1,531 research outputs found
The First Direct Distance and Luminosity Determination for a Self-Luminous Giant Exoplanet: The Trigonometric Parallax to 2MASS1207334-393254Ab
We present the first trigonometric parallax and distance for a young
planetary mass object. A likely TW Hya cluster member, 2MASSW J1207334-393254Ab
(hereafter 2M1207Ab) is an M8 brown dwarf with a mid to late L type planetary
mass companion. Recent observations of spectral variability have uncovered
clear signs of disk accretion and outflow, constraining the age of the system
to <10 Myr. Because of its late spectral type and the clearly youthful nature
of the system, 2M1207b is very likely a planetary mass object. We have measured
the first accurate distance and luminosity for a self-luminous planetary mass
object. Our parallax measurements are accurate to <2 mas (1sigma) for 2M1207Ab.
With 11 total epochs of data taken from January 2006 through April 2 007 (475
images for 2M1207Ab), we determine a distance of 58.8+-7.0 pc (17.0{+2.3}{-1.8}
mas, 1.28sigma) to 2M1207Ab and a calculated luminosity of 0.68-2.2x10^-5 Lsun
for 2M1207b. Hence 2M1207Ab is a clear member of the TW Hya cluster in terms of
its distance, proper motions, and youthful nature. However, as previously noted
by Mohanty and co-workers, 2M1207b's luminosity appears low compared to its
temperature according to evolutionary models.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, accepted to ApJ Letter
The very nearby M/T dwarf binary SCR 1845-6357
The recently discovered star SCR 1845-6357 is the first late M/T dwarf binary
discovered. SCR 1845 is a particular object due to its tight orbit (currently
around 4 AU) and its proximity to the Sun (3.85 pc). We present spatially
resolved VLT/NACO images and low resolution spectra of SCR 1845 in the J, H and
K near-infrared bands. Since the T dwarf companion, SCR 1845B, is so close to
the primary SCR 1845A, orbital motion is evident even within a year. Following
the orbital motion, the binary's mass can be measured accurately within a
decade, making SCR 1845B a key T-dwarf mass-luminosity calibrator. The NIR
spectra allow for accurate determination of spectral type and also for rough
estimates of the object's physical parameters. The spectral type of SCR 1845B
is determined by direct comparison of the flux calibrated JHK spectra with T
dwarf standard template spectra and also by NIR spectral indices obtained from
synthetic photometry. Constrained values for surface gravity, effective
temperature and metallicity are derived by comparison with model spectra. Our
data prove that SCR 1845B is a brown dwarf of spectral type T6 that is
co-moving with and therefore gravitationally bound to the M8.5 primary. Fitting
the NIR spectrum of SCR 1845B to model spectra yields an effective temperature
of about 950K and a surface gravity log(g)=5.1 (cgs) assuming solar
metallicity. Mass and age of SCR 1845B are in the range 40 to 50 Jupiter masses
and 1.8 to 3.1 Gyr.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Sub-systems in nearby solar-type wide binaries
We conducted a deep survey of resolved sub-systems among wide binaries with
solar-type components within 67 pc from the Sun. Images of 61 stars in the K
and H bands were obtained with the NICI adaptive-optics instrument on the 8-m
Gemini-South telescope. Our maximum detectable magnitude difference is about
5mag and 7.8mag at 0.15" and 0.9" separations, respectively. This enables a
complete census of sub-systems with stellar companions in the projected
separation range from 5 to 100 AU. Out of 7 such companions found in our
sample, only one was known previously. We determine that the fraction of
sub-systems with projected separations above 5 AU is 0.12 +- 0.04 and that the
distribution of their mass ratio is flat, with a power-law index 0.2 +- 0.5.
Comparing this with the properties of closer spectroscopic sub-systems
(separations below 1 AU), it appears that the mass-ratio distribution does not
depend on the separation. The frequency of sub-systems in the separation ranges
below 1 AU and between 5 and 100 AU is similar, about 0.15. Unbiased statistics
of multiplicity higher than two, advanced by this work, provide constraints on
star-formation theory.Comment: Accepted by Astronomical Journal. 13 pages, 5 figure
The Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign: The Offset Ring of HR 4796 A
We present J, H, CH_4 short (1.578 micron), CH_4 long (1.652 micron) and
K_s-band images of the dust ring around the 10 Myr old star HR 4796 A obtained
using the Near Infrared Coronagraphic Imager (NICI) on the Gemini-South 8.1
meter Telescope. Our images clearly show for the first time the position of the
star relative to its circumstellar ring thanks to NICI's translucent focal
plane occulting mask. We employ a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo method to
constrain the offset vector between the two. The resulting probability
distribution shows that the ring center is offset from the star by 16.7+/-1.3
milliarcseconds along a position angle of 26+/-3 degrees, along the PA of the
ring, 26.47+/-0.04 degrees. We find that the size of this offset is not large
enough to explain the brightness asymmetry of the ring. The ring is measured to
have mostly red reflectivity across the JHK_s filters, which seems to indicate
micron-sized grains. Just like Neptune's 3:2 and 2:1 mean-motion resonances
delineate the inner and outer edges of the classical Kuiper Belt, we find that
the radial extent of the HR 4796 A and Fomalhaut rings could correspond to the
3:2 and 2:1 mean-motion resonances of hypothetical planets at 54.7 AU and 97.7
AU in the two systems, respectively. A planet orbiting HR 4796 A at 54.7 AU
would have to be less massive than 1.6 Mjup so as not to widen the ring too
much by stirring.Comment: Accepted to A&A for publication on April 23, 2014 (15 pages, 9
figures, 4 tables
NICI: combining coronagraphy, ADI, and SDI
The Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager (NICI) is a high-contrast AO imager at
the Gemini South telescope. The camera includes a coronagraphic mask and dual
channel imaging for Spectral Differential Imaging (SDI). The instrument can
also be used in a fixed Cassegrain Rotator mode for Angular Differential
Imaging (ADI). While coronagraphy, SDI, and ADI have been applied before in
direct imaging searches for exoplanets. NICI represents the first time that
these 3 techniques can be combined. We present preliminary NICI commissioning
data using these techniques and show that combining SDI and ADI results in
significant gains.Comment: Proc. SPIE, Vol. 7014, 70141Z (2008
Discovery of a Very Nearby Brown Dwarf to the Sun: A Methane Rich Brown Dwarf Companion to the Low Mass Star SCR 1845-6357
We present VLT/NACO SDI images of the very nearby star SCR 1845-6357
(hereafter SCR 1845). SCR 1845 is a recently discovered (Hambly et al. 2004)
M8.5 star just 3.85 pc from the sun (Henry et al. 2006). Using the capabilities
of the unique SDI device, we discovered a substellar companion to SCR 1845 at a
separation of 4.5 AU (1.170''+-0.003'' on the sky) and fainter by 3.57+-0.057
mag in the 1.575 um SDI filter. This substellar companion has an H magnitude of
13.16+0.31-0.26 (absolute H magnitude of 15.30+0.31-0.26), making it likely the
brightest mid-T dwarf known. The unique Simultaneous Differential Imager (SDI)
consists of 3 narrowband filters placed around the 1.6 um methane absorption
feature characteristic of T-dwarfs (Teff < 1200 K). The flux of the substellar
companion drops by a factor of 2.7+-0.1 between the SDI F1(1.575 um) filter and
the SDI F3(1.625 um) filter, consistent with strong methane absorption in a
substellar companion. We estimate a spectral type of T5.5+-1 for the companion
based on the strength of this methane break. The chances that this object is a
background T dwarf are vanishing small -- and there is no isolated background
T-dwarf in this part of the sky according to 2MASS. Thus, it is a bound
companion, hereafter SCR 1845-6357B. For an age range of 100 Myr - 10 Gyr and
spectral type range of T4.5-T6.5, we find a mass range of 9 - 65 MJup for SCR
1845B from the Baraffe et al. 2003 COND models. SCR 1845AB is the 24th closest
stellar system to the Sun (at 3.85 pc); the only brown dwarf system closer to
the Sun is Eps Indi Ba-Bb (at 3.626 pc). In addition, this is the first T-dwarf
companion discovered around a low mass star.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures. Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal Letter
A Survey for Massive Giant Planets in Debris Disks with Evacuated Inner Cavities
The commonality of collisionally replenished debris around main sequence
stars suggests that minor bodies are frequent around Sun-like stars. Whether or
not debris disks in general are accompanied by planets is yet unknown, but
debris disks with large inner cavities - perhaps dynamically cleared - are
considered to be prime candidates for hosting large-separation massive giant
planets. We present here a high-contrast VLT/NACO angular differential imaging
survey for eight such cold debris disks. We investigated the presence of
massive giant planets in the range of orbital radii where the inner edge of the
dust debris is expected. Our observations are sensitive to planets and brown
dwarfs with masses >3 to 7 Jupiter mass, depending on the age and distance of
the target star. Our observations did not identify any planet candidates. We
compare the derived planet mass upper limits to the minimum planet mass
required to dynamically clear the inner disks. While we cannot exclude that
single giant planets are responsible for clearing out the inner debris disks,
our observations constrain the parameter space available for such planets. The
non-detection of massive planets in these evacuated debris disks further
reinforces the notion that the giant planet population is confined to the inner
disk (<15 AU).Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
Guidance for the treatment of adult growth hormone deficiency with somapacitan, a long-acting growth hormone preparation
Adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) is a rare endocrine disorder characterized by an abnormal body composition, metabolic abnormalities associated with increased cardiovascular diseases, bone loss, and impaired quality of life. Daily subcutaneous injections with recombinant growth hormone (GH) can alleviate the abnormalities associated with AGHD. Several long-acting GH (LAGH) preparations are currently in development that aim to reduce treatment burden for patients receiving daily GH injections. Somapacitan (Sogroya®; Novo Nordisk, Denmark) is the first LAGH preparation that has been approved for treatment of AGHD in the United States, Europe, and Japan. The recent approval of somapacitan and anticipated approval of other LAGH molecules presents new questions for physicians planning to treat AGHD with LAGH in the future. Differences in the technologies used to prolong the half-life of recombinant GH are expected to result in variations in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles between preparations. Therefore, it is essential that physicians understand and consider such variations when treating patients with these novel GH replacement therapies. Here, we present a set of treatment recommendations that have been created to guide physicians initiating therapy with somapacitan in patients with AGHD who are eligible for GH replacement. Furthermore, we will review the published data that underlie these recommendations to explain the rationale for the treatment and monitoring advice provided
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