Keivan Stassun
Vanderbilt University
College of Arts and Science
Department of Physics and Astronomy
 

"Empirical Constraints on the Physical Properties of Young Stars and Brown Dwarfs"
 

We report on recent progress and future prospects in three broad areas of research centered around the formation of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. We discuss efforts to directly and accurately measure the fundamental physical properties (masses, radii, luminosities) of young low-mass stars and brown dwarfs as critical tests of theoretical star-formation models, including the recent discovery of the first brown-dwarf eclipsing binary. We also briefly discuss the broad problem of magnetic field generation and X-ray production in these objects, highlighting results from the recent Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project. Finally, we draw these recent results together to elucidate the physical interrelationships between stellar rotation, magnetic field generation, and stellar structure during the star-formation process.