50 Years of Brown Dwarfs

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

   PDF

2. The Theoretical Prediction of the Existence of Brown Dwarfs by Shiv S. Kumar

   • Viki Joergens

   Pages 1-3

3. Pre-main Sequence Evolution and the Hydrogen-Burning Minimum Mass

   • Takenori Nakano

   Pages 5-17

4. Brown Is Not a Color: Introduction of the Term ‘Brown Dwarf’

   • Jill Tarter

   Pages 19-24

5. Teide 1 and the Discovery of Brown Dwarfs

   • Rafael Rebolo

   Pages 25-49

6. The Discovery of the First Lithium Brown Dwarf: PPl 15

   • Gibor Basri

   Pages 51-79

7. Companions of Stars: From Other Stars to Brown Dwarfs to Planets and the Discovery of the First Methane Brown Dwarf

   • Ben R. Oppenheimer

   Pages 81-111

8. Ultracool Objects: L, T, and Y Dwarfs

   • Michael C. Cushing

   Pages 113-140

9. Latest News on the Physics of Brown Dwarfs

   • Isabelle Baraffe

   Pages 141-163

10. Back Matter

    Pages 165-168

    PDF

The years 2012/2013 mark the 50th anniversary of the theoretical prediction that Brown Dwarfs, i.e. degenerate objects which are just not massive enough to sustain stable hydrogen fusion, exist. Some 20 years after their discovery, how Brown Dwarfs form is still one of the main open questions in the theory of star formation.

In this volume, the pioneers of Brown Dwarf research review the history of the theoretical prediction and the subsequent discovery of Brown Dwarfs. After an introduction, written by Viki Joergens, reviewing Shiv Kumar's theoretical prediction of the existence of brown dwarfs, Takenori Nakano reviews his and Hayashi's calculation of the Hydrogen Burning Minimum Mass. Both predictions happened in the early 1960s. Jill Tarter then writes on the introduction of the term 'Brown Dwarf', before Ben Oppenheimer, Rafael Rebolo and Gibor Basri describe their first discovery of Brown Dwarfs in the 1990s. Lastly, Michael Cushing and Isabelle Baraffe describe the development of the field to the current state of the art.

While the book is mainly aimed at the Brown Dwarf research community, the description of the pioneering period in a scientific field will attract general readers interested in astronomy as well.

• Brown Dwarf Discovery
• Brown Dwarf Prediction
• Brown Dwarf Research
• Brown Dwarfs in Binary Systems
• Degeneracy in Stars
• Failed Stars
• Giant Planets
• Reviews on Brown Dwarfs
• Teide 1

From the book reviews:

“Through eight articles and essays … the book explores the past half-century of brown-dwarf research. … If you want to read astronomers’ reflections on the process of science and see how knowledge accumulates … across generations, 50 Years of Brown Dwarfs is a good book to pick up. … 50 Years of Brown Dwarfs would be a solid addition to a science-lover’s library, and the authors strive to describe the equations in words and let you follow their steps.” (Sarah Scoles, Astronomy Magazine, cs.astronomy.com, December, 2014)

• Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany

  Viki Joergens

Dr. Viki Joergens is research staff scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. She is also Margarete von Wrangell Fellow and EC Marie Curie Intra-European Fellow. Her research focuses on brown dwarfs and very low-mass stars. She was member of the SOC of several workshops and sessions on brown dwarfs and very low-mass stars.

Policies and ethics