Splinter Meeting of the AG Tagung 2011 , September 20-21, 2011, 2-6 pm, Heidelberg

"Formation, atmospheres and evolution of brown dwarfs"

SOC: Viki Joergens (ITA, MPIA), Beth Biller (MPIA), Wolfgang Brandner (MPIA) (Contact: ag2011_bd @ mpia.de)

Invited review speakers:

France Allard (Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon): "Atmospheres of brown dwarfs"
Paul Clark (University of Heidelberg): "Brown dwarf formation models"
Fernando Comeron (ESO Garching): "Surveys for young brown dwarfs and the substellar IMF"
Christiane Helling (University of St Andrews): "Cloud formation in brown dwarf atmospheres"
Pavel Kroupa (University of Bonn): "Predictions of brown dwarf formation models"
Emma Whelan (University of Grenoble): "Disks, accretion, and outflows of brown dwarfs"


Program: PDF File

Abstracts: AG2011 Abstract List

Location: "New University"-building of Heidelberg University (Google map), Lecture hall 8

Scientific Rationale:

The exploration of brown dwarfs, which fill the gap in mass between stars and planets, has seen
tremendous progress over the past years. Steadily improving instrumental performance led to the
discovery of e.g. companions around them down to planetary masses, of disk material, of accretion
and activity phenomena, and of molecular-rich atmospheres. The monitoring of brown dwarfs in
binary systems yields dynamical mass estimates. The statistical properties of brown dwarf (binary)
populations provide clues on their origin. Studies of their atmospheres provide unique benchmarks
for the modeling of atmospheres dominated by molecular opacities and clouds.
These detailed empirical characterizations of brown dwarfs meet with increasingly sophisticated
substellar atmosphere and formation models. This allows us to address fundamental questions
concerning their evolution and origin; e.g. the question of how do brown dwarfs form, which is
one of the main open questions in the theory of star formation.
This splinter meeting aims at an overview on the current state of brown dwarf studies.


Registration: centrally through AG2011 Registration webpage (early registration extended until Aug 21)

Abstract submission for contributed talks and posters: centrally through AG2011 Abstract submission webpage (after successful registration)
Abstract submission deadline: July 31, 2011 (feel free to submit late abstracts, a few free slots might still be available)