| Description |
Disks around young brown dwarfs are a valuable test regime
for our current understanding of star and planet formation.
The disk sizes and masses are key indicators to assess the
significance of dynamical encounters for the formation of
very low mass objects. The disk mass, together with the
properties of the dust, also constrains the potential for
planet formation around brown dwarfs, which can be used
to evaluate the diversity and ubiquity of planetary systems.
To tackle these science goals, we need constraints on the global
characteristics of brown dwarf disks. This requires multi-wavelength
observations of the far-infrared/submm continuum to trace the
distribution and properties of the dust in the disk, as well as
line spectroscopy to probe for the presence and amount of gas
in the disk. Herschel is uniquely suited for such a project.
Here we propose to observe a well-characterised and carefully
selected sample of 16 brown dwarfs with PACS and SPIRE
photometry, complemented by PACS line spectroscopy for the
3 brightest objects. We expect to provide the first
robust assessments of the masses and sizes of disks in the
substellar regime. For the first time, we will be able to probe
the dust opacity and the amount of gas in the brown dwarf
regime, crucial parameters for the understanding of the disk
physics. These observations will gain further value in synergy
with planned submm interferometry campaigns with SMA and
ALMA in the next year. Our project constitutes a significant
step towards a solid characterisation of brown dwarf disks. |
| Publication |
The (w)hole survey: An unbiased sample study of transition disk candidates based on Spitzer catalogs . van der Marel N. et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 592, id.A126, 36 pp. . 592 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201628075 . 2016A&A...592A.126V ,
Brown dwarf disks with Herschel: Linking far-infrared and (sub)-mm fluxes . Daemgen Sebastian et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 594, id.A83, 16 pp. . 594 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201628431 . 2016A&A...594A..83D ,
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