Spitzer Space Telescope - Guaranteed Time Observer Proposal #50604


Proper Motion Search for T-Dwarfs

Principal Investigator: Giovanni Fazio
           Institution: Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

     Technical Contact: Massimo Marengo, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Co-Investigators: 
Massimo Marengo, Smithsonian Astrophysical Obs                        
Joseph Hora, Smithsonian Astrophysical Obs.                           
Kevin Luhman, Pennsilvania State University                           
Brian Patten, NSF/ Smithsonian Astrophysical Obs.                     
Michael Schuster, Smithsonian Astrophysical Obs.                      

Science Category: brown dwarfs/very low mass stars 
 Observing Modes: IracMap 
  Hours Approved: 5 

Abstract:
We propose to perform a search for foreground T-dwarf candidates in the SAGE
survey field. Candidate objects will be identified by using the k-NN method
applied to the mosaic photometry version of the SAGE database. We will image the
fields again with the IRAC 4.5/8.0 micron bands to obtain a 'second epoch' to
determine if the candidate objects have sufficient proper motion for them to be
true T-dwarfs, and to search the fields for additional companion objects with
common proper motions. The newly identified objects will expand the sample of
known T-dwarfs and explore the full range of characteristics of this brown dwarf
class.