The ages of L dwarfs

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new method for estimating the ages of young L dwarfs using near-infrared photometry, colours, and distances, leveraging data from known clusters and moving groups.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel age-dating technique for young L dwarfs based on empirical data from multiple stellar associations and moving groups.

Findings

Successfully applied the method to known L dwarf binaries and cluster members.

Provided age estimates for several objects in the literature.

Demonstrated the method's effectiveness for young L dwarf age determination.

Abstract

We present a new method to derive the age of young (<0.7 Gyr) L dwarfs based on their near-infrared photometry, colours, and distances. The method is based on samples of L dwarfs belonging to the Upper Sco association (5 Myr), the Alpha Per (85 Myr) and Pleiades (125 Myr) clusters, and the Ursa Major (400 Myr) and Hyades (625 Myr) moving groups. We apply our method to a number of interesting objects in the literature, including a known L dwarf binary, L dwarf companions, and spectroscopic members of the young sigma Orionis cluster.