Relation between Brown Dwarfs and Exoplanets

One of the most debated subjects in Astronomy since the discovery of exoplanets is how can we distinguish the most massive of such objects from very-low mass stars like Brown Dwarfs (BDs)? We have been looking for evidences of a difference in physical characteristics that could be related to differe...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2016-07
Main Authors: Flor Torres, Lauren Melissa, Coziol, Roger, Klauss-Peter Schröeder, Caretta, César A, Dennis, Jack
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy
Brown dwarf stars
Brown dwarfs
Diagnostic systems
Extrasolar planets
Low mass stars
Metallic hydrogen
Physical properties
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:One of the most debated subjects in Astronomy since the discovery of exoplanets is how can we distinguish the most massive of such objects from very-low mass stars like Brown Dwarfs (BDs)? We have been looking for evidences of a difference in physical characteristics that could be related to different formation processes. Using a new diagnostic diagram that compares the baryonic gravitational potential (BGP) with the distances from their host stars, we have classified a sample of 355 well-studied exoplanets according to their possible structures. We have then compared the exoplanets to a sample of 87 confirmed BDs, identifying a range in BGP that could be common to both objects. By analyzing the mass-radius relations (MRR) of the exoplanets and BDs in those different BGP ranges, we were able to distinguish different characteristic behaviors. By comparing with models in the literature, our results suggest that BDs and massive exoplanets might have similar structures dominated by liquid metallic hydrogen (LMH).
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1607.07922