127 research outputs found
Orbit of the young very low-mass spectroscopic binary CHXR 74
The pre-main sequence star CHXR74 (M4.25) in ChaI was detected a few years
ago to be a very low-mass spectroscopic binary. Determination of its mass would
provide a valuable dynamical mass measurement at young ages in the poorly
constrained mass regime of <0.3 Msun. We carried out follow-up radial velocity
(RV) monitoring with UVES/VLT between 2008 and 2011 and high-resolution
adaptive optic assisted imaging with NACO/VLT in 2008 with the aim to constrain
the binary orbit. We present an orbital solution of the system based on the
combined RV data set which spans more than 11 years of UVES monitoring for
CHXR74. The best-fit Kepler model has an orbital period of 13.1 yrs, zero
eccentricity, and a RV semi-amplitude of 2.2 km/s. A companion mass M2sini of
0.08 Msun is derived by using a model-dependent mass estimate for the primary
of 0.24 Msun. The binary separation for i=90deg is 3.8 AU (23 mas).
Complementary NACO images of CHXR74 were taken with the aim to directly resolve
the binary. While there are marginal signs of an extended PSF, we have no
convincing companion detected to CHXR74 in these images. From the non-detection
of the companion together with a prediction of the binary separation at the
time of the NACO observations, we derive an upper limit for the K-band
brightness ratio of 0.5. This allows us to estimate an upper limit of the
companion mass of 0.14 Msun by applying evolutionary models. Thus, we have
confirmed that CHXR74 is a very low-mass spectroscopic binary and constrained
the secondary mass to lie within the range of about 0.08 and 0.14 Msun. We
predict an astrometric signal of the primary between 0.2 and 0.4 mas when
taking into account the luminosity of the companion. The GAIA astrometric
mission might well be able to solve the astrometric orbit of the primary and in
combination with the presented RV data to determine an absolute companion mass.Comment: accepted for publication in A\&A, minor changes (language editing
A homogeneous analysis of disks around brown dwarfs
We re-analyzed the Herschel/PACS data of a sample of 55 brown dwarfs (BDs)
and very low mass stars with spectral types ranging from M5.5 to L0. We
investigated the dependence of disk structure on the mass of the central object
in the substellar regime based on a homogeneous analysis of Herschel data from
flux density measurements to spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling. A
systematic comparison between the derived disk properties and those of sun-like
stars shows that the disk flaring of BDs and very low mass stars is generally
smaller than that of their higher mass counterparts, the disk mass is orders of
magnitude lower than the typical value found in T Tauri stars, and the disk
scale heights are comparable in both sun-like stars and BDs. We further divided
our sample into an early-type brown dwarf (ETBD) group and a late-type brown
dwarf (LTBD) group by using spectral type (=M8) as the border criterion. We
systematically compared the modeling results from Bayesian analysis between
these two groups, and found the trends of flaring index as a function of
spectral type also present in the substellar regime. The spectral type
independence of the scale height is also seen between high-mass and very
low-mass BDs. However, both the ETBD and LTBD groups feature a similar median
disk mass of 10^{-5}Msun and no clear trend is visible in the distribution,
probably due to the uncertainty in translating the far-IR photometry into disk
mass, the detection bias and the age difference among the sample. Unlike
previous studies, our analysis is completely homogeneous in Herschel/PACS data
reduction and modeling with a statistically significant sample. Therefore, we
present evidence of stellar-mass-dependent disk structure down to the
substellar mass regime, which is important for planet formation models.
(Abridged Version)Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
The search for planetary mass companions to field brown dwarfs with HST/NICMOS
We present the results of a high-resolution spectral differential imaging
survey of 12 nearby, relatively young field L dwarfs (<1 Gyr) carried out with
HST/NICMOS to search for planetary mass companions at small physical
separations from their host. The survey resolved two brown dwarf binaries: the
L dwarf system Kelu-1AB and the newly discovered L/T transition system 2MASS
J031059+164815AB. For both systems common proper motion has already been
confirmed in follow-up observations which have been published elsewhere. The
derived separations of the binaries are smaller than 6 AU and consistent with
previous brown dwarf binary statistics. Their mass ratios of q > 0.8 confirm
the preference for equal mass systems similar to a large number of other
surveys. Furthermore, we found tentative evidence for a companion to the L4
dwarf 2MASS W033703-175807, straddling the brown dwarf/planetary mass boundary
and revealing an uncommonly low mass ratio system (q ~ 0.2) compared to the
vast majority of previously found brown dwarf binaries. With a derived minimum
mass of 10 - 15 Mjup, a planetary nature of the secondary cannot be ruled out
yet. However, it seems more likely to be a very low mass brown dwarf secondary
at the border of the spectral T/Y transition regime, primarily due to its
similarities to recently found very cool T dwarfs. This would make it one of
the closest resolved brown dwarf binaries (0.087" 0.015", corresponding
to 2.52 0.44 AU at a distance of 29 pc) with the coolest (Teff ~ 600-630
K) and least massive companion to any L or T dwarf.Comment: 33 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication by Ap
A probable close brown dwarf companion to GJ 1046 (M2.5V)
Context. Brown dwarf companions to stars at separations of a few AU or less
are rare objects, and none have been found so far around early-type M dwarfs
M0V-M5V). With GJ 1046 (M2.5V), a strong candidate for such a system with a
separation of 0.42 AU is presented.
Aims. We aim at constraining the mass of the companion in order to decide
whether it is a brown dwarf or a low-mass star.
Methods. We employed precision RV measurements to determine the orbital
parameters and the minimum companion mass. We then derived an upper limit to
the companion mass from the lack of disturbances of the RV measurements by a
secondary spectrum. An even tighter upper limit is subsequently established by
combining the RV-derived orbital parameters with the recent new version of the
Hipparcos Intermediate Astrometric Data.
Results. For the mass of the companion, we derive m>26.9 MJup from the RV
data. Based on the RV data alone, the probability that the companion exceeds
the stellar mass threshold is just 6.2%. The absence of effects from the
secondary spectrum lets us constrain the companion mass to m <229 MJup. The
combination of RV and Hipparcos data yields a 3sigma upper mass limit to the
companion mass of 112 MJup with a formal optimum value at m=47.2 MJup. From the
combination of RV and astrometric data, the chance probability that the
companion is a star is 2.9%.
Conclusions. We have found a low-mass, close companion to an early-type M
dwarf. While the most likely interpretation of this object is that it is a
brown dwarf, a low-mass stellar companion is not fully excluded.Comment: Accepted by A&A, 6 pages, 3 figures with 4 jpg files (Fig. 3 has two
panels), original version replaced as sidecaption in Figure 1 did not work.
Changes in 2nd replacement: (1) Conclusions: 99.9% --> 99.73% . (2) one
sentence below: the the --> the . (3) References: Joergens, V., M\"uller, A..
2007. ApJL, in press --> ... A., 2007, ApJ 666, L11
OTS44: Disk and accretion at the planetary border
We discover that the very low-mass brown dwarf OTS44 (M9.5, ~12 M_Jup) has
significant accretion and a substantial disk, which demonstrates that the
processes that accompany canonical star formation occur down to a central mass
of a few Jupiter masses. We discover in VLT/SINFONI spectra that OTS44 has
strong, broad, and variable Paschen beta emission that is evidence for active
accretion at the planetary border. We also detect strong Halpha emission of
OTS44 in a literature spectrum and determine an Halpha EW (-141 A) that is
indicative of active accretion. Both the Pa beta and Halpha emission lines have
broad profiles with wings extending to velocities of about +/-200 km/s. We
determine the mass accretion rate of OTS44 based on Halpha to 7.6x10^{-12}
Msun/yr, which shows that OTS44 has a relatively high mass-accretion rate
considering its small central mass. This mass rate is nevertheless consistent
with the general decreasing trend found for stars of several solar masses down
to brown dwarfs. Furthermore, we determine the properties of the disk
surrounding OTS44 through radiative transfer modeling of flux measurement from
the optical to the far-IR (Herschel) by applying a Bayesian analysis. We find
that OTS44 has a highly flared disk (beta >1.2) with a mass of 9.1x10^{-5}
M_Sun, i.e. about 0.1 M_Jup or 30 M_Earth. We show that the ratio of
disk-to-central-mass of about 10^{-2} found for objects between 0.03 Msun and
14 Msun is also valid for OTS44 at a mass of ~0.01 M_Sun. Our observations are
in line with an isolated star-like mode of the formation of brown dwarfs down
to 0.01 M_Sun.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics Lette
Tissue reaction to sealing materials: different view at biocompatibility
The biodegradability of root canal sealers in areas other than the root canal system is crucial to the overall success rate of endodontic treatment. The aim of the present study was to investigate, the cell and tissue reaction to GuttaFlow and AHPlus, both in vitro and in vivo. For the in vitro experiments the materials were incubated with Human Periodontal Ligament Fibroblasts and cell proliferation and cytotoxicity analyses were performed. Additional fluorescence-microscope stainings were carried out in order to visualize cell growth and morphology. For assessment of the tissue reaction to the materials a subcutaneous implantation model in Wistar rats was employed and the inflammatory response to the materials was visualized by means of general and specific histology after 6 weeks. Human gingival fibroblasts proliferation seemed to be dependent upon dental material and cultivation time. After an incubation period of 96 hrs AHPlus proved to be significantly (p < 0.002) more cytotoxic than GuttaFlow, as only a small number of fibroblasts survived on AHPlus. In vivo, GuttaFlow was surrounded by a fibrous capsule and no degradation took place, while AHPlus induced a well-vascularized granulation tissue in which the material was phagocyted by macrophages. The results of this study demonstrate that a potential cytotoxic effect of a sealing material may beneficial in order to have antibacterial properties and induce self degradation when accidentally extruded over the apical foramen
A spiral structure in the disk of EX Draconis on the rise to outburst maximum
We report on the R-band eclipse mapping analysis of high-speed photometry of
the dwarf nova EX Dra on the rise to the maximum of the November 1995 outburst.
The eclipse map shows a one-armed spiral structure of ~180 degrees in azimuth,
extending in radius from R ~0.2 to 0.43 R_{L1} (where R_{L1} is the distance
from the disk center to the inner Lagrangian point), that contributes about 22
per cent of the total flux of the eclipse map. The spiral structure is
stationary in a reference frame co-rotating with the binary and is stable for a
timescale of at least 5 binary orbits. The comparison of the eclipse maps on
the rise and in quiescence suggests that the outbursts of EX Dra may be driven
by episodes of enhanced mass-transfer from the secondary star. Possible
explanations for the nature of the spiral structure are discussed.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal Letters; 8 pages, 2 figures;
coded with AAS latex styl
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