Les naines brunes sont des objets astronomiques de faible masse ( 0.012 - 0.075 M_Sun ) et de basse température ( T < 3,500 K ). Bien qu’elles se forment comme des étoiles, c’est-à-dire par l’effondrement d’un nuage de gaz moléculaire, les naines brunes n’ont pas une masse suffisante pour entretenir des réactions de fusion nucléaire en leur coeur. Les naines brunes relativement chaudes (type L) sont recouvertes de nuages de poussière mais ces derniers disparaissent progressivement de l’atmosphère lorsque la température chute sous les 1,500 K (type T). Les naines brunes près de la transition L/T devraient donc être partiellement recouvertes de nuages. De par leur rotation relativement rapide (2 h - 12 h), le couvert nuageux inhomogène des naines brunes devrait produire une variabilité photométrique observable en bande J (1.2 um), la longueur d’onde à laquelle les nuages ont la plus forte opacité. Ce mémoire présente les résultats d’une recherche de variabilité photométrique infrarouge pour une dizaine de naines brunes de type spectral près de la transition L/T. Les observations, obtenues à l’Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, ont permis le suivi photométrique en bande J de neuf cibles. Une seule d’entre elles, SDSS J105213.51+442255.7 (T0.5), montre des variations périodiques sur une période d’environ 3 heures avec une amplitude pic-à-pic variant entre 40 et 80 mmag. Pour les huit autres cibles, on peut imposer des limites (3 sigma) de variabilité périodique à moins de 15 mmag pour des périodes entre 1 et 6 heures. Ces résultats supportent l’hypothèse qu’un couvert nuageux partiel existe pour des naines brunes près de la transition L/T mais ce phénomène demeure relativement peu fréquent. / Brown dwarfs are astronomical objects of low mass ( 0.012 - 0.075 M_Sun ) and low temperature ( T < 3,500 K ). While they do form like stars through gravitational collapse of a molecular gas cloud, they do not have sufficient mass to sustain nuclear fusion reactions in their core. Relatively hot brown dwarfs (type L) are covered by an homogeneous dust cloud cover that progressively disappears from their atmosphere when the temperature falls below 1,500 K (type T). Therefore, brown dwarfs near the L/T transition should be partially covered with clouds. Due to the fast rotation of brown dwarfs (2 h - 12 h), this inhomogeneous cloud cover should produce photometric variability observable in the J band (1.2 um), the wavelength at which the clouds have the strongest opacity. This thesis presents the results of a search for infrared photometric variability in brown dwarfs near the L/T transition. The observations, obtained at the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, have allowed the photometric follow-up of nine targets in the J band. Only one of them, SDSS J105213.51+442255.7 (T0.5), showed periodic variations with a period of about 3 hours with a peak-to-peak amplitude ranging from 40 to 80 mmag. For the remaining eight targets, we can place upper limits (3 sigma) of 15 mmag for the amplitude of periodic variability over a period range betwen 1 and 6 hours. While these results support the hypothesis that partial dust cloud covers do exist among L/T dwarfs, this phenomenon is by no means ubiquitous.

Le but de cette thèse est de raffiner et de mieux comprendre l'utilisation de la méthode spectroscopique, qui compare des spectres visibles de naines blanches à atmosphère riche en hydrogène (DA) à des spectres synthétiques pour en déterminer les paramètres atmosphériques (température effective et gravité de surface). Notre approche repose principalement sur le développement de modèles de spectres améliorés, qui proviennent eux-mêmes de modèles d'atmosphère de naines blanches de type DA. Nous présentons une nouvelle grille de spectres synthétiques de DA avec la première implémentation cohérente de la théorie du gaz non-idéal de Hummer & Mihalas et de la théorie unifiée de l'élargissement Stark de Vidal, Cooper & Smith. Cela permet un traitement adéquat du chevauchement des raies de la série de Balmer, sans la nécessité d'un paramètre libre. Nous montrons que ces spectres améliorés prédisent des gravités de surface qui sont plus stables en fonction de la température effective. Nous étudions ensuite le problème de longue date des gravités élevées pour les DA froides. L'hypothèse de Bergeron et al., selon laquelle les atmosphères sont contaminées par de l'hélium, est confrontée aux observations. À l'aide de spectres haute résolution récoltés au télescope Keck à Hawaii, nous trouvons des limites supérieures sur la quantité d'hélium dans les atmosphères de près de 10 fois moindres que celles requises par le scénario de Bergeron et al. La grille de spectres conçue dans ces travaux est ensuite appliquée à une nouvelle analyse spectroscopique de l'échantillon de DA du SDSS. Notre approche minutieuse permet de définir un échantillon plus propre et d'identifier un nombre important de naines blanches binaires. Nous déterminons qu'une coupure à un rapport signal-sur-bruit S/N > 15 optimise la grandeur et la qualité de l'échantillon pour calculer la masse moyenne, pour laquelle nous trouvons une valeur de 0.613 masse solaire. Finalement, huit nouveaux modèles 3D de naines blanches utilisant un traitement d'hydrodynamique radiative de la convection sont présentés. Nous avons également calculé des modèles avec la même physique, mais avec une traitement standard 1D de la convection avec la théorie de la longueur de mélange. Un analyse différentielle entre ces deux séries de modèles montre que les modèles 3D prédisent des gravités considérablement plus basses. Nous concluons que le problème des gravités élevées dans les naines blanches DA froides est fort probablement causé par une faiblesse dans la théorie de la longueur de mélange. / The goal of this thesis is to refine and to understand better the spectroscopic method, which compares optical spectra of hydrogen-atmosphere white dwarfs (DA) with synthetic spectra to determine the atmospheric parameters (effective temperature and surface gravity). Our approach rests mainly on the development of improved model spectra, which come themselves from DA model atmospheres. We present a new grid of DA synthetic spectra with the first consistent implementation of the non-ideal gas theory of Hummer & Mihalas and the unified theory of Stark broadening from Vidal, Cooper & Smith. This allows for an adequate treatment of the quenching effects in Balmer lines, without the need of a free parameter. We show that these improved spectra predict surface gravities that are much more stable as a function of the effective temperature. We then study the long-standing problem that surface gravities in cool DA stars are significantly higher than those found in hotter DA white dwarfs. The hypothesis of Bergeron et al., according to which the atmospheres are contaminated by small amounts of helium, is constrained with observations. Using high-resolution spectra collected at the Keck in Hawaii, we find superior limits on the helium abundances in the atmospheres that are nearly 10 times lower than those required to sustain the Bergeron et al. scenario. The grid of spectra calculated in this work is then applied to a new spectroscopic analysis of the DA in the SDSS. Our careful analysis allows us to define a cleaner sample and to identify a large number of double degenerates. We find that a cutoff at a signal-to-noise ratio S/N > 15 optimizes the size and quality of the sample for computing the average mass, for which we find a value of 0.613 solar mass. Finally, eight new 3D white dwarf models with a radiative-hydrodynamics treatment of the convection are presented. We also calculated models with the same physics, except for a treatment of the convection with the standard mixing-length theory. A differential analysis between these two sets of models shows that the 3D models predict considerably lower surface gravities. We conclude that the high-log g problem in cool DA white dwarfs is caused by a weakness in the mixing-length theory.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Stars form inside clouds of molecular gas and dust. In the early stages of stellar evolution the remainders of the initial cloud form a circumstellar disk. For the next few million years the disk will slowly dissipate via accretion, outflows, photoevaporation and planet growth while the star makes its way onto the Main Sequence. This stage of a star's life is referred to as the T Tauri phase and is characterised by high-level spectrophotometric variability. This thesis aims to study and map out the environments of T Tauri stars down to the very low mass regime by the means of time-domain monitoring. Different physical processes in the system manifest themselves as variability on different time- scales as well as produce characteristic spectroscopic and photometric features at various wave- lengths. In order to study young stellar objects in depth, the observing campaigns presented in this work were designed to cover a large range of time-scales - minutes, hours, days and months. Combining all the data, this thesis establishes a baseline of over a decade for some objects. The observations also cover a wide range of wavelengths from the optical to the mid-infrared part of the spectrum. The star RW Aur experienced two long-lasting dimming events in 2010 and 2014. This thesis presents a large collection of spectral and photometric measurements carried out just before and during the 2014 event. Spectral accretion signatures indicate no change in the accretion activity of the system. Photometry indicates that parallel to the dimming in the optical the star becomes brighter in the mid-infrared. The observations in this work combined with literature data suggest that the origin of the 2014 event is most likely obscuration of the star by hot dust from the disk being lifted into the disk wind. Very low mass stars (< 0.4 M⊙) are the most common type of star in the Galaxy. In order to understand the early stages of stellar evolution we must study young very low mass stars. This work investigates the photometric and spectroscopic variability of seven brown dwarfs in star forming regions near σ Ori and ε Ori. All targets exhibit optical photometric variability between from 0.1 to over 1.0 magnitude that persists on a time-scale of at least one decade. Despite the photometric variability no change in the spectral type is measured. In the cases where the stars are accreting, modelling of the spectral changes suggest the accretion flow is more homogeneous and less funnelled compared to Sun-like T Tauri stars. The non-accreting variables are more plausibly explained by obscuration by circumstellar material, possibly a ring made out of multiple clouds of dust grains and pebbles with varying optical depths. The star-disk systems studied in this thesis have some broader implications for star and planet formation theory. The case-study of RW Aur has unambiguously demonstrated that the planet- forming environment is very dynamic and can change dramatically on short time-scales, which in turn would have implications for the diversity of planetary systems found in the Galaxy. The Orion stars have shown that the current theory for the T Tauri stage of stellar evolution is valid down to the very low mass regime. The seven dwarfs are a good example for the evolutionary path of circumstellar disks, showing the transition from gas-high, flared accretion disks (σ Ori) to dust-dominated, depleted, structured debris disks (ε Ori).

Nous présentons une analyse homogène de 1023 naines blanches de type DZ et 319 de type DQ. Ceci représente un progrès important par rapport aux précédentes analyses de ce type, notamment Dufour et al. (2005; 56 DQs) et Dufour et al. (2007; 159 DZs). Nous utilisons les parallaxes trigonométriques de la deuxième parution de données de Gaia, ainsi que la photométrie du Sloan Digital Sky Survey, PanSTARRS, Gaia ou de la photométrie BVRI prise de la littérature, qui nous permettent de déterminer la masse de la vaste majorité des objets de notre échantillon. Nous utilisons les méthodes photométriques et spectroscopiques conjointement avec les plus récents modèles d'atmosphère disponibles incluant les effets de haute densité pour déterminer la température, la gravité de surface et les abondances des éléments pour chaque objet. Nous étudions l'abondance d'hydrogène dans les étoiles DZ et les propriétés des planétésimaux accrétés. Nous trouvons un grand nombre d'étoiles polluées dont les progéniteurs ont une masse supérieure à trois masses solaires, démontrant que la formation d'objets rocheux est commune autour de ce type d'étoiles. Nous présentons des distributions de masses pour les deux types spectraux. Celle des étoiles DQ montre deux populations séparées, dont une plus massive. Nous explorons la nature de celle-ci à l'aide des mouvements propres de Gaia et discutons qu'il s'agit possiblement d'une population d'étoiles ayant fusionné. Nous observons les traces de la cristallisation dans les étoiles DQ massives. Finalement, nous discutons de l'évolution spectrale et présentons les paramètres atmosphériques pour chaque objet. / We present a homogeneous analysis of 1023 DZ and 319 DQ white dwarf stars taken from the Montreal White Dwarf Database. This represents a significant increase over the previous comprehensive studies on these types of objects, namely those of Dufour et al. (2005; 56 DQs) and Dufour et al. (2007; 159 DZs). We use new trigonometric parallax measurements from the Gaia second data release, together with photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, PanSTARRS, Gaia, or BVRI from the literature, which allow the determination of the mass for the majority of the objects in our sample. We use the photometric and spectroscopic techniques with the most recent atmosphere models available, which include high density effects, to accurately determine the effective temperature, surface gravity, and heavy element abundances for each object. We study the abundance of hydrogen in DZ white dwarfs and the properties of the accreted planetesimals. We find many white dwarfs dwarfs with progenitor masses above 3 solar mass, demonstrating that the formation of rocky material is not rare around this type of stars. We also present mass distributions for both spectral types. We explore the nature of the second sequence of DQ stars using proper motions from Gaia and discuss the possibility that it is a population of merged white dwarfs. We highlight evidence of crystallization in massive DQ stars. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings in the context of the spectral evolution of white dwarfs, and provide the atmospheric parameters for each star.

In the standard model of cosmology (ΛCDM) the first stars, star clusters, and galaxies are expected to have formed in short bursts of star formation in low-mass dark matter halos at high redshifts (<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?z%5C,%20%5Csim%20%5C,6-10" data-classname="equation_inline" />). Up to this point, attempts to predict the properties and abundances of these luminous objects have made use of numerically expensive cosmological simulations. On top of being numerically expensive, these simulations often lack the required sub-parsec resolution needed to resolve the formation of compact star clusters and/or neglect possibly dominant stellar feedback processes. Motivated by this, I introduce Anaxagoras, as far as I know the most detailed analytical ab initio model of starbursts in low-mass halos to date. The model incorporates sub-models for gas cooling (including a new determination of the H2-cooling threshold in minihalos), central gas accretion and disk formation (using a new selfsimilarsolution), stellar feedback from radiation pressure (direct stellar radiation, Lyman-<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Calpha" data-classname="equation_inline" data-title="" /> scattering in H I, and multiple scattering of IR photons by dust), stellar winds, expanding HII regions, and (crudely) supernovae. The resulting star formation efficiency is used to predict the fraction of stars that remain gravitationally bound in a cluster following gas expulsion, andwhat fraction escape the central region of the halo, yet remain bound by the dark matter halo. I apply Anaxagoras to study star formation at <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?z%5C,%20%3E%20%5C,6" data-classname="equation_inline" /> in satellite halos of the Milky Way using a halo merger tree code, as well as Population III (Pop III) star formation in minihalos. For the Milky Way setup, hundreds of galaxies are predicted to form with luminosities (<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?L_%7B%5Crm%20V%7D%20%5C,%3C%5C,%20%5Crm%7Bfew%7D%5C,%20%5Ctimes%20%5C,%2010%5E4%20%5C:%20%5Crm%7BL%7D_%7B%5Codot%7D" data-classname="equation_inline" />), half-mass radii (<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Csim%2010-200%5C:%5Crm%20pc" data-classname="equation_inline" />), mass-to-light ratios (<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?M/L_%7B%5Crm%20V%7D%20%5Csim%20100%20-%20%5Crm%7Bfew%7D%20%5C,%5Ctimes%5C,%2010%5E3%20%5C:%5Crm%7BM%7D_%7B%5Codot%7D/%5Crm%7BL%7D_%7B%5Codot%7D" data-classname="equation" />), and ages (<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?13.18%5E%7B+0.29%7D_%7B-0.31%7D%5C:%5Crm%20Gyrs" data-classname="equation_inline" data-title="" />) in good agreement with the observed local population of Ultra-Faint Dwarfs. This shows that ΛCDM is able to explain the properties ofthe faintest dwarf galaxies without fine-tuning. Furthermore, at least ~ 40 compact (initial half-mass radii <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?%5Csim%200.1-5%5C;%5Crm%7Bpc%7D" data-classname="equation_inline" />), old (<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?13.27%5E%7B+0.21%7D_%7B-0.39%7D%5C:%5Crm%20Gyrs" data-classname="equation_inline" />) globular cluster (GC) candidates with initial stellar masses <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?10%5E5%20-%2010%5E6%20%5C:%20%5Crm%7BM%7D_%7B%5Codot%7D" data-classname="equation_inline" />  are predicted to form at the center of low-mass halos, and could survive to the present-day and explain at least a fraction of the observed metal-poor GCs. Their properties are consistent with recent candidates for GCs residing in dark matter halos. Thus, Anaxagoras lends support to the viability of the scenario of GC formation in minihalos. Finally, the formation of Population III (Pop III) stars in minihalos is studied, with the conclusion that if Pop III stars are not overly massive (<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?25%5C:%5Crm%7BM%7D_%7B%5Codot%7D" data-classname="equation_inline" />) between ~ 1 − 30 stars could form per minihalo at <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?z%5C,%20%3E%20%5C,20" data-classname="equation_inline" />, with the number increasing to ~ 10 − 500 stars per minihalo at <img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?z%5C,%3C%5C,15" data-classname="equation_inline" /> as Lyman-Werner feedback delay star formation until halos reach larger masses. In the case where Pop III stars are more massive (<img src="http://www.diva-portal.org/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?140%5C:%5Crm%7BM%7D_%7B%5Codot%7D" data-classname="equation_inline" data-title="" />) most minihalos form just a single star. Due to self-shielding of H2 in minihalos, I find that the cosmological Lyman-Werner background is insufficient to produce Pop III galaxies in atomic-cooling halos, with the implication that the number of massive Pop III galaxies/star clusters in the early Universe has been greatly overestimated in the literature that ignores self-shielding.

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