The theory of the formation of brown dwarfs and low-mass stars

More than half of all stars (including brown dwarfs) have masses below 0.2 Msun. The formation mechanism of these objects is uncertain. I will review the four main theories for the formation of low-mass objects: turbulent fragmentation, ejection of protostellar embryos, disc fragmentation, and photo-erosion of prestellar cores. I will discuss the observational predictions of these models regarding the low-mass initial mass function, the brown dwarf desert, and the binary statistics of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. I will further discuss whether observations may be used to distinguish between different formation mechanisms, and give a few examples of systems that strongly favour a specific formation scenario. Finally, I will argue that it is likely that all mechanisms may play a role in the formation of brown dwarfs and low-mass stars