Physical parameters of young M-type stars and brown dwarfs with VOSA*

A. Bayo1,2, C. Rodrigo3,4, D. Barrado3 E. Solano3,4, F. Allard5 and V. Joergens1
1Max Planck Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
2European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile
3Depto. Astrofísica, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), P. O. Box 78, E-28691 Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain
4Spanish Virtual Observatory, Spain
5Centre de Recherche Astronomique de Lyon (CRAL), École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 69364, Lyon, France

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Abstract

Although M dwarfs are the most common stars in our stellar neighborhood they are still among the least understood. This class of objects is dominated by dramatic changes: in their interiors (fully convective, with implications in angular momentum evolution), in their atmospheres (crossing temperatures where dust settling occurs), and in their nature (including both, stellar and substellar objects).
Populating efficiently our solar neighborhood, they are very well represented in the databases coming from new and more sensitive surveys that provide photometry at many wavelength ranges and cover large areas of the sky (few examples among many others are GALEX, SDSS, 2MASS, WISE and VISTA).
In this context of opulence of objects and data, the Virtual Observatory comes in naturally as an excellent framework to efficiently advance in the knowledge of M-type sources. We put special emphasis in the benefits of using the new capabilities of VOSA (Virtual Observatory SED Analyzer, Bayo et al. 2008; in operation since 2008 and in constant development) to study large samples of candidate and confirmed M members of Chamaeleon I.



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Keywords : stars: low-mass, brown dwarfs – stars: fundamental parameters – infrared: stars – stars: formation