Poster Abstracts

Name/Affiliation:  Joe Filippazzo (City University of New York)

Title:  Expanded SEDs and Bolometric Luminosities as Direct Measures of Brown Dwarf Physical Parameters

Abstract:
Bolometric luminosities are one of the few direct measurements we can make to characterize low mass stars and brown dwarfs in the absence of observations such as asteroseismology, interferometry and eclipsing binaries. Combining optical and near-infrared spectra with optical, NIR and MIR photometry, we construct detailed spectral energy distributions for a sample of 135 brown dwarfs across effective temperatures of 700-2800K for both field age (3-5 Gyr) and young (10-150 Myr) objects. Model atmospheres are used to fill gaps in the spectra and parallaxes and kinematic distances provide precise measurement of bolometric luminosities while minimizing assumptions about the source. This technique will greatly expand the number of touchstones we have to characterize the atmospheres and evolution of substellar objects. And a sample of such breadth will improve our understanding of the effects of physical parameters such as effective temperature, surface gravity and clouds on brown dwarf spectra and allow us to find new young candidates.