A spectrophotometric technique for detecting companions of low-mass M dwarfs

The most common stars in the Galaxy are the main-sequence M dwarfs, yet cur rent techniques are not optimized for detecting companions around the lowes t mass M dwarfs, those with spectral designations ranging from M6 to M10. D escribed in this paper is a search for companions around such stars using a newly designed differential spectrophotometric technique. This novel metho d combines the strengths of the photometric and spectroscopic techniques, w hile it minimizes their inherent limitations. The scientific goal of this p roject is to search for short-period systems containing brown dwarfs and gi ant planets. The detection of or placing limits on such systems will help d iscriminate among competing theories of planetary formation.