Abstract
We have identified a small number of faint, red stars in optical and infrared frames taken near the center of the Pleiades cluster. The sampled masses range from 0.25 to 0.04 M⊙. The Pleiades mass function in linear units is consistent with a M-1 power law or with a flat dependence in logarithmic mass units. This dependence is consistent with studies of other young open clusters and suggests that massive brown dwarfs and low-mass stars do not contribute significantly to the dark matter.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 238-246 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
Volume | 464 |
Issue number | 1 PART I |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1996 |
Keywords
- Dark matter
- Open clusters and associations: individual (Pleiades)
- Stars: low-mass, brown dwarfs
- Stars: luminosity function, mass function
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science