5,569 research outputs found
The 2MASS Wide-Field T Dwarf Search. II. Discovery of Three T Dwarfs in the Southern Hemisphere
We present the discovery of three new Southern Hemisphere T dwarfs identified
in the Two Micron All Sky Survey. These objects, 2MASS 0348-6022, 2MASS
0516-0445, and 2MASS 2228-4310, have classifications T7, T5.5, and T6.5,
respectively. Using linear absolute magnitude/spectral type relations derived
from T dwarfs with measured parallaxes, we estimate spectrophotometric
distances for these discoveries; the closest, 2MASS 0348-6022, is likely within
10 pc of the Sun. Proper motions and estimated tangential velocities are
consistent with membership in the Galactic disk population. We also list
Southern Hemisphere T dwarf candidates that were either not found in subsequent
near-infrared imaging observations and are most likely uncatalogued minor
planets, or have near-infrared spectra consistent with background stars.Comment: 12 pages including 4 figures (one as jpeg), accepted to A
Discovery of an M9.5 Candidate Brown Dwarf in the TW Hydrae Association - DENIS J124514.1-442907
We report the discovery of a fifth candidate substellar system in the ~5-10
Myr TW Hydrae Association - DENIS J124514.1-442907. This object has a NIR
spectrum remarkably similar to that of 2MASS J1139511-315921, a known TW Hydrae
brown dwarf, with low surface gravity features such as a triangular-shaped
H-band, deep H2O absorption, weak alkali lines, and weak hydride bands. We find
an optical spectral type of M9.5 and estimate a mass of <24 M_Jup, assuming an
age of ~5-10 Myr. While the measured proper motion for DENIS J124514.1-442907
is inconclusive as a test for membership, its position in the sky is coincident
with the TW Hydrae Association. A more accurate proper motion measurement,
higher resolution spectroscopy for radial velocity, and a parallax measurement
are needed to derive the true space motion and to confirm its membership.Comment: 8 pages - emulateapj style, 2 figures, 3 tables. Accepted to ApJL.
Fixed typos, added reference, added footnot
Discovery of three nearby L dwarfs in the Southern Sky
We report the discovery of three L dwarfs in the solar vicinity within 30
parsecs. These objects were originally found as proper motion objects from a
combination of R and I photographic plates measured as part of the SuperCOSMOS
Sky Surveys. We subsequently identified these objects as bona fide brown dwarf
candidates on the basis of their R-I colour, as first criterion, and
subsequently their J-K colours when the infrared data were available from the
2MASS database. Spectroscopic observations in the optical with the ESO
3.6m/EFOSC2 and in the near-infrared with the NTT/SOFI led to the
classification of their spectral types as early L dwarfs.Comment: 4 pages including 2 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy
and Astrophysics Letter
Influence of rare regions on magnetic quantum phase transitions
The effects of quenched disorder on the critical properties of itinerant
quantum magnets are considered. Particular attention is paid to locally ordered
rare regions that are formed in the presence of quenched disorder even when the
bulk system is still in the nonmagnetic phase. It is shown that these local
moments or instantons destroy the previously found critical fixed point in the
case of antiferromagnets. In the case of itinerant ferromagnets, the critical
behavior is unaffected by the rare regions due to an effective long-range
interaction between the order parameter fluctuations.Comment: 4 pp., REVTe
Keck Imaging of Binary L Dwarfs
We present Keck near-infrared imaging of three binary L dwarf systems, all of
which are likely to be sub-stellar. Two are lithium dwarfs, and a third
exhibits an L7 spectral type, making it the coolest binary known to date. All
have component flux ratios near 1 and projected physical separations between 5
and 10 AU, assuming distances of 18 to 26 pc from recent measurements of
trigonometric parallax. These surprisingly similar binaries represent the sole
detections of companions in ten L dwarf systems which were analyzed in the
preliminary phase of a much larger dual-epoch imaging survey. The detection
rate prompts us to speculate that binary companions to L dwarfs are common,
that similar-mass systems predominate, and that their distribution peaks at
radial distances in accord both with M dwarf binaries and with the radial
location of Jovian planets in our own solar system. To fully establish these
conjectures against doubts raised by biases inherent in this small preliminary
survey, however, will require quantitative analysis of a larger volume-limited
sample which has been observed with high resolution and dynamic range.Comment: LaTex manuscript in 13 pages, 3 postscript figures, Accepted for
publication in the Letters of the Astrophysical Journal; Postscript pre-print
version available at: http://www.hep.upenn.edu/PORG/papers/koerner99a.p
Three New Cool Brown Dwarfs Discovered with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and an Improved Spectrum of the Y0 Dwarf WISE J041022.71+150248.4
As part of a larger search of Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data
for cool brown dwarfs with effective temperatures less than 1000 K, we present
the discovery of three new cool brown dwarfs with spectral types later than T7.
Using low-resolution, near-infrared spectra obtained with the NASA Infrared
Telescope Facility and the Hubble Space Telescope we derive spectral types of
T9.5 for WISE J094305.98+360723.5, T8 for WISE J200050.19+362950.1, and Y0: for
WISE J220905.73+271143.9. The identification of WISE J220905.73+271143.9 as a Y
dwarf brings the total number of spectroscopically confirmed Y dwarfs to
seventeen. In addition, we present an improved spectrum (i.e. higher
signal-to-noise ratio) of the Y0 dwarf WISE J041022.71+150248.4 that confirms
the Cushing et al. classification of Y0. Spectrophotometric distance estimates
place all three new brown dwarfs at distances less than 12 pc, with WISE
J200050.19+362950.1 lying at a distance of only 3.9-8.0 pc. Finally, we note
that brown dwarfs like WISE J200050.19+362950.1 that lie in or near the
Galactic plane offer an exciting opportunity to measure their mass via
astrometric microlensing.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa
Short-wavelength collective modes in a binary hard-sphere mixture
We use hard-sphere generalized hydrodynamic equations to discuss the extended
hydrodynamic modes of a binary mixture. The theory presented here is analytic
and it provides us with a simple description of the collective excitations of a
dense binary mixture at molecular length scales. The behavior we predict is in
qualitative agreement with molecular-dynamics results for soft-sphere mixtures.
This study provides some insight into the role of compositional disorder in
forming glassy configurations.Comment: Published; withdrawn since already published. Ordering in the archive
gives misleading impression of new publicatio
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