster is ~40% and the contribution of objects below 0.08 M⊙ to the total is ~4%.