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arXiv · 1009.4561

The formation of brown dwarfs in discs: Physics, numerics, and observations

Dimitris Stamatellos·Anthony Whitworth
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Abstract

A large fraction of brown dwarfs and low-mass stars may form by gravitational fragmentation of relatively massive (a few 0.1 Msun), extended (a few hundred AU) discs around Sun-like stars. We present an ensemble of radiative hydrodynamic simulations that examine the conditions for disc fragmentation. We demonstrate that this model can explain the low-mass IMF, the brown dwarf desert, and the binary properties of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. Observing discs that are undergoing fragmentation is possible but very improbable, as the process of disc fragmentation is short lived (discs fragment within a few thousand years).

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Dimitris Stamatellos, Anthony Whitworth. 2010-09-23. The formation of brown dwarfs in discs: Physics, numerics, and observations. https://doi.org/10.1017/s174392131100041x

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