Por Víctor Almendros Abad (CENTRA - Center for Astrophysics and Gravitation, FCUL).
Young clusters and star-forming regions are home to a large number of substellar objects. Brown dwarf theories predict that high gas or stellar densities, as well as the presence of massive stars, may boost the incidence of newly formed brown dwarfs. However, studies of their populations in nearby regions have found consistent formation rates of 2-5 young brown dwarfs per 10 newborn stars. The next frontier in substellar studies is the exploration of massive star clusters, characterized by significantly different environments. In this contribution, I will present our latest results in two massive star clusters: RCW 38 and NGC 2244, which include, for the first time, hints of the effect of massive stars in the formation of brown dwarfs.
Short bio: Víctor Almendros-Abad obtained his master's degree in Space science and technology at the University of the Basque Country (Bilbao, Spain) and is currently a PhD candidate by the University of Lisbon. His research interests revolve around the characterization of young brown dwarfs with all kinds of astronomical instrumentation and the application of machine learning methods to astronomical problems.
