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Spectrum prediction is considered to be a promising technology that enhances spectrum efficiency by assisting dynamic spectrum access (DSA) in cognitive radio networks (CRN). Nonetheless, the highly nonlinear nature of spectrum data across time, frequency, and space domains, coupled with the intricate spectrum usage patterns, poses challenges for accurate spectrum prediction. Deep learning (DL), recognized for its capacity to extract nonlinear features, has been applied to solve these challenges. This paper first shows the advantages of applying DL by comparing with traditional prediction methods. Then, the current state-of-the-art DL-based spectrum prediction techniques are reviewed and summarized in terms of intra-band and crossband prediction. Notably, this paper uses a real-world spectrum dataset to prove the advancements of DL-based methods. Then, this paper proposes a novel intra-band spatiotemporal spectrum prediction framework named ViTransLSTM. This framework integrates visual self-attention and long short-term memory to capture both local and global long-term spatiotemporal dependencies of spectrum usage patterns. Similarly, the effectiveness of the proposed framework is validated on the aforementioned real-world dataset. Finally, the paper presents new related challenges and potential opportunities for future research.

In this paper, we propose a deep learning (DL)-based task-driven spectrum prediction framework, named DeepSPred. The DeepSPred comprises a feature encoder and a task predictor, where the encoder extracts spectrum usage pattern features, and the predictor configures different networks according to the task requirements to predict future spectrum. Based on the Deep- SPred, we first propose a novel 3D spectrum prediction method combining a flow processing strategy with 3D vision Transformer (ViT, i.e., Swin) and a pyramid to serve possible applications such as spectrum monitoring task, named 3D-SwinSTB. 3D-SwinSTB unique 3D Patch Merging ViT-to-3D ViT Patch Expanding and pyramid designs help the model accurately learn the potential correlation of the evolution of the spectrogram over time. Then, we propose a novel spectrum occupancy rate (SOR) method by redesigning a predictor consisting exclusively of 3D convolutional and linear layers to serve possible applications such as dynamic spectrum access (DSA) task, named 3D-SwinLinear. Unlike the 3D-SwinSTB output spectrogram, 3D-SwinLinear projects the spectrogram directly as the SOR. Finally, we employ transfer learning (TL) to ensure the applicability of our two methods to diverse spectrum services. The results show that our 3D-SwinSTB outperforms recent benchmarks by more than 5%, while our 3D-SwinLinear achieves a 90% accuracy, with a performance improvement exceeding 10%.

Modern power grids are undergoing significant changes driven by information and communication technologies (ICTs), and evolving into smart grids with higher efficiency and lower operation cost. Using ICTs, however, comes with an inevitable side effect that makes the power system more vulnerable to cyber attacks. In this paper, we propose a self-supervised learning-based framework to detect and identify various types of cyber attacks. Different from existing approaches, the proposed framework does not rely on large amounts of well-curated labeled data but makes use of the massive unlabeled data in the wild which are easily accessible. Specifically, the proposed framework adopts the BERT model from the natural language processing domain and learns generalizable and effective representations from the unlabeled sensing data, which capture the distinctive patterns of different attacks. Using the learned representations, together with a very small amount of labeled data, we can train a task-specific classifier to detect various types of cyber attacks. Meanwhile, real-world training datasets are usually imbalanced, i.e., there are only a limited number of data samples containing attacks. In order to cope with such data imbalance, we propose a new loss function, separate mean error (SME), which pays equal attention to the large and small categories to better train the model. Experiment results in a 5-area power grid system with 37 buses demonstrate the superior performance of our framework over existing approaches, especially when a very limited portion of labeled data are available, e.g., as low as 0.002\%. We believe such a framework can be easily adopted to detect a variety of cyber attacks in other power grid scenarios., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures

HIP 9618 (HD 12572, TOI-1471, TIC 306263608) is a bright ($G=9.0$ mag) solar analogue. TESS photometry revealed the star to have two candidate planets with radii of $3.9 \pm 0.044$ $R_\oplus$ (HIP 9618 b) and $3.343 \pm 0.039$ $R_\oplus$ (HIP 9618 c). While the 20.77291 day period of HIP 9618 b was measured unambiguously, HIP 9618 c showed only two transits separated by a 680-day gap in the time series, leaving many possibilities for the period. To solve this issue, CHEOPS performed targeted photometry of period aliases to attempt to recover the true period of planet c, and successfully determined the true period to be 52.56349 d. High-resolution spectroscopy with HARPS-N, SOPHIE and CAFE revealed a mass of $10.0 \pm 3.1 M_\oplus$ for HIP 9618 b, which, according to our interior structure models, corresponds to a $6.8\pm1.4\%$ gas fraction. HIP 9618 c appears to have a lower mass than HIP 9618 b, with a 3-sigma upper limit of $< 18M_\oplus$. Follow-up and archival RV measurements also reveal a clear long-term trend which, when combined with imaging and astrometric information, reveal a low-mass companion ($0.08^{+0.12}_{-0.05} M_\odot$) orbiting at $26^{+19}_{-11}$ au. This detection makes HIP 9618 one of only five bright ($K<8$ mag) transiting multi-planet systems known to host a planet with $P>50$ d, opening the door for the atmospheric characterisation of warm ($T_{\rm eq}<750$ K) sub-Neptunes., Comment: 19 pages, 16 figures, 9 tables. Accepted at MNRAS. CHEOPS, RV and ground-based photometric data is available on CDS at https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/MNRAS/523/3069

Spectrogram classification plays an important role in analyzing gravitational wave data. In this paper, we propose a framework to improve the classification performance by using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). As substantial efforts and expertise are required to annotate spectrograms, the number of training examples is very limited. However, it is well known that deep networks can perform well only when the sample size of the training set is sufficiently large. Furthermore, the imbalanced sample sizes in different classes can also hamper the performance. In order to tackle these problems, we propose a GAN-based data augmentation framework. While standard data augmentation methods for conventional images cannot be applied on spectrograms, we found that a variant of GANs, ProGAN, is capable of generating high-resolution spectrograms which are consistent with the quality of the high-resolution original images and provide a desirable diversity. We have validated our framework by classifying glitches in the {\it Gravity Spy} dataset with the GAN-generated spectrograms for training. We show that the proposed method can provide an alternative to transfer learning for the classification of spectrograms using deep networks, i.e. using a high-resolution GAN for data augmentation instead. Furthermore, fluctuations in classification performance with small sample sizes for training and evaluation can be greatly reduced. Using the trained network in our framework, we have also examined the spectrograms with label anomalies in {\it Gravity Spy}., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 16 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables

We have presented the first joint {\it XMM-Newton} and {\it NuSTAR} analysis of the millisecond pulsar (MSP) binary PSR J1653$-$0158. The 75-minute orbital period inferred from optical and gamma-ray observations together with the 1.97-ms pulsation in the gamma-rays indicate that this system is the most compact Black Widow MSP system known to date. The orbital period was not detected in the {\it XMM-Newton} and {\it NuSTAR} data, probably due to insufficient photon counts obtained in the observations. Fitting the joint X-ray spectrum of PSR J1653$-$0158 with a power law gives a photon index $\Gamma = 1.71 \pm 0.09$. The X-ray luminosity of the source in the ($0.2-40$)~keV band is deduced to be $1.18 \times 10^{31}\;\!{\rm erg~s}^{-1}$, for an adopted distance of 0.84~kpc. We have shown that the broad-band X-ray spectrum can be explained by synchrotron radiation from electrons accelerated in the intra-binary shock, and the gamma-rays detected in the {\it Fermi} data are curvature radiations from electrons and positrons in the pulsar magnetosphere. Our kinematic analysis of the Tidarren systems PSR~J1653--0158 and PSR~J1311--3430 indicates that the two Tidarren systems are likely to have originated in the Galactic Disk., Comment: Accepted by APJ

Context: TOI-2076 is a transiting three-planet system of sub-Neptunes orbiting a bright (G = 8.9 mag), young ($340\pm80$ Myr) K-type star. Although a validated planetary system, the orbits of the two outer planets were unconstrained as only two non-consecutive transits were seen in TESS photometry. This left 11 and 7 possible period aliases for each. Aims: To reveal the true orbits of these two long-period planets, precise photometry targeted on the highest-probability period aliases is required. Long-term monitoring of transits in multi-planet systems can also help constrain planetary masses through TTV measurements. Methods: We used the MonoTools package to determine which aliases to follow, and then performed space-based and ground-based photometric follow-up of TOI-2076 c and d with CHEOPS, SAINT-EX, and LCO telescopes. Results: CHEOPS observations revealed a clear detection for TOI-2076 c at $P=21.01538^{+0.00084}_{-0.00074}$ d, and allowed us to rule out three of the most likely period aliases for TOI-2076 d. Ground-based photometry further enabled us to rule out remaining aliases and confirm the $P=35.12537\pm0.00067$ d alias. These observations also improved the radius precision of all three sub-Neptunes to $2.518\pm0.036$, $3.497\pm0.043$, and $3.232\pm0.063$ $R_\oplus$. Our observations also revealed a clear anti-correlated TTV signal between planets b and c likely caused by their proximity to the 2:1 resonance, while planets c and d appear close to a 5:3 period commensurability, although model degeneracy meant we were unable to retrieve robust TTV masses. Their inflated radii, likely due to extended H-He atmospheres, combined with low insolation makes all three planets excellent candidates for future comparative transmission spectroscopy with JWST., Comment: 18 pages, 7 figure, 8 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Photometry available on CDS/Vizier. Python package presented for modelling duotransiting planet candidates available at https://github.com/hposborn/MonoTools. Modelling & figure-creation code available at https://github.com/hposborn/TOI2076

We report the discovery and characterisation of a pair of sub-Neptunes transiting the bright K-dwarf TOI-1064 (TIC 79748331), initially detected in TESS photometry. To characterise the system, we performed and retrieved CHEOPS, TESS, and ground-based photometry, HARPS high-resolution spectroscopy, and Gemini speckle imaging. We characterise the host star and determine $T_{\rm eff, \star}=4734\pm67$ K, $R_{\star}=0.726\pm0.007$ $R_{\odot}$, and $M_{\star}=0.748\pm0.032$ $M_{\odot}$. We present a novel detrending method based on PSF shape-change modelling and demonstrate its suitability to correct flux variations in CHEOPS data. We confirm the planetary nature of both bodies and find that TOI-1064 b has an orbital period of $P_{\rm b}=6.44387\pm0.00003$ d, a radius of $R_{\rm b}=2.59\pm0.04$ $R_{\oplus}$, and a mass of $M_{\rm b}=13.5_{-1.8}^{+1.7}$ $M_{\oplus}$, whilst TOI-1064 c has an orbital period of $P_{\rm c}=12.22657^{+0.00005}_{-0.00004}$ d, a radius of $R_{\rm c}=2.65\pm0.04$ $R_{\oplus}$, and a 3$\sigma$ upper mass limit of 8.5 ${\rm M_{\oplus}}$. From the high-precision photometry we obtain radius uncertainties of $\sim$1.6%, allowing us to conduct internal structure and atmospheric escape modelling. TOI-1064 b is one of the densest, well-characterised sub-Neptunes, with a tenuous atmosphere that can be explained by the loss of a primordial envelope following migration through the protoplanetary disc. It is likely that TOI-1064 c has an extended atmosphere due to the tentative low density, however further RVs are needed to confirm this scenario and the similar radii, different masses nature of this system. The high-precision data and modelling of TOI-1064 b are important for planets in this region of mass-radius space, and it allows us to identify a trend in bulk density-stellar metallicity for massive sub-Neptunes that may hint at the formation of this population of planets., Comment: 30 pages, 24 figures, 6 tables including the Appendix; accepted for publication in MNRAS

Recent studies have considered thwarting false data injection (FDI) attacks against state estimation in power grids by proactively perturbing branch susceptances. This approach is known as moving target defense (MTD). However, despite of the deployment of MTD, it is still possible for the attacker to launch stealthy FDI attacks generated with former branch susceptances. In this paper, we prove that, an MTD has the capability to thwart all FDI attacks constructed with former branch susceptances only if (i) the number of branches $l$ in the power system is not less than twice that of the system states $n$ (i.e., $l \geq 2n$, where $n + 1$ is the number of buses); (ii) the susceptances of more than $n$ branches, which cover all buses, are perturbed. Moreover, we prove that the state variable of a bus that is only connected by a single branch (no matter it is perturbed or not) can always be modified by the attacker. Nevertheless, in order to reduce the attack opportunities of potential attackers, we first exploit the impact of the susceptance perturbation magnitude on the dimension of the \emph{stealthy attack space}, in which the attack vector is constructed with former branch susceptances. Then, we propose that, by perturbing an appropriate set of branches, we can minimize the dimension of the \emph{stealthy attack space} and maximize the number of covered buses. Besides, we consider the increasing operation cost caused by the activation of MTD. Finally, we conduct extensive simulations to illustrate our findings with IEEE standard test power systems.

This paper studies the performance and resilience of a linear cyber-physical control system (CPCS) with attack detection and reactive attack mitigation in the context of power grids. It addresses the problem of deriving an optimal sequence of false data injection attacks that maximizes the state estimation error of the power system. The results provide basic understanding about the limit of the attack impact. The design of the optimal attack is based on a Markov decision process (MDP) formulation, which is solved efficiently using the value iteration method. We apply the proposed framework to the voltage control system of power grids and run extensive simulations using PowerWorld. The results show that our framework can accurately characterize the maximum state estimation errors caused by an attacker who carefully designs the attack sequence to strike a balance between the attack magnitude and stealthiness, due to the simultaneous presence of attack detection and mitigation. Moreover, based on the proposed framework, we analyze the impact of false positives and negatives in detecting attacks on the system performance. The results are important for the system defenders in the joint design of attack detection and mitigation to reduce the impact of these attack detection errors.Finally, as MDP solutions are not scalable for high-dimensional systems, we apply Q-learning with linear and non-linear (neural networks based) function approximators to solve the attacker's problem in these systems and compare their performances., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1706.01628

We study the impact of signal jamming attacks against the communication based train control (CBTC) systems and develop the countermeasures to limit the attacks' impact. CBTC supports the train operation automation and moving-block signaling, which improves the transport efficiency. We consider an attacker jamming the wireless communication between the trains or the train to wayside access point, which can disable CBTC and the corresponding benefits. In contrast to prior work studying jamming only at the physical or link layer, we study the real impact of such attacks on end users, namely train journey time and passenger congestion. Our analysis employs a detailed model of leaky medium-based communication system (leaky waveguide or leaky feeder/coaxial cable) popularly used in CBTC systems. To counteract the jamming attacks, we develop a mitigation approach based on frequency hopping spread spectrum taking into account domain-specific structure of the leaky-medium CBTC systems. Specifically, compared with existing implementations of FHSS, we apply FHSS not only between the transmitter-receiver pair but also at the track-side repeaters. To demonstrate the feasibility of implementing this technology in CBTC systems, we develop a FHSS repeater prototype using software-defined radios on both leaky-medium and open-air (free-wave) channels. We perform extensive simulations driven by realistic running profiles of trains and real-world passenger data to provide insights into the jamming attack's impact and the effectiveness of the proposed countermeasure., Comment: Proceedings of the 11th ACM Conference on Security & Privacy in Wireless and Mobile Networks (WiSec) - 2018

We study moving-target defense (MTD) that actively perturbs transmission line reactances to thwart stealthy false data injection (FDI) attacks against state estimation in a power grid. Prior work on this topic has proposed MTD based on randomly selected reactance perturbations, but these perturbations cannot guarantee effective attack detection. To address the issue, we present formal design criteria to select MTD reactance perturbations that are truly effective. However, based on a key optimal power flow (OPF) formulation, we find that the effective MTD may incur a non-trivial operational cost that has not hitherto received attention. Accordingly, we characterize important tradeoffs between the MTD's detection capability and its associated required cost. Extensive simulations, using the MATPOWER simulator and benchmark IEEE bus systems, verify and illustrate the proposed design approach that for the first time addresses both key aspects of cost and effectiveness of the MTD., Comment: IEEE/IFIP International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (DSN) - 2018

Modern urban railways extensively use computerized sensing and control technologies to achieve safe, reliable, and well-timed operations. However, the use of these technologies may provide a convenient leverage to cyber-attackers who have bypassed the air gaps and aim at causing safety incidents and service disruptions. In this paper, we study false data injection (FDI) attacks against railways' traction power systems (TPSes). Specifically, we analyze two types of FDI attacks on the train-borne voltage, current, and position sensor measurements - which we call efficiency attack and safety attack -- that (i) maximize the system's total power consumption and (ii) mislead trains' local voltages to exceed given safety-critical thresholds, respectively. To counteract, we develop a global attack detection (GAD) system that serializes a bad data detector and a novel secondary attack detector designed based on unique TPS characteristics. With intact position data of trains, our detection system can effectively detect the FDI attacks on trains' voltage and current measurements even if the attacker has full and accurate knowledge of the TPS, attack detection, and real-time system state. In particular, the GAD system features an adaptive mechanism that ensures low false positive and negative rates in detecting the attacks under noisy system measurements. Extensive simulations driven by realistic running profiles of trains verify that a TPS setup is vulnerable to the FDI attacks, but these attacks can be detected effectively by the proposed GAD while ensuring a low false positive rate., Comment: IEEE/IFIP DSN-2016 and ACM Trans. on Cyber-Physical Systems

This paper studies the performance and resilience of a cyber-physical control system (CPCS) with attack detection and reactive attack mitigation. It addresses the problem of deriving an optimal sequence of false data injection attacks that maximizes the state estimation error of the system. The results provide basic understanding about the limit of the attack impact. The design of the optimal attack is based on a Markov decision process (MDP) formulation, which is solved efficiently using the value iteration method. Using the proposed framework, we quantify the effect of false positives and mis-detections on the system performance, which can help the joint design of the attack detection and mitigation. To demonstrate the use of the proposed framework in a real-world CPCS, we consider the voltage control system of power grids, and run extensive simulations using PowerWorld, a high-fidelity power system simulator, to validate our analysis. The results show that by carefully designing the attack sequence using our proposed approach, the attacker can cause a large deviation of the bus voltages from the desired setpoint. Further, the results verify the optimality of the derived attack sequence and show that, to cause maximum impact, the attacker must carefully craft his attack to strike a balance between the attack magnitude and stealthiness, due to the simultaneous presence of attack detection and mitigation.

Before a building can participate in a demand response program, its facility managers must characterize the site's ability to reduce load. Today, this is often done through manual audit processes and prototypical control strategies. In this paper, we propose a new approach to estimate a building's demand response capacity using detailed data from various sensors installed in a building. We derive a formula for a probabilistic measure that characterizes various tradeoffs between the available demand response capacity and the confidence level associated with that curtailment under the constraints of building occupant comfort level (or utility). Then, we develop a data-driven framework to associate observed or projected building energy consumption with a particular set of rules learned from a large sensor dataset. We apply this methodology using testbeds in two buildings in Singapore: a unique net-zero energy building and a modern commercial office building. Our experimental results identify key control parameters and provide insight into the available demand response strategies at each site., Comment: In proceedings of the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Smart Grid Communications (IEEE SmartGridComm 2014)

Modern information and communication technologies used by smart grids are subject to cybersecurity threats. This paper studies the impact of integrity attacks on real-time pricing (RTP), a key feature of smart grids that uses such technologies to improve system efficiency. Recent studies have shown that RTP creates a closed loop formed by the mutually dependent real-time price signals and price-taking demand. Such a closed loop can be exploited by an adversary whose objective is to destabilize the pricing system. Specifically, small malicious modifications to the price signals can be iteratively amplified by the closed loop, causing inefficiency and even severe failures such as blackouts. This paper adopts a control-theoretic approach to deriving the fundamental conditions of RTP stability under two broad classes of integrity attacks, namely, the scaling and delay attacks. We show that the RTP system is at risk of being destabilized only if the adversary can compromise the price signals advertised to smart meters by reducing their values in the scaling attack, or by providing old prices to over half of all consumers in the delay attack. The results provide useful guidelines for system operators to analyze the impact of various attack parameters on system stability, so that they may take adequate measures to secure RTP systems., Comment: Proceedings of the 2013 ACM SIGSAC conference on Computer & communications security

In July 2012, as the four ground-based gamma-ray telescopes of the H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System) array reached their tenth year of operation in Khomas Highlands, Namibia, a fifth telescope took its first data as part of the system. This new Cherenkov detector, comprising a 614.5 m^2 reflector with a highly pixelized camera in its focal plane, improves the sensitivity of the current array by a factor two and extends its energy domain down to a few tens of GeV. The present part I of the paper gives a detailed description of the fifth H.E.S.S. telescope's camera, presenting the details of both the hardware and the software, emphasizing the main improvements as compared to previous H.E.S.S. camera technology., Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in NIM A

We present 3-dimensional kinematical observations of the massive OB association Cygnus OB2 to identify the mechanisms responsible for disrupting young star clusters. The picture revealed by these observations is of a highly-substructured, dynamically unmixed OB association that does not exhibit the position-velocity correlations predicted by the theories of infant mortality or tidal stripping. These observations would appear to support a picture of hierarchical star formation., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; to appear in The Labyrinth of Star Formation, (eds.) D. Stamatellos, S. Goodwin, and D. Ward-Thompson, Springer, in press

Many networks in real-life typically contain parts in which some nodes are more highly connected to each other than the other nodes of the network. The collection of such nodes are usually called clusters, communities, cohesive groups or modules. In graph terminology, it is called highly connected graph. In this paper, we first prove some properties related to highly connected graph. Based on these properties, we then redefine the highly connected subgraph which results in an algorithm that determines whether a given graph is highly connected in linear time. Then we present a computationally efficient algorithm, called MOHCS, for mining overlapping highly connected subgraphs. We have evaluated experimentally the performance of MOHCS using real and synthetic data sets from computer-generated graph and yeast protein network. Our results show that MOHCS is effective and reliable in finding overlapping highly connected subgraphs. Keywords-component; Highly connected subgraph, clustering algorithms, minimum cut, minimum degree

We performed a deep wide field optical survey of the young (~100-150 Myr) open cluster Blanco1 to study its low mass population well down into the brown dwarf regime and estimate its mass function over the whole cluster mass range.The survey covers 2.3 square degrees in the I and z-bands down to I ~ z ~ 24 with the CFH12K camera. Considering two different cluster ages (100 and 150 Myr), we selected cluster member candidates on the basis of their location in the (I,I-z) CMD relative to the isochrones, and estimated the contamination by foreground late-type field dwarfs using statistical arguments, infrared photometry and low-resolution optical spectroscopy. We find that our survey should contain about 57% of the cluster members in the 0.03-0.6 Mo mass range, including 30-40 brown dwarfs. The candidate's radial distribution presents evidence that mass segregation has already occured in the cluster. We took it into account to estimate the cluster mass function across the stellar/substellar boundary. We find that, between 0.03Mo and 0.6Mo, the cluster mass distribution does not depend much on its exact age, and is well represented by a single power-law, with an index alpha=0.69 +/- 0.15. Over the whole mass domain, from 0.03Mo to 3Mo, the mass function is better fitted by a log-normal function with m0=0.36 +/- 0.07Mo and sigma=0.58 +/- 0.06. Comparison between the Blanco1 mass function, other young open clusters' MF, and the galactic disc MF suggests that the IMF, from the substellar domain to the higher mass part, does not depend much on initial conditions. We discuss the implications of this result on theories developed to date to explain the origin of the mass distribution., Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures and 5 tables accepted in A&A

Accurate stellar ages remain one of the most poorly constrained, but most desired, astronomical quantities. Here we briefly summarize some recent efforts to improve the stellar age scale from a subset of talks from the ``Stellar Ages'' splinter session at the "14th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems and the Sun". The topics discussed include both the apparent successes and alarming discrepancies in using Li depletion to age-date clusters, sources of uncertainty in ages due to input physics in evolutionary models, and recent results from asteroseismology and gyrochronology., Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Summary of splinter session on "Stellar Ages" for the 14th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems and the Sun, 6-10 November 2006

We have estimated the age of the young moving group TW Hydrae Association, a cohort of a few dozen stars and brown dwarfs located near the Sun which share the same kinematic properties and, presumably, the same origin and age. The chronology has been determined by analyzing different properties (magnitudes, colors, activity, lithium) of its members and comparing them with several well-known star forming regions and open clusters, as well as theoretical models. In addition, by using medium-resolution optical spectra of two M8 members of the association (2M1139 and 2M1207 -an accreting brown dwarf with a planetary mass companion), we have derived spectral types and measured H(alpha) and lithium equivalent widths. We have also estimated their effective temperature and gravity, which were used to produce an independent age estimation for these two brown dwarfs. We have also collected spectra of 2M1315, a candidate member with a L5 spectral type and measured its H(alpha) equivalent width. Our age estimate for the association, 10 Myr (in the range 3-20 Myr), agrees with previous values cited in the literature. In the case of the two brown dwarfs, we have derived an age of 15 Myr (in the range 5-30 Myr), which also agree with our estimate for the whole group. We compared our results with recent articles published on the same subject using other techniques, and discuss the limits of the age-dating techniques., Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysics, accepted

We report the results of mid-IR observations with VISIR at the VLT of 10 ultracool dwarfs members of the nearby Upper Scorpius OB association in four filters ranging between 8.59 (PAH1) to 12.8 $\mu$m (Ne II), and one brown dwarf with Spitzer between 3.6 and 24 $\mu$m. Seven of our targets are detected in at least one of the bands, and we derive upper limits on the fluxes of the remaining 4. These results combined with previous studies from the literature lead to an improved disk frequency of 50$\pm$12%. This frequency is significantly higher than that of accretors (16.3%$\pm$6.2%). Only one object showing mid-IR excess also has H$\alpha$ emission at a level indicating that it must be accreting. Four of the detected targets are multiple system candidates. The observed disk frequency for sub-stellar objects in the Upper Scorpius association is similar to that of stars, consistent with a common formation scenario. It is also similar to the disk fractions observed in younger clusters, suggesting that the disk lifetimes might be longer for ultracool dwarfs than for higher-mass stars., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, accepted for A&A

We present the first results on variability of very low mass stars and brown dwarfs belonging to the 5 Myr Lambda Orionis cluster (Collinder 69). We have monitored almost continuously in the J filter a small area of the cluster which includes 12 possible members of the cluster during one night. Some members have turned to be short-term variable. One of them, LOri167, has a mass close to the planetary mass limit and its variability might be due to instabilities produced by the deuterium burning, although other mechanism cannot be ruled out., Comment: Accepted for Astronomische Nachrichten. Workshop "Ultra-low-mass star formation and evolution", La Palma June 2005

The Lambda Orionis Star Forming Region is a complex structure which includes the Col 69 (Lambda Orionis) cluster and the B30 & B35 dark clouds. We have collected deep optical photometry and spectroscopy in the central cluster of the SFR (Col 69), and combined with 2MASS IR data, in order to derive the Initial Mass Function of the cluster, in the range 50-0.02 M(sun). In addition, we have studied the H(alpha) and lithium equivalent widths, and the optical-infrared photometry, to derive an age (5+-2 Myr) for Col 69, and to compare these properties to those of B30 & B35 members., Comment: Contribution presented at the conference on "The Many Scales of the Universe- - JENAM 2004 Astrophysics Reviews ", joint European and Spanish astronomical meeting, held in Granada (Spain) in September 2004. To be published by Kluwer Academic Publishers, eds. J. C. del Toro Iniesta et al. 30 pages, 18 color figures

The Lambda Orionis Star Forming Region is dominated by the O8 III star lambda^1 Ori. Among other structures, it includes a CO and a dust ring whose diameter is about nine deg, the S264 HII region, a large number of IRAS sources, the Barnard 30 and 35 dark clouds and a cluster associated with the central star, the Lambda Ori cluster (Collinder 69). We derive the initial mass function for this cluster (~5 Myr), covering several orders of magnitude in mass (50 - 0.02 Msun)., Comment: Contributed talk presented at the conference on "IMF@50: The Stellar Initial Mass Function Fifty Years Later" held at Abbazia di Spineto, Siena, Italy, May 2004. To be published by Kluwer Academic Publishers, ed. E. Corbelli, F. Palla, and H. Zinnecker

We present measurements of the \ion{K}{i} $\lambda 7699$ line from spectra of 19 late-type members of the $\alpha$Persei cluster obtained with the Intermediate Dispersion Spectrograph at the Isaac Newton Telescope. These stars span a narrow range of $T_\mathrm{eff}$, from 5091 K to 4771 K, and a wide range of $v \sin i$ values (9 $\mathrm{km s}^{-1}$--170 $\mathrm{km s}^{-1}$). We find empirically that larger rotational broadening increases the equivalent width of \ion{K}{i} $\lambda 7699$ linearly for $v \sin i$ values from 15 $\mathrm{km s}^{-1}$ to 75 $\mathrm{km s}^{-1}$. This correlation breaks down for $v \sin i >$ 75 $\mathrm{km s}^{-1}$. After correction for this effect, we show that the potassium line equivalent widths do not correlate with $v \sin i$.}, Comment: accepted for publication in A&A

We have obtained low- and medium-resolution optical spectra of 20 candidate young low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in the nearby Chamaeleon II dark cloud, using the Magellan Baade telescope. We analyze these data in conjunction with near-infrared photometry from the 2-Micron All Sky Survey. We find that one target, [VCE2001] C41, exhibits broad H(alpha) emission as well as a variety of forbidden emission lines. These signatures are usually associated with accretion and outflow in young stars and brown dwarfs. Our spectra of C41 also reveal LiI in absorption and allow us to derive a spectral type of M5.5 for it. Therefore, we propose that C41 is a classical T Tauri object near the sub-stellar boundary. Thirteen other targets in our sample have continuum spectra without intrinsic absorption or emission features, and are difficult to characterize. They may be background giants or foreground field stars not associated with the cloud or embedded protostars, and need further investigation. The six remaining candidates, with moderate reddening, are likely to be older field dwarfs, given their spectral types, lack of lithium and H(alpha)., Comment: Astrophysical Journal, accepted June 19, 2004

We have obtained intermediate-resolution optical spectroscopy of 44 candidate very low mass members of the nearby young open cluster IC2391. Of these, 26 spectra are totally new, 14 were already analyzed in a previous paper and another four are in common. These spectra, taken at the Cerro Tololo 4-meter and Magellan I and II telescopes, allow us to confirm 33 of them as likely cluster members, based on their spectral types, presence of Li, and Halpha emission. Among these new cluster members is CTIO-160 (M7), the first IC2391 candidate to satisfy all criteria for being a substellar member of the cluster, including detection of the Li 6708A doublet. With the enlarged membership, we are able to locate the lithium depletion boundary of the cluster more reliably than in the past. Based on comparison to several theoretical models, we derive an age of 50+-5 Myr for IC2391. We also estimate new ages for the Alpha Per and Pleiades clusters; our ages are 85+-10 Myr and 130+-20 Myr, respectively. We derive an estimate of the initial mass function of IC2391 that extends to below the substellar limit, and compare it to those of other well-studied young open clusters. The index of the power law mass function for IC2391 is alpha=0.96+-0.12, valid in the range 0.5 to 0.072 M(sun)., Comment: Astrophysical Journal, accepted June 18, 2004

We present mid-infrared photometry of three very young brown dwarfs located in the $\rho$ Ophiuchi star-forming region -- GY5, GY11 and GY310 --obtained with the Subaru 8-meter telescope. All three sources were detected at 8.6 and 11.7$\mu$m, confirming the presence of significant mid-infrared excess arising from optically thick dusty disks. The spectral energy distributions of both GY310 and GY11 exhibit strong evidence of flared disks; flat disks can be ruled out for these two brown dwarfs. The data for GY5 show large scatter, and are marginally consistent with both flared and flat configurations. Inner holes a few substellar radii in size are indicated in all three cases (and especially in GY11), in agreement with magnetospheric accretion models. Finally, our 9.7$\mu$m flux for GY310 implies silicate emission from small grains on the disk surface (though the data do not completely preclude larger grains with no silicate feature). Our results demonstrate that disks around young substellar objects are analogous to those girdling classical T Tauri stars, and exhibit a similar range of disk geometries and dust properties., Comment: submitted to Astrophysical Journal Letters

By collecting optical and infrared photometry and low resolution spectroscopy, we have identified a large number of low mass stars and brown dwarf candidates belonging to the young cluster (~5 Myr) associated with the binary star lambda Orionis. The lowest mass object found is a M8.5 with an estimated mass of 0.02 Msun (~0.01 Msun for objects without spectroscopic confirmation). For those objects with spectroscopy, the measured strength of the Halpha emission line follows a distribution similar to other clusters with the same age range, with larger equivalent widths for cooler spectral types. Three of the brown dwarfs have Halpha emission equivalent widths of order 100 \AA, suggestive that they may have accretion disks and thus are the substellar equivalent of Classical T Tauri stars. We have derived the Initial Mass Function for the cluster. For the substellar regime, the index of the mass spectrum is alpha=0.60$+-0.06, very similar to other young associations., Comment: Astrophysica Journal, accepted April 2, 2004

We present high resolution optical spectroscopy of three candidate members of the Taurus-Auriga star forming region. Based on the spectral type, the strength, profile and width of the H(alpha) line, the detected lithium at 6708 angstrom, the location of these objects in a H-R diagram and the comparison with similar objects belonging to young stellar associations, we determine that they are bona fide members of the SFR, with about ~3 Myr, have masses at or below the substellar limit and, at least in one case, there is active accretion from a circum(sub)stellar disk. This result suggests that high mass brown dwarfs go through a Classical TTauri phase and form like stars, from colapse and fragmentation of a molecular cloud., Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysics, accepted March 11, 2004

We present low-, medium-, and high-resolution optical spectra of LS-RCrA~1. We confirm both pre-main sequence status and membership, through the detection of lithium, presence of narrow potassium indicative of low gravity, and measurement of radial velocity. The Halpha emission profile is very broad, with a 10% full width of 316 km/s, implying the presence of ongoing accretion. Our spectra also exhibit many forbidden emission lines indicative of mass outflow. Using new 2MASS near-infrared photometry, no significant NIR excess is found. Our optical veiling measurements yield a mass accretion rate of 10^-10 / 10^{-9} M(sun)/yr. Through comparison with the latest synthetic spectra, we infer Teff~2700+-100K. Theoretical tracks imply an age of ~20 Myr (as derived from luminosity) or ~8 Myr (Teff vs. gravity) for LS-RCrA~1. Therefore, LS-RCrA~1 indeed appears sub-luminous relative to expectations for an R~CrA member. By comparing its position on the H-R diagram with that of other similarly accreting low-mass objects, we show that accretion-induced effects are unlikely to account for its faintness. We suggest instead that LS-RCrA~1 posesses a nearly edge-on disk and its photosphere is seen predominantly in scattered light, making it appear much fainter (and older) than it really is. Finally, the surface gravity and Teff estimates, combined with the latest evolutionary tracks, indicate a mass of ~0.07 or 0.035+-0.010 M(sun) (depending on the Teff scale)., Comment: Astrophysical Journal, accepted

We have compiled and studied photometric and spectroscopic data published in the literature of several star forming regions and young open clusters (Orion, Taurus, IC348, Sco-Cen Complex, Chamaeleon I, TW Hya association, sigma Orionis cluster, IC2391, alpha Per cluster and the Pleiades). Our goal was to seek the definition of a simple empirical criterion to classify stars or brown dwarfs which are accreting matter from a disk on the sole basis of low-resolution optical spectroscopic data. We show that using Halpha equivalent widths and spectral types we can statistically classify very young stars and brown dwarfs as classical T Tauri stars and substellar analogs. As a boundary between accreting and non accreting objects, we use the saturation limit of chromospheric activity at Log L(Halpha)/L(bol)=-3.3 (determined in the open clusters). We discuss the uncertainties in the classification scheme due to the occurrence of flares. We have used this spectroscopic empirical criterion to classify objects found in the literature, and we compute the fraction of accreting objects in several star forming regions. The fraction of accreting objects appears to decrease from about 50% to about 5% from 1 Myr to 10 Myr for both stars and brown dwarfs., Comment: Astronomical Journal, accepted

We present high-resolution optical spectroscopy of four candidate members of the nearby TW Hydrae young association including three brown dwarfs (2MASS 1207-3932, 2MASS 1139-3159 and TWA 5B) and one T Tauri multiple star (TWA 5A). Using echelle spectra from the Magellan Baade 6.5-meter telescope, we confirm the pre-main sequence status and cluster membership of the substellar candidates, through the detection of LiI, NaI consistent with low gravity, and radial velocity. Given their late spectral type (~M8) and the youth of the association (age ~10Myr), cluster membership certifies these three objects as very low-mass young brown dwarfs. One of them (2MASS 1207-3932) shows strong emission both in the Hydrogen Balmer series (H_alpha to H_epsilon) and in HeI (4471, 5876, 6678 and 7065 A), compared to other young brown dwarfs of similar spectral type. The H_alpha line is also relatively broad (10% width ~200 km/s) and asymmetric. These characteristics suggest that 2MASS 1207-3932 is a (weak) accretor. While we cannot rule out activity, comparison to a flaring field dwarf implies that such activity would have to be quite anomalous. The verification of accretion would make 2MASS 1207-3932 the oldest actively accreting brown dwarf known to date, suggesting that inner disk lifetimes in substellar objects can be comparable to those in stars, consistent with a similar formation mechanism. Finally, TWA 5A appears to be a variable accretor: observations separated by two days show broad accretion-like H_alpha (10% width \~270 km/s), with significant changes in the H_alpha profile, as well as in the strengths of HeI, Na D and [OI 6300]. TWA 5A is known to be a close triple; thus, our result implies that long-lived disks can exist even in multiple systems., Comment: accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

The K dwarfs in the Pleiades fall nearly one half magnitude below a main sequence isochrone when plotted in a color-magnitude diagram utilizing V magnitude as the luminosity index and B-V as the color index. This peculiarity has been known for forty years but has gone unexplained and mostly ignored. When compared to Praesepe members, the Pleiades K dwarfs again are subluminous (or blue) in a color-magnitude diagram using B-V as the color index. However, using V-I as the color index, stars in the two clusters are coincident to M_V ~ 10; using V-K as the color index, Pleiades late K and M stars fall above the main sequence locus defined by Praesepe members. We believe that the anomalous spectral energy distributions for the Pleiades K dwarfs, as compared to older clusters, are a consequence of rapid stellar rotation and may be primarily due to spottedness. If so, the required areal filling factor for the cool component has to be very large (=> 50%). Weak-lined T Tauri stars have similar color anomalies, and we suspect this is a common feature of all very young K dwarfs (sp. type > K3). The peculiar spectral energy distribution needs to be considered in deriving accurate pre-main sequence isochrone-fitting ages for clusters like the Pleiades since the age derived will depend on the temperature index used., Comment: 41 pages, 15 figures, AASTeX5.0. Accepted 05 May 2003; Scheduled for publication in the Astronomical Journal (August 2003)

We present the results of a high-resolution imaging survey for brown dwarf (BD) binaries in two open clusters. The observations were carried out with WFPC2 onboard HST. Our sample consists of 8 BD candidates in the alpha Per cluster and 25 BD candidates in the Pleiades. We have resolved 4 binaries in the Pleiades with separations in the range 0".094--0".058, corresponding to projected separations between 11.7~AU and 7.2~AU. No binaries were found among the alpha Per targets. Three of the binaries have proper motions consistent with cluster membership in the Pleiades cluster, and for one of them we report the detection of Halpha in emission and LiI absorption obtained from Keck~II/ESI spectroscopy. One of the binaries does not have a proper motion consistent with Pleiades membership. We estimate that BD binaries wider than 12~AU are less frequent than 9% in the alphaPer and Pleiades clusters. This is consistent with an extension to substellar masses of a trend observed among stellar binaries: the maximum semimajor axis of binary systems decreases with decreasing primary mass. We find a binary frequency of 2 binaries over 13 BDs with confirmed proper motion membership in the Pleiades, corresponding to a binary fraction of 15%(1 sigma error bar +15%/-5%). These binaries are limited to the separation range 7-12~AU and their mass ratios are larger than 0.7. The relatively high binary frequency (>10%), the bias to separations smaller than about 15 AU and the trend to high mass ratios (q>0.7) are fundamental properties of BDs. Current theories of BD formation do not appear to provide a good description of all these properties., Comment: Accepted by ApJ (scheduled publication in volume 594, September 1, 2003)

VLT/FORS spectroscopy and 2MASS near-infrared photometry, together with previously known data, have been used to establish the membership and the properties of a sample of low-mass candidate members of the sigma Orionis cluster with masses spanning from 1 Msun down to about 0.013 Msun (i.e., deuterium-burning mass limit). We have observed K-band infrared excess and remarkably intense H(alpha) emission in various cluster members, which, in addition to the previously detected forbidden emision lines and the presence of LiI in absorption at 6708 A, have allowed us to tentatively classify sigma Orionis members as classical or weak-line TTauri stars and substellar analogs. Variability of the H(alpha) line has been investigated and detected in some objects. Based on the K-band infrared excesses and the intensity of H(alpha) emission, we estimate that the minimum disk frequency of the sigma Orionis low-mass population is in the range 5-12%., Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics, accepted