An Effective Temperature Scale for Late M and L Dwarfs, from Resonance Absorption Lines of CsI and RbI

We present Keck HIRES spectra of 6 late-M dwarfs and 11 L dwarfs. Our goal is to assign effective temperatures to the objects using detailed atmospheric models and fine analysis of the alkali resonance absorption lines of CsI and RbI. These yield mutually consistent results (+-150 K) when we use ``cleared-dust'' models, which account for the removal of refractory species from the molecular states but do not include dust opacities. We find a tendency for the RbI line to imply a slightly higher temperature, which we ascribe to an incomplete treatment of the overlying molecular opacities. The final effective temperatures we adopt are based on the CsI fits alone, though the RbI fits support the CsI temperature sequence. This work, in combination with results from the infrared, hints that dust in these atmospheres has settled out of the high atmosphere but is present in the deep photosphere. We also derive radial and rotational velocities for all the objects, finding that the previously discovered trend of rapid rotation for very low mass objects is quite pervasive. To improve on our analysis, there is a clear need for better molecular line lists and a more detailed understanding of dust formation and dynamics.