The Solar Neighborhood. Xxxvii. The Mass–luminosity Relation for Main-Sequence M Dwarfs*

ABSTRACT We present a mass–luminosity relation (MLR) for red dwarfs spanning a range of masses from 0.62 to the end of the stellar main sequence at 0.08 . The relation is based on 47 stars for which dynamical masses have been determined, primarily using astrometric data from Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS) 3 and 1r, white-light interferometers on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) , and radial velocity data from McDonald Observatory. For our HST /FGS sample of 15 binaries, component mass errors range from 0.4% to 4.0% with a median error of 1.8%. With these and masses from other sources, we construct a V -band MLR for the lower main sequence with 47 stars and a K -band MLR with 45 stars with fit residuals half of those of the V band. We use GJ 831 AB as an example, obtaining an absolute trigonometric parallax, π abs = 125.3 ± 0.3 mas, with orbital elements yielding and . The mass precision rivals that derived for eclipsing binaries. A remaining major task is the interpretation of the intrinsic cosmic scatter in the observed MLR for low-mass stars in terms of physical effects. In the meantime, useful mass values can be estimated from the MLR for the ubiquitous red dwarfs that account for 75% of all stars, with applications ranging from the characterization of exoplanet host stars to the contribution of red dwarfs to the mass of the universe.