Search

We report on our ongoing imaging efforts to detect brown dwarfs orbiting solar-type stars and other brown dwarfs. We study the properties of brown dwarf companions as a function of primary mass. Our results indicate that the frequency of brown dwarf companions around solar-type stars for separations larger than about 40 AU is non-negligible. The frequency of brown dwarf binaries is about 20%. There is a dearth of brown dwarf binaries with separations larger than ∼20 AU. We propose that brown dwarf systems are a scaled down version of stellar systems, which probably form via triggered collapse of small molecular cores.

We review the results of HST/WFPC2 observations of a sample of 50 very-low-mass objects in the solar neighborhood (30 from our own program and 20 from the archive). Using high spatial resolution HST/WFPC2 images, we observed these objects in two filters (F814W and F675W) in order to identify close companions, measure their colours, and obtain first epoch data of the newly discovered binaries. In addition to 3 previously known binaries we discovered 3 new multiple systems. Second epoch data are required to confirm that they are real common proper motion pairs. Binary properties like multiplicity, distribution of binary separations and brightness ratios hold clues on the origin and evolution of free-floating brown dwarf binaries.