Interferometric Identification of a Pre–Brown Dwarf

It is not known whether brown dwarfs [stellar-like objects with masses less than the hydrogen-burning limit, 0.075 solar mass (M☉)] are formed in the same way as solar-type stars or by some other process. Here we report the clear-cut identification of a self-gravitating condensation of gas and dust with a mass in the brown-dwarf regime, made through millimeter interferometric observations. The level of thermal millimeter continuum emission detected from this object indicates a mass ~0.02 to 0.03 M☉, whereas the small radius, <460 astronomical units, and narrow spectral lines imply a dynamical mass of 0.015 to 0.02 M☉. The identification of such a pre–brown dwarf core supports models according to which brown dwarfs are formed in the same manner as hydrogen-burning stars.