Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Jena, 1934. / At head of title: Aus dem zahnärtzlichen Institut der Universität Jena. "Lebenslauf": p. 34.

Estrelas anãs brancas são o último estágio evolutivo observável de mais de 95% das estrelas e também um resultado comum na evolução de estrelas binárias. O estudo de anãs brancas é, portanto, uma ferramenta poderosa na compreensão da evolução de estrelas simples e binárias, da função de massa inicial local, e da perda de massa após a sequência principal, levando-nos a uma melhor compreensão do histórico de formação e evolução estelar de diferentes populações. Para que esses estudos sejam possíveis, é necessária uma amostra grande e preferencialmente completa de anãs brancas, cobrindo todo o intervalo de parâmetros físicos. A maneira mais simples de obter isso é utilizando dados de grandes projetos de mapeamento. O Sloan Digital Sky Survey já permitiu o aumento do número de anãs brancas conhecidas em cinco vezes até o data release 10. Neste trabalho, estendemos a busca por anãs brancas aos novos objetos no data release 12, descobrindo 3 157 novas anãs brancas e 1 349 novas subanãs. Pela primeira vez, estendemos essa busca para log g < 6.5, correspondente a M < 0.3 M⊙. Anãs brancas abaixo desse limite de massa não podem formar-se em um tempo de Hubble; contudo, se a estrela é parte de um sistema de binárias próximas, a perda de massa pode ser tão intensa que a anã branca resultante tem massa inferior ao limite por evolução simples. Esses objetos são chamados anãs brancas de massa extremamente-baixa (ELMs, do inglês extremely-low mass white dwarfs) Elas têm Teff < 20 000 K e 5.0 . log g . 6.5 e espectros muito similares a estrelas A de sequência principal. Menos de cem são conhecidas, e a maioria dos objetos foi descoberta tendo em conta um critério de seleção tendencioso, que excluiu ELMs frias (Teff < 9 000 K) e com mais baixa massa (M . 0.15 M⊙), tornando difícil verificar modelos e compreender as propriedades das ELMs como classe. Nós identificamos milhares de objetos cujas propriedades físicas, temperatura efetiva e log g, estão no intervalo de produtos de evolução binária, como as ELMs. Nós os chamamos de sdAs, referindo-nos ao seu log g que as coloca abaixo da sequência principal e seu espectro dominado por hidrogênio. As sdAs parecem conter populações estelares sobrepostas, e encontramos que 7% são mais compatíveis com (pre-)ELMs do que com objetos de sequência principal. Obtivemos espectroscopia resolvida temporalmente para 26 objetos e pudemos confirmar que 15 estão em binárias. Um objeto faz parte de um sistema eclipsante, enquanto outro é pulsante — o oitavo membro da classe de ELMs pulsantes. Outros seis objetos também apresentaram pulsações em nossas observações, cinco desses estão na vizinhança da faixa de instabilidade das ELMs. Com estes resultados, aumentamos a população de ELMs por um fator de 20%, elevando a fração de ELMs de 4 para 20%, um valor que é consistente com as previsões de modelos evolucionários. / White dwarf stars are the final observable evolutionary state of over 95% of stars and also a common outcome in binary evolution. Therefore, studying white dwarfs is a powerful tool to understand both single and binary stellar evolution, local initial mass function, and post-main sequence mass loss, leading us to a better comprehension of the history of stellar formation and evolution of different stellar populations. In order to make this type of studies possible, a large and preferably complete sample of white dwarf stars, covering the whole range of physical parameters, is required. The simplest way to achieve that is to take advantage of data provided by large surveys. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has already allowed the increase of the number of known white dwarf stars fivefold up to its data release 10. In this work, we extended the search for white dwarfs to the new objects in the data release 12, discovering 3 157 new white dwarfs and 1 349 new subdwarfs. For the first time, we have extended this search to log g < 6.5, corresponding to M < 0.3 M⊙. White dwarfs below this mass limit cannot be formed through single evolution within a Hubble time; however, if the star is part of a close binary system, the mass loss of the system may be so intense that the resulting white dwarf has mass below the single evolution limit. These objects are known as extremely-low mass white dwarfs (ELMs) They show Teff < 20 000 K and 5.0 . log g . 6.5 and spectra very similar to main sequence A stars. Less than a hundred of them are known, and most objects were discovered relying on biased selection criteria, that excluded cool (Teff < 9 000 K), lowermass (M . 0.15 M⊙) ELMs, making it difficult to validate the models and comprehend the properties of the ELMs as a class. We have identified thousands of objects whose physical properties, effective temperature and surface gravity, place them in the range of by-products of binary interaction such as the ELMs. We have called them sdAs, referring to their sub-main sequence log g and hydrogen dominated spectra. They seem to be composed of overlapping stellar populations, and we found that at least 7% are more likely ELMs or their precursors, the pre-ELMs, than main sequence stars. Obtaining time-resolved spectroscopy for 26 objects, we could confirm 15 to be in close binaries. One of them is also an eclipsing system, while another is a pulsator — the eighth member of the pulsating ELM class. Other six new pulsators were found as part of our follow-up, five of them in the vicinity of the ELM instability strip. With these results, we increase the population of ELMs by 20%, raising the fraction of cool ELMs from 4 to 20%, which is consistent with the predictions from the evolutionary models.

abstract: The lowest-mass stars, known as M-dwarfs, form target samples for upcoming exoplanet searches, and together with lower-mass substellar objects known as brown dwarfs, are among prime targets for detailed study with high-contrast adaptive optics (AO) imaging and sub-millimeter interferometry. In this thesis, I describe results from three studies investigating the companion properties and environments of low-mass systems: (1) The 245-star M-dwarfs in Multiples (MinMs) Survey, a volume-limited survey of field M-dwarf companions within 15 pc, (2) the Taurus Boundary of Stellar/Substellar (TBOSS) Survey, an ongoing study of disk properties for low-mass members within the Taurus star-forming region, and (3) spectroscopy of a brown dwarf companion using the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI). Direct imaging of M-dwarfs is a sensitive technique to identify low-mass companions over a wide range of orbital separation, and the high proper motion of nearby M-dwarfs eases confirmation of new multiple stars. Combining AO and wide-field imaging, the MinMs Survey provides new measurements of the companion star fraction (CSF), separation distribution, and mass ratio distribution for the nearest K7-M6 dwarfs. These results demonstrate the closer orbital separations (~6 AU) and lower frequency (~23% CSF) of M-dwarf binaries relative to higher-mass stars. From the TBOSS project, I report 885µm Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array continuum measurements for 24 Taurus members spanning the stellar/substellar boundary (M4-M7.75). Observations of submillimeter emission from dust grains around the lowest-mass hosts show decreasing disk dust mass for decreasing host star mass, consistent with low frequencies of giant planets around M-dwarfs. Compared to the older stellar association of Upper Scorpius, Taurus disks have a factor of four higher mass in submillimeter-sized grains. From the GPI Exoplanet Survey, I describe near-infrared spectroscopy of an unusually red companion orbiting inside the debris disk of an F5V star. As the second brown dwarf discovered within the innermost region of a debris disk, the properties of this system offer important dynamical constraints for companion-disk interaction and a useful benchmark for brown dwarf and giant planet atmospheric study. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Astrophysics 2017

Estrelas anãs brancas são o último estágio evolutivo observável de mais de 95% das estrelas e também um resultado comum na evolução de estrelas binárias. O estudo de anãs brancas é, portanto, uma ferramenta poderosa na compreensão da evolução de estrelas simples e binárias, da função de massa inicial local, e da perda de massa após a sequência principal, levando-nos a uma melhor compreensão do histórico de formação e evolução estelar de diferentes populações. Para que esses estudos sejam possíveis, é necessária uma amostra grande e preferencialmente completa de anãs brancas, cobrindo todo o intervalo de parâmetros físicos. A maneira mais simples de obter isso é utilizando dados de grandes projetos de mapeamento. O Sloan Digital Sky Survey já permitiu o aumento do número de anãs brancas conhecidas em cinco vezes até o data release 10. Neste trabalho, estendemos a busca por anãs brancas aos novos objetos no data release 12, descobrindo 3 157 novas anãs brancas e 1 349 novas subanãs. Pela primeira vez, estendemos essa busca para log g < 6.5, correspondente a M < 0.3 M⊙. Anãs brancas abaixo desse limite de massa não podem formar-se em um tempo de Hubble; contudo, se a estrela é parte de um sistema de binárias próximas, a perda de massa pode ser tão intensa que a anã branca resultante tem massa inferior ao limite por evolução simples. Esses objetos são chamados anãs brancas de massa extremamente-baixa (ELMs, do inglês extremely-low mass white dwarfs) Elas têm Teff < 20 000 K e 5.0 . log g . 6.5 e espectros muito similares a estrelas A de sequência principal. Menos de cem são conhecidas, e a maioria dos objetos foi descoberta tendo em conta um critério de seleção tendencioso, que excluiu ELMs frias (Teff < 9 000 K) e com mais baixa massa (M . 0.15 M⊙), tornando difícil verificar modelos e compreender as propriedades das ELMs como classe. Nós identificamos milhares de objetos cujas propriedades físicas, temperatura efetiva e log g, estão no intervalo de produtos de evolução binária, como as ELMs. Nós os chamamos de sdAs, referindo-nos ao seu log g que as coloca abaixo da sequência principal e seu espectro dominado por hidrogênio. As sdAs parecem conter populações estelares sobrepostas, e encontramos que 7% são mais compatíveis com (pre-)ELMs do que com objetos de sequência principal. Obtivemos espectroscopia resolvida temporalmente para 26 objetos e pudemos confirmar que 15 estão em binárias. Um objeto faz parte de um sistema eclipsante, enquanto outro é pulsante — o oitavo membro da classe de ELMs pulsantes. Outros seis objetos também apresentaram pulsações em nossas observações, cinco desses estão na vizinhança da faixa de instabilidade das ELMs. Com estes resultados, aumentamos a população de ELMs por um fator de 20%, elevando a fração de ELMs de 4 para 20%, um valor que é consistente com as previsões de modelos evolucionários. / White dwarf stars are the final observable evolutionary state of over 95% of stars and also a common outcome in binary evolution. Therefore, studying white dwarfs is a powerful tool to understand both single and binary stellar evolution, local initial mass function, and post-main sequence mass loss, leading us to a better comprehension of the history of stellar formation and evolution of different stellar populations. In order to make this type of studies possible, a large and preferably complete sample of white dwarf stars, covering the whole range of physical parameters, is required. The simplest way to achieve that is to take advantage of data provided by large surveys. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has already allowed the increase of the number of known white dwarf stars fivefold up to its data release 10. In this work, we extended the search for white dwarfs to the new objects in the data release 12, discovering 3 157 new white dwarfs and 1 349 new subdwarfs. For the first time, we have extended this search to log g < 6.5, corresponding to M < 0.3 M⊙. White dwarfs below this mass limit cannot be formed through single evolution within a Hubble time; however, if the star is part of a close binary system, the mass loss of the system may be so intense that the resulting white dwarf has mass below the single evolution limit. These objects are known as extremely-low mass white dwarfs (ELMs) They show Teff < 20 000 K and 5.0 . log g . 6.5 and spectra very similar to main sequence A stars. Less than a hundred of them are known, and most objects were discovered relying on biased selection criteria, that excluded cool (Teff < 9 000 K), lowermass (M . 0.15 M⊙) ELMs, making it difficult to validate the models and comprehend the properties of the ELMs as a class. We have identified thousands of objects whose physical properties, effective temperature and surface gravity, place them in the range of by-products of binary interaction such as the ELMs. We have called them sdAs, referring to their sub-main sequence log g and hydrogen dominated spectra. They seem to be composed of overlapping stellar populations, and we found that at least 7% are more likely ELMs or their precursors, the pre-ELMs, than main sequence stars. Obtaining time-resolved spectroscopy for 26 objects, we could confirm 15 to be in close binaries. One of them is also an eclipsing system, while another is a pulsator — the eighth member of the pulsating ELM class. Other six new pulsators were found as part of our follow-up, five of them in the vicinity of the ELM instability strip. With these results, we increase the population of ELMs by 20%, raising the fraction of cool ELMs from 4 to 20%, which is consistent with the predictions from the evolutionary models.

The aim of this thesis is to use a cross-match between WISE, 2MASS and SDSS to identify a large sample of M dwarfs. Through the careful characterisation and quality control of these M dwarfs I aim to identify rare systems (i.e. unresolved UCD companions, young M dwarfs, late M dwarfs and M dwarfs with common proper motion companions). Locating ultracool companions to M dwarfs is important for constraining low-mass formation models, the measurement of substellar dynamical masses and radii, and for testing ultracool evolutionary models. This is done by using an optimised method for identifying M dwarfs which may have unresolved ultracool companions. To do this I construct a catalogue of 440 694 M dwarf candidates, from WISE, 2MASS and SDSS, based on optical- and near-infrared colours and reduced proper motion. With strict reddening, photometric and quality constraints I isolate a sub-sample of 36 898 M dwarfs and search for possible mid-infrared M dwarf + ultracool dwarf candidates by comparing M dwarfs which have similar optical/near-infrared colours (chosen for their sensitivity to effective temperature and metallicity). I present 1 082 M dwarf + ultracool dwarf candidates for follow-up. Using simulated ultracool dwarf companions to M dwarfs, I estimate that the occurrence of unresolved ultracool companions amongst my M dwarf + ultracool dwarf candidates should be at least four times the average for my full M dwarf catalogue. I discuss yields of candidates based on my simulations. The possible contamination and bias from misidentified M dwarfs is then discussed, from chance alignments with other M dwarfs and UCDs, from chance alignments with giant stars, from chance alignments with galaxies, and from blended systems (via visual inspection). I then use optical spectra from LAMOST to spectral type a subset of my M dwarf + ultracool dwarf candidates. These candidates need confirming as true M dwarf + ultracool dwarf systems thus I present a new method I developed to use low resolution near-infrared spectra which relies on two colour similar objects (one an excess candidate, one not) having very similar spectra. A spectral difference of these two colour similar objects should leave the signature of a UCD in the residual of their differences, which I look for using the difference in two spectral bands designed to identify UCD spectral features. I then present the methods used to identify other rare systems from my full M dwarf catalogue. Young M dwarfs were identified by measuring equivalent widths of Hα from the LAMOST spectra, and by measuring rotation periods from Kepler 2 light curves. I identify late M dwarfs photometrically (using reduced proper motion and colour cuts) and spectroscopically (using the LAMOST spectra with spectral indices from the literature). Also I present common proper motion analysis aimed at finding Tycho-2 primaries for my M dwarfs and look for physically separated M dwarf + M dwarf pairs (internally within my full M dwarf catalogue).

Context. One of the key questions of the star formation problem is whether brown dwarfs (BDs) form in the manner of stars directly from the gravitational collapse of a molecular cloud core (star-like) or whether BDs and some very low-mass stars (VLMSs) constitute a separate population that forms alongside stars comparable to the population of planets, for example through circumstellar disk (peripheral) fragmentation. Aims. For young stars in Taurus-Auriga the binary fraction has been shown to be large with little dependence on primary mass above approximate to 0.2 M-circle dot, while for BDs the binary fraction is < 10%. Here we investigate a case in which BDs in Taurus formed dominantly, but not exclusively, through peripheral fragmentation, which naturally results in small binary fractions. The decline of the binary frequency in the transition region between star-like formation and peripheral formation is modelled. Methods. We employed a dynamical population synthesis model in which stellar binary formation is universal with a large binary fraction close to unity. Peripheral objects form separately in circumstellar disks with a distinctive initial mass function (IMF), their own orbital parameter distributions for binaries, and small binary fractions, according to observations and expectations from smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and grid-based computations. A small amount of dynamical processing of the stellar component was accounted for as appropriate for the low-density Taurus-Auriga embedded clusters. Results. The binary fraction declines strongly in the transition region between star-like and peripheral formation, exhibiting characteristic features. The location of these features and the steepness of this trend depend on the mass limits for star-like and peripheral formation. Such a trend might be unique to low density regions, such as Taurus, which host binary populations that are largely unprocessed dynamically in which the binary fraction is large for stars down to M-dwarfs and small for BDs. Conclusions. The existence of a strong decline in the binary fraction - primary mass diagram will become verifiable in future surveys on BD and VLMS binarity in the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region. The binary fraction -primary mass diagram is a diagnostic of the (non-)continuity of star formation along the mass scale, the separateness of the stellar and BD populations, and the dominant formation channel for BDs and BD binaries in regions of low stellar density hosting dynamically unprocessed populations.

We present the final results from a targeted search for brown dwarfs with unusual near-infrared colors. From a positional cross-match of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), 2-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS), and Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) catalogs, we have identified 144 candidate peculiar L and T dwarfs. Spectroscopy confirms that 20 of the objects are peculiar or are candidate binaries. Of the 420 objects in our full sample 9 are young (less than or similar to 200 Myr; 2.1%) and another 8 (1.9%) are unusually red, with no signatures of youth. With a spectroscopic J-K-s color of 2.58 +/- 0.11 mag, one of the new objects, the L6 dwarf 2MASS J03530419 +0418193, is among the reddest field dwarfs currently known and is one of the reddest objects with no signatures of youth known to date. We have also discovered another potentially very-low-gravity object, the L1 dwarf 2MASS J00133470+1109403, and independently identified the young L7 dwarf 2MASS J00440332+0228112, which was first reported by Schneider and collaborators. Our results confirm that signatures of low gravity are no longer discernible in low to moderate resolution spectra of objects older than similar to 200 Myr. The 1.9% of unusually red L dwarfs that do not show other signatures of youth could be slightly older, up to similar to 400 Myr. In this case a red J - K-s color may be more diagnostic of moderate youth than individual spectral features. However, its is also possible that these objects are relatively metal-rich, and thus have enhanced atmospheric dust content.

We present multi-wavelength radio observations obtained with the VLA of the protoplanetary disk surrounding the young brown dwarf 2MASS J04442713+2512164 (2M0444) in the Taurus star-forming region. 2M0444 is the brightest known brown dwarf disk at millimeter wavelengths, making this an ideal target to probe radio emission from a young brown dwarf. Thermal emission from dust in the disk is detected at 6.8 and 9.1 mm, whereas the 1.36 cm measured flux is dominated by ionized gas emission. We combine these data with previous observations at shorter sub-mm and mm wavelengths to test the predictions of dust evolution models in gas-rich disks after adapting their parameters to the case of 2M0444. These models show that the radial drift mechanism affecting solids in a gaseous environment has to be either completely made inefficient, or significantly slowed down by very strong gas pressure bumps in order to explain the presence of mm/cm-sized grains in the outer regions of the 2M0444 disk. We also discuss the possible mechanisms for the origin of the ionized gas emission detected at 1.36 cm. The inferred radio luminosity for this emission is in line with the relation between radio and bolometric luminosity valid for for more massive and luminous young stellar objects, and extrapolated down to the very low luminosity of the 2M0444 brown dwarf.

The growing number of observations of brown dwarfs (BDs) has provided evidence for strong atmospheric circulation on these objects. Directly imaged planets share similar observations and can be viewed as low-gravity versions of BDs. Vigorous condensate cycles of chemical species in their atmospheres are inferred by observations and theoretical studies, and latent heating associated with condensation is expected to be important in shaping atmospheric circulation and influencing cloud patchiness. We present a qualitative description of the mechanisms by which condensational latent heating influences circulation, and then illustrate them using an idealized general circulation model that includes a condensation cycle of silicates with latent heating and molecular weight effect due to the rainout of the condensate. Simulations with conditions appropriate for typical T dwarfs exhibit the development of localized storms and east-west jets. The storms are spatially inhomogeneous, evolving on a timescale of hours to days and extending vertically from the condensation level to the tropopause. The fractional area of the BD covered by active storms is small. Based on a simple analytic model, we quantitatively explain the area fraction of moist plumes and show its dependence on the radiative timescale and convective available potential energy (CAPE). We predict that if latent heating dominates cloud formation processes, the fractional coverage area of clouds decreases as the spectral type goes through the L/T transition from high to lower effective temperature. This is a natural consequence of the variation of the radiative timescale and CAPE with the spectral type.

In this work we present a grid of LTE and non-LTE synthetic spectra of hot DA white dwarfs (WDs). In addition to its usefulness for the determination of fundamental stellar parameters of isolated WDs and in binaries, this grid will be of interest for the construction of theoretical libraries for stellar studies from integrated light. The spectral grid covers both a wide temperature and gravity range, with 17,000 K <= T-eff <= 100,000 K and 7.0 <= log g <= 9.5. The stellar models are built for pure hydrogen and the spectra cover a wavelength range from 900 angstrom to 2.5 mu m. Additionally, we derive synthetic HST/ACS, HST/WFC3, Bessel UBVRI, and SDSS magnitudes. The grid was also used to model integrated spectral energy distributions of simple stellar populations and our modeling suggests that DAs might be detectable in ultraviolet bands for populations older than similar to 8 Gyr.