1,961 research outputs found
A focus on L dwarfs with trigonometric parallaxes
This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Under embargo until 14 May 2019. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/aaacc5.We report new parallax measurements for ten L and early T type dwarfs, five of which have no previous published values, using observations over 3 years at the robotic Liverpool Telescope. The resulting parallaxes and proper motions have median errors of 2\,mas and 1.5\,mas/year respectively. Their space motions indicate they are all Galactic disk members. We combined this sample with other objects with astrometry from the Liverpool Telescope and with published literature astrometry to construct a sample of 260 L and early T type dwarfs with measured parallaxes, designated the Astrometry Sample. We study the kinematics of the Astrometry Sample, and derived a solar motion of \,\kms~ with respect to the local standard of rest, in agreement with recent literature. We derive a kinematic age of 1.5-1.7\,Gyr for the Astrometry Sample assuming the age increases monotonically with the total velocity for a given disk sample. This kinematic age is less than half literature values for other low mass dwarf samples. We believe this difference arises for two reasons (1) the sample is mainly composed of mid to late L dwarfs which are expected to be relatively young and (2) the requirement that objects have a measured parallax biases the sample to the brighter examples which tend to be younger.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio
ADAPTIVE OPTICS IMAGING OF VHS 1256-1257: A LOW MASS COMPANION TO A BROWN DWARF BINARY SYSTEM
Recently, Gauza et al. (2015) reported the discovery of a companion to the
late M-dwarf, VHS J125601.92-125723.9 (VHS 1256-1257). The companion's absolute
photometry suggests its mass and atmosphere are similar to the HR 8799 planets.
However, as a wide companion to a late-type star, it is more accessible to
spectroscopic characterization. We discovered that the primary of this system
is an equal-magnitude binary. For an age Myr the A and B components
each have a mass of , and the b component
has a mass of , making VHS 1256-1257 only the third brown
dwarf triple system. There exists some tension between the spectrophotometric
distance of pc and the parallax distance of pc. At
12.7 pc VHS1256-1257 A and B would be the faintest known M7.5 objects, and are
even faint outliers among M8 types. If the larger spectrophotmetric distance is
more accurate than the parallax, then the mass of each component increases. In
particular, the mass of the b component increases well above the deuterium
burning limit to and the mass of each binary
component increases to . At 17.1 pc, the UVW
kinematics of the system are consistent with membership in the AB~Dor moving
group. The architecture of the system resembles a hierarchical stellar multiple
suggesting it formed via an extension of the star-formation process to low
masses. Continued astrometric monitoring will resolve this distance uncertainty
and will provide dynamical masses for a new benchmark system.Comment: Accepted to ApJ
Parallaxes of southern extremely cool objects (PARSEC). II : Spectroscopic follow-up and parallaxes of 52 targets
We present near-infrared spectroscopy for 52 ultracool dwarfs, including two newly discovered late-M dwarfs, one new late-M subdwarf candidate, three new L, and four new T dwarfs. We also present parallaxes and proper motions for 21 of them. Four of the targets presented here have previous parallax measurements, while all the others are new values. This allow us to populate further the spectral sequence at early types (L0-L4). Combining the astrometric parameters with the new near-infrared spectroscopy presented here, we are able to investigate further the nature of some of the objects. In particular, we find that the peculiar blue L1 dwarf SDSS J133148.92-011651.4 is a metal-poor object, likely a member of the galactic thick disk. We discover a new M subdwarf candidate, 2MASS J20115649-6201127. We confirm the low-gravity nature of EROS-MP J0032-4405, DENIS-P J035726.9-441730, and 2MASS J22134491-2136079. We present two new metal-poor dwarfs: the L4pec 2MASS J19285196-4356256 and the M7pec SIPS2346-5928. We also determine the effective temperature and bolometric luminosity of the 21 targets with astrometric measurements, and we obtain a new polynomial relation between effective temperature and near-infrared spectral type. The new fit suggests a flattening of the sequence at the transition between M and L spectral types. This could be an effect of dust formation, which causes a more rapid evolution of the spectral features as a function of the effective temperature.Peer reviewe
HIP 38939B: A New Benchmark T Dwarf in the Galactic Plane Discovered with Pan-STARRS1
We report the discovery of a wide brown dwarf companion to the mildly
metal-poor ([Fe/H]=-0.24), low galactic latitude (b = 1.88 deg) K4V star HIP
38939. The companion was discovered by its common proper motion with the
primary and its red optical (Pan-STARRS1) and blue infrared (2MASS) colors. It
has a projected separation of 1630 AU and a near-infrared spectral type of
T4.5. As such it is one of only three known companions to a main sequence star
which have early/mid-T spectral types (the others being HN Peg B and eps Indi
B). Using chromospheric activity we estimate an age for the primary of
900{+1900,-600} Myr. This value is also in agreement with the age derived from
the star's weak ROSAT detection. Comparison with evolutionary models for this
age range indicates that HIP 38939B falls in the mass range 38+/-20 Mjup with
an effective temperature range of 1090+/-60 K. Fitting our spectrum with
atmospheric models gives a best fitting temperature of 1100 K. We include our
object in an analysis of the population of benchmark T dwarfs and find that
while older atmospheric models appeared to over-predict the temperature of the
coolest objects compared to evolutionary models, more recent atmospheric models
provide better agreement.Comment: ApJ, in press. Tiny changes incorporated into final version: added
analysis of likelihood of companionship, clarified the fitting proceedure,
and updated the benchmark analysis to highlight when the quoted evolutionary
models use the atmospheric model they are being compared to as a boundary
conditio
The Young L Dwarf 2MASS J11193254-1137466 Is a Planetary-mass Binary
We have discovered that the extremely red, low-gravity L7 dwarf 2MASS
J11193254-1137466 is a 0.14" (3.6 AU) binary using Keck laser guide star
adaptive optics imaging. 2MASS J11193254-1137466 has previously been identified
as a likely member of the TW Hydrae Association (TWA). Using our updated
photometric distance and proper motion, a kinematic analysis based on the
BANYAN II model gives an 82% probability of TWA membership. At TWA's 103
Myr age and using hot-start evolutionary models, 2MASS J11193254-1137466AB is a
pair of brown dwarfs, making it the
lowest-mass binary discovered to date. We estimate an orbital period of
years. One component is marginally brighter in band but
fainter in band, making this a probable flux-reversal binary, the first
discovered with such a young age. We also imaged the spectrally similar TWA L7
dwarf WISEA J114724.10-204021.3 with Keck and found no sign of binarity. Our
evolutionary model-derived estimate for WISEA J114724.10-204021.3
is 230 K higher than for 2MASS J11193254-1137466AB, at odds with their
spectral similarity. This discrepancy suggests that WISEA J114724.10-204021.3
may actually be a tight binary with masses and temperatures very similar to
2MASS J11193254-1137466AB, or further supporting the idea that near-infrared
spectra of young ultracool dwarfs are shaped by factors other than temperature
and gravity. 2MASS J11193254-1137466AB will be an essential benchmark for
testing evolutionary and atmospheric models in the young planetary-mass regime.Comment: Accepted to ApJ Letters. 8 pages, 3 figures, 2 table
The discovery of a T6.5 subdwarf
We report the discovery of ULAS J131610.28+075553.0, an sdT6.5 dwarf in the UKIDSS Large Area Survey 2 epoch proper motion catalogue. This object displays significant spectral peculiarity, with the largest yet seen deviations from T6 and T7 templates in the Y and K bands for this subtype. Its large, similar to 1 arcsec yr(-1), proper motion suggests a large tangential velocity of V-tan approximate to 240-340 km s(-1), if we assume its M-J lies within the typical range for T6.5 dwarfs. This makes it a candidate for membership of the Galactic halo population. However, other metal-poor T dwarfs exhibit significant under luminosity both in specific bands and bolometrically. As a result, it is likely that its velocity is somewhat smaller, and we conclude it is a likely thick disc or halo member. This object represents the only T dwarf earlier than T8 to be classified as a subdwarf, and is a significant addition to the currently small number of known unambiguously substellar subdwarfs.Peer reviewe
SurEau-Ecos v2.0: a trait-based plant hydraulics model for simulations of plant water status and drought-induced mortality at the ecosystem level
A widespread increase in tree mortality has been observed
around the globe, and this trend is likely to continue because of ongoing
climate-induced increases in drought frequency and intensity. This raises
the need to identify regions and ecosystems that are likely to experience
the most frequent and significant damage. We present SurEau-Ecos, a trait-based,
plant hydraulic model designed to predict tree desiccation and mortality at
scales from stand to region. SurEau-Ecos draws on the general principles of the SurEau model
but introduces a simplified representation of plant architecture and
alternative numerical schemes. Both additions were made to facilitate model
parameterization and large-scale applications. In SurEau-Ecos, the water fluxes from
the soil to the atmosphere are represented through two plant organs (a leaf
and a stem, which includes the volume of the trunk, roots and branches) as
the product of an interface conductance and the difference between water
potentials. Each organ is described by its symplasmic and apoplasmic
compartments. The dynamics of a plant's water status beyond the point of
stomatal closure are explicitly represented via residual transpiration flow,
plant cavitation and solicitation of plants' water reservoirs. In addition
to the “explicit” numerical scheme of SurEau, we implemented a “semi-implicit”
and “implicit” scheme. Both schemes led to a substantial gain in computing
time compared to the explicit scheme (>10 000 times), and
the implicit scheme was the most accurate. We also observed similar plant
water dynamics between SurEau-Ecos and SurEau but slight disparities in infra-daily
variations of plant water potentials, which we attributed to the differences
in the representation of plant architecture between models. A global model's
sensitivity analysis revealed that factors controlling plant desiccation
rates differ depending on whether leaf water potential is below or above the
point of stomatal closure. Total available water for the plant, leaf area
index and the leaf water potential at 50 % stomatal closure mostly drove
the time needed to reach stomatal closure. Once stomata are closed,
resistance to cavitation, residual cuticular transpiration and plant water
stocks mostly determined the time to hydraulic failure. Finally, we
illustrated the potential of SurEau-Ecos to simulate regional drought-induced mortality
over France. SurEau-Ecos is a promising tool to perform regional-scale predictions of
drought-induced hydraulic failure, determine the most vulnerable areas and
ecosystems to drying conditions, and assess the dynamics of forest
flammability.</p
Polarised radio pulsations from a new T dwarf binary
Brown dwarfs display Jupiter-like auroral phenomena such as magnetospheric
H emission and coherent radio emission. Coherent radio emission is a
probe of magnetospheric acceleration mechanisms and provides a direct
measurement of the magnetic field strength at the emitter's location, both of
which are difficult to access by other means. Observations of the coldest brown
dwarfs (spectral types T and Y) are particularly interesting as their
magnetospheric phenomena may be very similar to those in gas-giant exoplanets.
Here we present 144 MHz radio and infrared adaptive optics observations of the
brown dwarf WISEP J101905.63+652954.2 made using the LOFAR and Keck telescopes
respectively. The radio data shows pulsed highly circularly polarised emission
which yields a rotation rate of hr. The infrared imaging
reveals the source to be a binary with a projected separation of
mas between components of spectral type T5. and T7.. With a
simple "toy model" we show that the radio emission can in principle be powered
by the interaction between the two dwarfs with a mass-loss rates of at least
times the Jovian value. WISEP J101905.63+652954.2 is interesting because
it is the first pulsed methane dwarf detected in a low radio-frequency search.
Unlike previous gigahertz-frequency searches that were only sensitive to
objects with kiloGauss fields, our low-frequency search is sensitive to surface
magnetic fields of Gauss and above which might reveal the coldest
radio-loud objects down to planetary mass-scales.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Direct radio discovery of a cold brown dwarf
Magnetospheric processes seen in gas-giants such as aurorae and
circularly-polarized cyclotron maser radio emission have been detected from
some brown dwarfs. However, previous radio observations targeted known brown
dwarfs discovered via their infrared emission. Here we report the discovery of
BDR J1750+3809, a circularly polarized radio source detected around 144 MHz
with the LOFAR telescope. Follow-up near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy
show that BDR J1750+3809 is a cold methane dwarf of spectral type T
at a distance of . The quasi-quiescent radio spectral
luminosity of BDR J1750+3809 is which is over two orders of magnitude larger than that
of the known population of comparable spectral type. This could be due to a
preferential geometric alignment or an electrodynamic interaction with a close
companion. In addition, as the emission is expected to occur close to the
electron gyro-frequency, the magnetic field strength at the emitter site in BDR
J1750+3809 is , which is comparable to planetary-scale
magnetic fields. Our discovery suggests that low-frequency radio surveys can be
employed to discover sub-stellar objects that are too cold to be detected in
infrared surveys.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ
Characteristics and large bulk density of the C-type main-belt triple asteroid (93) Minerva
From a set of adaptive optics (AO) observations collected with the W.M. Keck telescope between August and September 2009, we derived the orbital parameters of the most recently discovered satellites of the large C-type asteroid (93) Minerva. The satellites of Minerva, which are approximately 3 and 4 km in diameter, orbit very close to the primary (∼5 and ∼8 × R_p and ∼1% and ∼2% × R_(Hill)) in a circular manner, sharing common characteristics with most of the triple asteroid systems in the main-belt. Combining these AO observations with lightcurve data collected since 1980 and two stellar occultations in 2010 and 2011, we removed the ambiguity of the pole solution of Minerva’s primary and showed that it has an almost regular shape with an equivalent diameter D_(eq) = 154 ± 6 km in agreement with IRAS observations. The surprisingly high bulk density of 1.75 ± 0.30 g/cm3 for this C-type asteroid, suggests that this taxonomic class is composed of asteroids with different compositions, For instance, Minerva could be made of the same material as dry CR, CO, and CV meteorites. We discuss possible scenarios on the origin of the system and conclude that future observations may shine light on the nature and composition of this fifth known triple main-belt asteroid
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