干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

We report initial results from a radial velocity survey of T Tauri stars in Taurus-Auriga and Pleiades to search for stellar reflex motions resulting from brown dwarf and giant planet companions. Our goals are to investigate the origins of the brown dwarf desert by measuring the frequency of brown dwarfs as close companions to Solar-type stars as a function of age, as well as detect the youngest-known giant planet. Most of our targets show significant radial velocity jitter; many are periodic. We are using bisector analysis to distinguish between stellar activity-induced radial velocity noise and the signal of a substellar companion. Promising candidates are being followed-up with infrared observations.