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SUMMARY:Weather on Brown Dwarfs: New Insights from Synoptic Spectrophotome
 try and Fluid Instability Models - Adam Burgasser (UC San Diego)
DTSTART:20171130T160000Z
DTEND:20171130T170000Z
UID:TALK95524@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:28811
DESCRIPTION:The coolest stars and brown dwarfs exhibit chemical\, spectral
  and variability signatures indicating the presence of photospheric conden
 sate clouds\, which in turn serve as tracers for rotational and atmospheri
 c dynamics. However\, the precise nature of these clouds - their vertical\
 , azimuthal and temporal structure\, and their composition - have remained
  a challenge to model and infer. In this talk\, I provide a brief summary 
 of the research to date on brown dwarf weather\, then focus on two areas i
 n which important insights have emerged. First\, I show that synoptic spec
 trophotometry\, now possible at high precision with ground-based telescope
 s\, demonstrates that small-grain particles at high altitudes may be the p
 rimary drivers for observed variability. Second\, new atmosphere models in
 tegrating fluid instabilities are now able to reproduce many spectral sign
 atures attributed to clouds without the need for cloud opacity. I attempt 
 to synthesize these seemingly contrary perspectives and propose ways to fu
 rther test what roles clouds do or do not play in shaping the spectra of c
 ool brown dwarfs and hot exoplanets.
LOCATION:Sackler Lecture Theatre\, IoA (tea at 3:30 pm)
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