1,921 research outputs found
New Very Low Mass Binaries in the Taurus Star-Forming Region
We surveyed thirteen very low mass (VLM; M < 0.2 M_sun) objects in the Taurus
star-forming region using near-infrared diffraction-limited imaging techniques
on the W.M. Keck I 10 m telescope. Of these thirteen, five were found to be
binary, with separations ranging from 0.04" to 0.6" and flux ratios from 1.4 to
3.7. In all cases, the companions are likely to be physically associated with
the primaries (probability > 4-sigma). Using the theoretical models of Baraffe
et al. (1998), we find that all five new companions, as well as one of the
primaries, are likely brown dwarfs. The discovery of these systems therefore
increases the total number of known, young VLM binaries by ~50%. These new
systems, along with other young VLM binaries from the literature, have
properties that differ significantly from older field VLM binaries in that the
young systems have wider separations and lower mass ratios, supporting the idea
that VLM binaries undergo significant dynamical evolution ~5 - 10 Myr after
their formation. The range of separations of these binaries, four of which are
over 30 AU, argues against the ejection scenario of brown dwarf formation.
While several of the young, VLM binaries discovered in this study have lower
binding energies than the previously suggested minimum for VLM binaries, the
apparent minimum is still significantly higher than that found among higher
mass binaries. We suggest that this discrepancy may be due to the small mass of
a VLM binary relative to the average perturbing star, leading to more
substantial changes in their binding energy over time.Comment: 6 Pages (emulateapj style), 3 Figures. Accepted for publication in
Ap
Multiplicity and Optical Excess Across the Substellar Boundary in Taurus
We present the results of a high-resolution imaging survey of 22 brown dwarfs
and very low mass stars in the nearby (~145 pc) young (~1-2 Myr) low-density
star-forming region Taurus-Auriga. We obtained images with the Advanced Camera
for Surveys/High Resolution Channel on HST through the F555W (V), F775W (i'),
and F850LP (z') filters. This survey confirmed the binarity of MHO-Tau-8 and
discovered a new candidate binary system, V410-Xray3, resulting in a binary
fraction of 9+/-5% at separations >4 AU. Both binary systems are tight (<10 AU)
and they possess mass ratios of 0.75 and 0.46, respectively. The binary
frequency and separations are consistent with low-mass binary properties in the
field, but the mass ratio of V410-Xray3 is among the lowest known. We find that
the binary frequency is higher for very low mass stars and high-mass brown
dwarfs than for lower-mass brown dwarfs, implying either a decline in frequency
or a shift to smaller separations for the lowest mass binaries. Combining these
results with multiplicity statistics for higher-mass Taurus members suggests a
gradual decline in binary frequency and separation toward low masses. The
implication is that the distinct binary properties of very low-mass systems are
set during formation and that the formation process is similar to the process
which creates higher-mass stellar binaries, but occurs on a smaller scale. We
show that there are no planets or very low-mass brown dwarfs with mass >3 M_J
at projected separation >40 AU orbiting any of the Taurus members in our
sample. We identify several BDs with significant (>1 mag) V-band excesses. The
excesses appear to be correlated with signatures of accretion, and if
attributed to accretion luminosity, may imply mass accretion rates several
orders of magnitude above those inferred from line-profile analyses. (abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 15 pages, 8 figures in emulateapj
forma
Binaries in star clusters and the origin of the field stellar population
Many, possibly most, stars form in binary and higher-order multiple systems.
Therefore, the properties and frequency of binary systems provide strong clues
to the star-formation process, and constraints on star-formation models.
However, the majority of stars also form in star clusters in which the birth
binary properties and frequency can be altered rapidly by dynamical processing.
Thus, we almost never see the birth population, which makes it very difficult
to know if star formation (as traced by binaries, at least) is universal, or if
it depends on environment. In addition, the field population consists of a
mixture of systems from different clusters which have all been processed in
different ways.Comment: 16 pages, no figures. To appear as invited review article in a
special issue of the Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. A: Ch. 8 "Star clusters as
tracers of galactic star-formation histories" (ed. R. de Grijs). Fully peer
reviewed. LaTeX, requires rspublic.cls style fil
Testing the universality of star formation - II. Comparing separation distributions of nearby star-forming regions and the field
We have measured the multiplicity fractions and separation distributions of
seven young star-forming regions using a uniform sample of young binaries. Both
the multiplicity fractions and separation distributions are similar in the
different regions. A tentative decline in the multiplicity fraction with
increasing stellar density is apparent, even for binary systems with
separations too close (19-100au) to have been dynamically processed. The
separation distributions in the different regions are statistically
indistinguishable over most separation ranges, and the regions with higher
densities do not exhibit a lower proportion of wide (300-620au) relative to
close (62-300au) binaries as might be expected from the preferential
destruction of wider pairs. Only the closest (19-100au) separation range, which
would be unaffected by dynamical processing, shows a possible difference in
separation distributions between different regions. The combined set of young
binaries, however, shows a distinct difference when compared to field binaries,
with a significant excess of close (19-100au) systems among the younger
binaries. Based on both the similarities and differences between individual
regions, and between all seven young regions and the field, especially over
separation ranges too close to be modified by dynamical processing, we conclude
that multiple star formation is not universal and, by extension, the star
formation process is not universal.Comment: accepted for publication in MNRA
The formation and evolution of binary systems. III. Low-mass binaries in the Praesepe cluster
With the aim of investigating the binary population of the 700 Myr old
Praesepe cluster, we have observed 149 G and K-type cluster members using
adaptive optics. We detected 26 binary systems with an angular separation
ranging from less than 0.08 to 3.3 arcsec (15-600 AU). After correcting for
detection biases, we derive a binary frequency (BF) in the logP (days) range
from 4.4 to 6.9 of 25.3 +/- 5.4%, which is similar to that of field G-type
dwarfs (23.8%, Duquennoy & Mayor 1991). This result, complemented by similar
ones obtained for the 2 Myr old star forming cluster IC 348 (Paper II) and the
120 Myr old Pleiades open cluster (Paper I), indicates that the fraction of
long-period binaries does not significantly evolve over the lifetime of
galactic open clusters. We compare the distribution of cluster binaries to the
binary populations of star forming regions, most notably Orion and Taurus, to
critically review current ideas regarding the binary formation process. We
conclude that it is still unclear whether the lower binary fraction observed in
young clusters compared to T associations is purely the result of the early
dynamical disruption of primordial binaries in dense clusters or whether it
reflects intrinsically different modes of star formation in clusters and
associations. We also note that if Taurus binaries result from the dynamical
decay of small-N protostellar aggregates, one would predict the existence of a
yet to be found dispersed population of mostly single substellar objects in the
Taurus cloud.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Young Binary Stars and Associated Disks
The typical product of the star formation process is a binary star. Binaries
have provided the first dynamical measures of the masses of pre-main-sequence
(PMS) stars, providing support for the calibrations of PMS evolutionary tracks.
Surprisingly, in some star-forming regions PMS binary frequencies are higher
than among main-sequence solar-type stars. The difference in PMS and
main-sequence binary frequencies is apparently not an evolutionary effect;
recent attention has focussed on correlations between binary frequency and
stellar density or cloud temperatures. Accretion disks are common among young
binary stars. Binaries with separations between 1 AU and 100 AU have
substantially less submillimeter emission than closer or wider binaries,
suggesting that they have truncated their disks. Evidence of dynamical clearing
has been seen in several binaries. Remarkably, PMS binaries of all separations
show evidence of circumstellar disks and continued accretion. This suggests
that the circumstellar disks are replenished from circumbinary disks or
envelopes. The frequent presence of disks suggests that planet formation can
occur in binary environments, and formation of planets in wide binaries is
already established by their discovery. Circumbinary disk masses around very
short period binaries are ample to form planetary systems such as our own. The
nature of planetary systems among the most common binaries, with separations
between 10 AU and 100 AU, is less clear given the observed reduction in disk
mass, though they may have disk masses adequate for the formation of
terrestrial-like planets.Comment: 32 pages, including 6 Postscript figures (TeX, uses psfig.sty); to
appear in "Protostars & Planets IV". Gif figures with captions and high-res
Postscript color figure available at
http://hven.swarthmore.edu/~jensen/preprints/ppiv.htm
The initial period function of late-type binary stars and its variation
The variation of the period distribution function of late-type binaries is
studied. It is shown that the Taurus--Auriga pre-main sequence population and
the main sequence G dwarf sample do not stem from the same parent period
distribution with better than 95 per cent confidence probability. The Lupus,
Upper Scorpius A and Taurus--Auriga populations are shown to be compatible with
being drawn from the same initial period function (IPF), which is inconsistent
with the main sequence data. Two possible IPF forms are used to find parent
distributions to various permutations of the available data which include Upper
Scorpius B (UScB), Chameleon and Orion Nebula Cluster pre-main sequence
samples. All the pre-main sequence samples studied here are consistent with the
hypothesis that there exists a universal IPF which is modified through
binary-star disruption if it forms in an embedded star cluster leading to a
general decline of the observed period function with increasing period. The
pre-main sequence data admit a log-normal IPF similar to that arrived at by
Duquennoy & Mayor (1991) for main sequence stars, provided the binary fraction
among pre-main sequence stars is significantly higher. But, for consistency
with proto-stellar data, the possibly universal IPF ought to be flat in log-P
or log-semi-major axis and must be similar to the K1 IPF form derived through
inverse dynamical population synthesis, which has been shown to lead to the
main sequence period function if most stars form in typical embedded clusters.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, LaTeX, accepted by A&A, minor change to
reference lis
- …