187 research outputs found
Connecting the Dots: Low-Mass Stars, Brown Dwarfs, and Planets
The lowest mass object that Mother Nature makes through the
process of “star formation” is currently unknown. While numerous very low mass
stars, brown dwarfs, and planets have been found, their relation to each
other remains unclear. Here I describe how the study of brown dwarfs has the
potential to help us understand both star and planet formation mechanisms.
I describe the physical traits attributed to stars, brown dwarfs, and planets;
compare the mass functions of brown dwarfs and planets; and discuss how studies
of brown dwarfs in both young clusters and in the field can be used to challenge
and constrain star and planet formation theories
Accretion onto Planetary Mass Companions of Low-Mass Young Stars
Measurements of accretion rates onto planetary mass objects may distinguish
between different planet formation mechanisms, which predict different
accretion histories. In this Letter, we use \HST/WFC3 UVIS optical photometry
to measure accretion rates onto three accreting objects, GSC06214-00210 b, GQ
Lup b, and DH Tau b, that are at the planet/brown dwarf boundary and are
companions to solar mass stars. The excess optical emission in the excess
accretion continuum yields mass accretion rates of to
\Msol/yr for these three objects. Their accretion rates are an order of
magnitude higher than expected from the correlation between mass and accretion
rates measured from the UV excess, which is applicable if these wide planetary
mass companions formed by protostellar core fragmentation. The high accretion
rates and large separation from the central star demonstrate the presence of
massive disks around these objects. Models for the formation and evolution of
wide planetary mass companions should account for their large accretion rates.
High ratios of H luminosity over accretion luminosity for objects with
low accretion rates suggest that searches for H emission may be an
efficient way to find accreting planets.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 2 table
Clouds, Gravity, and Metallicity in Blue L Dwarfs: The Case of 2MASS J11263991–5003550
Optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of the newly discovered peculiar L dwarf 2MASS J11263991–5003550 are presented. Folkes et al. classified this source as a high proper motion L9±1 dwarf based on its strong H2O absorption at 1.4 μ m . We find that the optical spectrum of 2MASS J1126–5003 is in fact consistent with that of a normal L4.5 dwarf with notably enhanced FeH absorption at 9896 Å. However, its near-infrared spectrum is unusually blue, with strong H2O and weak CO bands similar in character to several recently identified "blue L dwarfs." Using 2MASS J1126–5003 as a case study, and guided by trends in the condensate cloud models of Burrows et al. and Marley et al., we find that the observed spectral peculiarities of these sources can be adequately explained by the presence of thin and/or large-grained condensate clouds as compared to normal field L dwarfs. Atypical surface gravities or metallicities alone cannot reproduce the observed peculiarities, although they may be partly responsible for the unusual condensate properties. We also rule out unresolved multiplicity as a cause for the spectral peculiarities of 2MASS J1126–5003. Our analysis is supported by examination of Spitzer mid-infrared spectral data from Cushing et al. which show that bluer L dwarfs tend to have weaker 10 μ m absorption, a feature tentatively associated with silicate oxide grains. With their unique spectral properties, blue L dwarfs like 2MASS J1126–5003 should prove useful in studying the formation and properties of condensates and condensate clouds in low-temperature atmospheres
The Coolest Isolated Brown Dwarf Candidate Member of TWA
We present two new late-type brown dwarf candidate members of the TW Hydrae
association (TWA) : 2MASS J12074836-3900043 and 2MASS J12474428-3816464, which
were found as part of the BANYAN all-sky survey (BASS) for brown dwarf members
to nearby young associations. We obtained near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for
both objects (NIR spectral types are respectively L1 and M9), as well as
optical spectroscopy for J1207-3900 (optical spectral type is L0{\gamma}), and
show that both display clear signs of low-gravity, and thus youth. We use the
BANYAN II Bayesian inference tool to show that both objects are candidate
members to TWA with a very low probability of being field contaminants,
although the kinematics of J1247-3816 seem slightly at odds with that of other
TWA members. J1207-3900 is currently the latest-type and the only isolated
L-type candidate member of TWA. Measuring the distance and radial velocity of
both objects is still required to claim them as bona fide members. Such
late-type objects are predicted to have masses down to 11-15 MJup at the age of
TWA, which makes them compelling targets to study atmospheric properties in a
regime similar to that of currently known imaged extrasolar planets.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in the ApJ Letter
Young Stars with SALT
We present a spectroscopic and kinematic analysis of 79 nearby M dwarfs in 77
systems. All are low-proper-motion southern hemisphere objects and were
identified in a nearby star survey with a demonstrated sensitivity to young
stars. Using low-resolution optical spectroscopy from the Red Side Spectrograph
(RSS) on the South African Large Telescope (SALT), we have determined radial
velocities, H-alpha, Lithium 6708\AA, and Potassium 7699\AA~equivalent widths
linked to age and activity, and spectral types for all our targets. Combined
with astrometric information from literature sources, we identify 44 young
stars. Eighteen are previously known members of moving groups within 100
parsecs of the Sun. Twelve are new members, including one member of the TW
Hydra moving group, one member of the 32 Orionis moving group, nine members of
Tucana-Horologium, one member of Argus, and two new members of AB Doradus. We
also find fourteen young star systems that are not members of any known groups.
The remaining 33 star systems do not appear to be young. This appears to be
evidence of a new population of nearby young stars not related to the known
nearby young moving groups.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, 6 tables. Accepted to Ap
A New Brown Dwarf Desert? A Scarcity of Wide Ultracool Binaries
We present the results of a deep-imaging search for wide companions to
low-mass stars and brown dwarfs using NSFCam on IRTF. We searched a sample of
132 M7-L8 dwarfs to magnitude limits of and ,
corresponding to secondary-primary mass ratios of . No companions
were found with separations between 2{\arcsec} to 31{\arcsec} (40 AU
to 1000 AU). This null result implies a wide companion frequency below
2.3% at the 95% confidence level within the sensitivity limits of the survey.
Preliminary modeling efforts indicate that we could have detected 85% of
companions more massive than and 50% above .Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables: accepted to the Astronomical Journa
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