Show simple item record

dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1951/55420
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11401/70985
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.en_US
dc.formatMonograph
dc.format.mediumElectronic Resourceen_US
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherThe Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
dc.typeDissertation
dcterms.abstractBrown dwarfs are a recent addition to the plethora of objects studied in Astronomy. With theoretical masses between 13 and 75 M<sub>Jupiter</sub>, they lack sustained stable Hydrogen burning so they never join the stellar main sequence. They have physical properties similar to both planets and low--mass stars so studies of their population inform on both. The distances and kinematics of brown dwarfs provide key statistical constraints on their ages, moving group membership, absolute brightnesses, evolutionary trends, and multiplicity. Yet, until my thesis, fundamental measurements of parallax and proper motion were made for only a relatively small fraction of the known population. To address this deficiency, I initiated the Brown Dwarf Kinematics (BDKP). Over the past four years I have re-imaged the majority of spectroscopically confirmed field brown dwarfs (or ultracool dwarfs--UCDs) and created the largest proper motion catalog for ultracool dwarfs to date. Using new astrometric information I examined population characteristics such as ages calculated from velocity dispersions and correlations between kinematics and colors. Using proper motions, I identified several new wide co-moving companions and investigated binding energy (and hence formation) limitations as well as the frequency of hierarchical companions. Concurrently over the past four years I have been conducting a parallax survey of 84 UCDs including those showing spectral signatures of youth, metal-poor brown dwarfs, and those within 20 pc of the Sun. Using absolute magnitude relations in J,H, and K, I identified overluminous binary candidates and investigated known flux-reversal binaries. Using current evolutionary models, I compared the M<sub>K</sub> vs J-K color magnitude diagram to model predictions and found that the low-surface gravity dwarfs are significantly redward and underluminous of predictions and a handful of late-type T dwarfs may require thicker clouds to account for their scatter.
dcterms.available2012-05-15T18:03:16Z
dcterms.available2015-04-24T14:45:25Z
dcterms.contributorWalter, Frederick M.en_US
dcterms.contributorMichael M. Sharaen_US
dcterms.contributorBurgasser, Adamen_US
dcterms.contributorMichael Zingaleen_US
dcterms.contributorAnand Sivaramakrishnanen_US
dcterms.contributorDan Davis.en_US
dcterms.creatorFaherty, Jackie Kelly
dcterms.dateAccepted2012-05-15T18:03:16Z
dcterms.dateAccepted2015-04-24T14:45:25Z
dcterms.dateSubmitted2012-05-15T18:03:16Z
dcterms.dateSubmitted2015-04-24T14:45:25Z
dcterms.descriptionDepartment of Physicsen_US
dcterms.formatApplication/PDFen_US
dcterms.formatMonograph
dcterms.identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/1951/55420
dcterms.identifierFaherty_grad.sunysb_0771E_10324.pdfen_US
dcterms.identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/11401/70985
dcterms.issued2010-12-01
dcterms.languageen_US
dcterms.provenanceMade available in DSpace on 2012-05-15T18:03:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Faherty_grad.sunysb_0771E_10324.pdf: 7290413 bytes, checksum: 9f3b61ecd8a2b9e2556b98da355d35a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1en
dcterms.provenanceMade available in DSpace on 2015-04-24T14:45:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 Faherty_grad.sunysb_0771E_10324.pdf.jpg: 1894 bytes, checksum: a6009c46e6ec8251b348085684cba80d (MD5) Faherty_grad.sunysb_0771E_10324.pdf.txt: 628894 bytes, checksum: 67a9ddde490dd8ce8daa714940879b37 (MD5) Faherty_grad.sunysb_0771E_10324.pdf: 7290413 bytes, checksum: 9f3b61ecd8a2b9e2556b98da355d35a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1en
dcterms.publisherThe Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
dcterms.subjectAstrometry, Binaries, Brown Dwarf, Kinematics, Low-mass Stars, Parallax
dcterms.subjectAstrophysics -- Astronomy -- Physics
dcterms.titleThe Brown Dwarf Kinematics Project
dcterms.typeDissertation


Files in this item

Thumbnail

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record