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American Astronomical Society, Astronomical Journal, 2(137), p. 3345-3357, 2009

DOI: 10.1088/0004-6256/137/2/3345

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Young L Dwarfs Identified in the Field: A Preliminary Low-Gravity, Optical Spectral Sequence from L0 to L5

Journal article published in 2008 by Kelle L. Cruz ORCID, J. Davy Kirkpatrick ORCID, Adam J. Burgasser
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

We present an analysis of 23 L dwarfs whose optical spectra display unusual features. Twenty-one were uncovered during our search for nearby, late-type objects using the Two Micron All-Sky Survey while two were identified in the literature. The unusual spectral features, notably weak FeH molecular absorption and weak Na I and K I doublets, are attributable to low-gravity and indicate that these L dwarfs are young, low-mass brown dwarfs. We use these data to expand the spectral classification scheme for L0 to L5-type dwarfs to include three gravity classes. Most of the low-gravity L dwarfs have southerly declinations and distance estimates within 60 pc. Their implied youth, on-sky distribution, and distances suggest that they are members of nearby, intermediate-age (~10-100 Myr), loose associations such as the Beta Pictoris moving group, the Tucana/Horologium association, and the AB Doradus moving group. At an age of 30 Myr and with effective temperatures from 1500 to 2400 K, evolutionary models predict masses of 11-30 M_Jupiter for these objects. One object, 2M 0355+11, with J-K_s=2.52+/-0.03, is the reddest L dwarf found in the field and its late spectral type and spectral features indicative of a very low gravity suggest it might also be the lowest-mass field L dwarf. However, before ages and masses can be confidently adopted for any of these low-gravity L dwarfs, additional kinematic observations are needed to confirm cluster membership. ; Comment: Accepted to AJ