A search for low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in the Pleiades

Seven areas of size 25 arcmin2 each were imaged at R and I in the Pleiades. The objects observed are plotted on a colour-magnitude diagram. Comparison with theory using the age of the Pleiades shows that nine of these objects might be low-mass Pleiades members. Of these, five would then be brown dwarfs although this number reduces if an older age is assumed for the cluster. Equally, all these objects may be old M dwarfs which are not cluster members. We are not yet able to distinguish definitely between these two possibilities. (author)