Ultra-cool dwarfs: new discoveries, proper motions, and improved spectral typing from SDSS and 2MASS photometric colors ^*

¹ National Astronomical Observatories/Yunnan Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011, PR China e-mail: zenghuazhang@hotmail.com
² Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
³ Centre for Astrophysics Research, Science and Technology Research Institute, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK e-mail: h.r.a.jones@herts.ac.uk

Received: 3 June 2008
Accepted: 14 January 2009

Abstract

Aims. We try to identify ultra-cool dwarfs from the seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS DR7) with SDSS i-z and r-z colors. We also obtain proper motion data from SDSS, 2MASS, and UKIDSS and improve spectral typing from SDSS and 2MASS photometric colors.

Methods. We selected ultra-cool dwarf candidates from the SDSS DR7 with new photometric selection criteria, which are based on a parameterization study of known L and T dwarfs. The objects are then cross-identified with the Two Micron All Sky Survey and the Fourth Data Release of the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS DR4). We derive proper motion constraints by combining SDSS, 2MASS, and UKIDSS positional information. In this way we are able to assess, to some extent, the credence of our sample using a multi epoch approach, which complements spectroscopic confirmation. Some of the proper motions are affected by short baselines, but, as a general tool, this method offers great potential to confirm faint L dwarfs as UKIDSS coverage increases. In addition we derive updated color-spectral type relations for L and T dwarfs with SDSS and 2MASS magnitudes.

Results. We present 59 new nearby M and L dwarfs selected from the imaging catalog of the SDSS DR7, including proper motions and spectral types calculated from the updated color-spectral type relations. and obtain proper motions from SDSS, 2MASS, and UKIDSS for all of our objects.