Session
Poster Session 2026
Location
Orem, UT
Start Date
5-4-2026 9:49 AM
Description
By using Fig. 1 to loosely trace BD evolution, we see that as the initial D-T fusion is exhausted, the BD will cool gradually, becoming dimmer and dimmer with time. As temperatures fall, atomic species begin to combine into molecular silicates – clouds and hazes which act as effective NIR absorbers – which further mute emission features we may expect to see. There is a point, however, where gravitational contraction causes these ‘dusty’ silicate clouds to sink below the photosphere, enabling NIR photon emission and causing an apparent shift towards brighter, bluer colors. This is the L-T Transition.
Brown Dwarf or Massive Exoplanet? Probing the Mysteries of WISE J225540.75-311842.0
Orem, UT
By using Fig. 1 to loosely trace BD evolution, we see that as the initial D-T fusion is exhausted, the BD will cool gradually, becoming dimmer and dimmer with time. As temperatures fall, atomic species begin to combine into molecular silicates – clouds and hazes which act as effective NIR absorbers – which further mute emission features we may expect to see. There is a point, however, where gravitational contraction causes these ‘dusty’ silicate clouds to sink below the photosphere, enabling NIR photon emission and causing an apparent shift towards brighter, bluer colors. This is the L-T Transition.