151. The Disk Fractions of Brown Dwarfs in IC 348 and Chamaeleon I
- Author
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Luhman, K. L., Lada, C. J., Hartmann, L., Muench, A. A., Megeath, S. T., Allen, L. E., Myers, P. C., Muzerolle, J., Young, E., and Fazio, G. G.
- Subjects
Astrophysics - Abstract
Using the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) aboard the Spitzer Space Telescope, we have obtained mid-infrared photometry for 25 and 18 low-mass members of the IC 348 and Chamaeleon I star-forming clusters, respectively (>M6, M<=0.08 Msun). We find that 42+/-13% and 50+/-17% of the two samples exhibit excess emission indicative of circumstellar disks. In comparison, the disk fractions for stellar members of these clusters are 33+/-4% and 45+/-7% (M0-M6, 0.7 Msun>=M>=0.1 Msun). The similarity of the disk fractions of stars and brown dwarfs is consistent with a common formation mechanism and indicates that the raw materials for planet formation are available around brown dwarfs as often as around stars., Comment: 6 pages
- Published
- 2005
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