@article{65009ed40ebd4a7ab750bceec9532525,
title = "Evidence of cloud disruption in the L/T dwarf transition",
abstract = "Clouds of metal-bearing condensates play a critical role in shaping the emergent spectral energy distributions of the coolest classes of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, L and T dwarfs. Because condensate clouds in planetary atmospheres show distinct horizontal structure, we have explored a model for partly cloudy atmospheres in brown dwarfs. Our model successfully reproduces the colors and magnitudes of both L and T dwarfs for the first time, including the unexpected brightening of the early- and mid-type T dwarfs at the J band, provided that clouds are rapidly removed from the photosphere at T eff ≈ 1200 K. The clearing of cloud layers also explains the surprising persistence and strengthening of gaseous FeH bands in early- and mid-type T dwarfs. The breakup of cloud layers is likely driven by convection in the troposphere, analogous to phenomena observed on Jupiter. Our results demonstrate that planetary-like atmospheric dynamics must be considered when examining the evolution of free-floating brown dwarfs.",
keywords = "Infrared: stars, Stars: atmospheres, Stars: fundamental parameters, Stars: individual (SDSS J1254-0122, 2MASS J0559-1404), Stars: low-mass, brown dwarfs",
author = "Burgasser, {Adam J.} and Marley, {Mark S.} and Ackerman, {Andrew S.} and Didier Saumon and Katharina Lodders and Dahn, {Conard C.} and Harris, {Hugh C.} and Kirkpatrick, {J. Davy}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank A. Burrows and I. McLean for valuable discussions, M. Putman and K. Zahnle for assistance in the preparation of the manuscript, and G. Chabrier for an electronic version of his dusty models in the 2MASS J and Ks bands. We also thank our anonymous referee for bringing up the issue of magnetic activity in the L/T transition. A. J. B. acknowledges support by NASA through Hubble Fellowship grant HST-HF-01137.01 awarded by the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA, under contract NAS 5-26555. M. S. M. acknowledges support from NSF grant AST 00-86288 and NASA grant NAG5-9273. Work by K. L. and D. S. is supported by NSF grant AST 00-86487 and NASA grant NAG5-4988, respectively. Portions of the data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. This publication makes use of data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation.",
year = "2002",
month = jun,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1086/341343",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "571",
pages = "L151--L154",
journal = "Astrophysical Journal",
issn = "0004-637X",
publisher = "IOP Publishing Ltd.",
number = "2 II",
}