Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 May 2016
Infrared companions are young stellar objects with unusual properties gravitationally bound to more or less typical T Tauri stars. As such they promise to be the source of information on either a particular phase in the development of young stars or on a particular mode of development. We discuss the observed properties of infrared companions as well as attempts to explain their physical status with the aim to see how much of solid conclusion has been obtained so far.