Companions to Young Stars

Abstract

Brown dwarfs occupy the important region in the mass range between stars and planets. Their existence, ambiguous until only recently, and their properties give insight into stellar and planetary formation. We present statistical results of an infrared, coronagraphic survey of young, nearby stars that includes probable companions to three young G-type stars, G1 503.2 (G2V), HD 102982 (G3V), and G1 577 (G5V). The companion to G1 577 is a possible binary brown dwarf, according to evolutionary models. A dynamical determination of the components' masses will be achievable in the near future and will provide an excellent test of the predictive ability of the evolutionary models.