The Likelihood of Hosting Undetected Brown Dwarfs in the Solar Vicinity

TL;DR

This paper estimates the probability of undetected brown dwarfs existing near the Sun, suggesting a significant chance of a nearby brown dwarf within 1.2 parsecs, and discusses why it remains undiscovered.

Contribution

It provides a new probabilistic model for the presence of undetected brown dwarfs in the solar neighborhood based on corrected observational data.

Findings

Approximately 50% chance of a brown dwarf within 1.2 parsecs

Discussion on possible multiplicity of the undetected object

Analysis of reasons for non-detection so far

Abstract

Based on the spatial distribution of objects in the solar neighbourhood with a radius of 20 parsecs, and after correcting for the incompleteness of observational data, an expression was obtained for estimating the probability of finding an object at a given distance from the Sun. According to these estimates, with a probability of about 0.5, there exists a brown dwarf in the immediate solar vicinity (< 1.2 pc). The possible multiplicity of this hypothetical object is discussed, as well as the reasons why it has not yet been detected.