Context. Current surveys of nearby star-forming regions and young aggregates that produce samples of objects spanning the entire mass range down to masses of a few Jupiter masses can address questions about differences in the substellar mass function among different regions and the lowest masses of objects that can form in isolation. Aims. Deep imaging of a selected area in the Lupus?3 star-forming region, characterized by a large number of known young stellar objects, has been carried out with the goal of producing a complete sampling of the mass function down to sub-Jupiter masses. Methods. ICJHKS imaging complemented with intermediate-band imaging sensitive to methane absorption has been obtained with the VLT. The observed area measures 7′3?×?7′4 (0.42?×?0.43?pc2 at 200?pc) and the background is obscured by AV?
展开▼
