The brown dwarf mass function from pixel microlensing

We argue that gravitational microlensing is a feasible technique for measuring the mass function of brown dwarf stars in distant galaxies. Microlensing surveys of the bulge of M31, and of M87 in the Virgo cluster, may provide enough events to differentiate the behaviour of the mass function of lenses below the hydrogen-burning limit (although we find that M87 is a more favourable target). Such objects may provide a significant supply of baryonic dark matter, an interesting possibility for the study of galactic dynamics. Furthermore, these systems have different metallicities from the solar neighbourhood, which may affect the mass function. These considerations are relevant in the context of star formation studies.