| Description |
Disks around young brown dwarfs are a valuable test regimefor our current understanding of star and planet formation.The disk sizes and masses are key indicators to assess the significance of dynamical encounters for the formation of very low mass objects. The disk mass, together with the properties of the dust, also constrains the potential for planet formation around brown dwarfs, which can be used to evaluate the diversity and ubiquity of planetary systems.To tackle these science goals, we need constraints on the globalcharacteristics of brown dwarf disks. This requires multi-wavelengthobservations of the far-infrared/submm continuum to trace thedistribution and properties of the dust in the disk, as well asline spectroscopy to probe for the presence and amount of gasin the disk. Herschel is uniquely suited for such a project.Here we propose to observe a well-characterised and carefully selected sample of 16 brown dwarfs with PACS and SPIRE photometry, complemented by PACS line spectroscopy for the 3 brightest objects. We expect to provide the first robust assessments of the masses and sizes of disks in the substellar regime. For the first time, we will be able to probe the dust opacity and the amount of gas in the brown dwarfregime, crucial parameters for the understanding of the disk physics. These observations will gain further value in synergy with planned submm interferometry campaigns with SMA and ALMA in the next year. Our project constitutes a significant step towards a solid characterisation of brown dwarf disks. |
