Poster Abstracts

Name/Affiliation:  Kelle Cruz (Hunter College, CUNY & AMNH)

Title:  Reliability of Spectral Diagnostics of Temperature and Youth for 5–50 M_Jupiter Mass Objects

Abstract:
Advancements in the understanding of brown dwarf atmospheres and evolution directly impact exoplanet studies. Recent discoveries have made it now clear that brown dwarfs have clouds with a diversity of structures and compositions, similar to what is suspected for directly imaged exoplanets. Unlike for planets, detailed spectral studies are possible for brown dwarfs spanning a range of masses, temperatures, and ages due to their lack of a close, bright companion star. This talk will present the results of a comprehensive analysis of the optical and NIR spectra of field (3–5 Gyr) and juvenile-age (10–100 Myr) brown dwarfs, including low-gravity, low-mass (5–20 M_Jupiter) objects. In particular, we will highlight the spectral diagnostics at moderate resolution in the NIR (R~200, 0.7–2.5 micron) which are qualitatively indicative of temperature, youth, low-gravity, and cloud properties for 5–100 M_Jupiter mass objects. In addition, we will discuss the relative accuracies of the diagnostic spectral features and their reliability. The methods we will describe can be used to assess the youth of brown dwarfs and exoplanets without strong age constraints from moving group membership or the host star.