Program: GN-2008B-Q-80

Title:Spectroscopic follow-up of high proper motion brown dwarf candidates
PI:Etienne Artigau
Co-I(s): Rene Doyon, Jasmin Robert, David Lafreniere, Daniel Nadeau, Loic Albert, Lison Malo

Abstract

We have undertaken a near-infrared proper motion survey (SIMP) to identify new nearby brown dwarfs (BDs) through their large proper motion (PM). Observations are made at the CTIO 1.5m/OMM 1.6m telescopes with the CPAPIR wide-field near-IR camera and the 2MASS survey is used as a first epoch to calculate PMs. The SIMP has covered ~18% of the sky and ~200 new L and T dwarf candidates have been identified, 50 of which have been confirmed with spectroscopy thus far, including the brightest T dwarf in the northern hemisphere and two BD binaries. SIMP will unveil a unique sample of nearby relatively bright BDs that will likely become prime targets for detailed follow-up characterization work. This proposal is to secure NIR JHK spectroscopy of 35 SIMP L and T candidates and determine their spectral type, effective temperature, gravity and metallicity. This proposal goal is part of a larger program, aimed at improving the census of solar neighborhood BDs and determining their fundamental properties, that will impact several fields of sub-stellar astrophysics, from evolutionary/atmosphere modelling to formation mechanism of BDs, and will generate several new BD-related scientific programs.

Publications using this program's data