Interferometric Identification of a Pre-Brown Dwarf

TL;DR

This paper reports the first interferometric detection of a pre-brown dwarf core, providing evidence that brown dwarfs form through the same process as stars, based on millimeter observations of a gas and dust condensation.

Contribution

It presents the first direct interferometric identification of a pre-brown dwarf core, supporting star-like formation models for brown dwarfs.

Findings

Detected a self-gravitating gas and dust core with mass ~0.02-0.03 Msun.

Core radius is less than 460 AU, indicating a compact object.

Spectral lines suggest a dynamical mass of 0.015-0.02 Msun.

Abstract

It is not known whether brown dwarfs (stellar-like objects with masses less than the hydrogen-burning limit, 0.075 Msun) are formed in the same way as solar-type stars or by some other process. Here we report the clear-cut identification of a self-gravitating condensation of gas and dust with a mass in the brown-dwarf regime, made through millimeter interferometric observations. The level of thermal millimeter continuum emission detected from this object indicates a mass ~ 0.02-0.03 Msun, while the small radius < 460 AU and narrow spectral lines imply a dynamical mass of 0.015-0.02 Msun. The identification of such a pre-brown dwarf core supports models according to which brown dwarfs are formed in the same manner as hydrogen-burning stars.