Interactions between brown-dwarf binaries and Sun-like stars

Several mechanisms have been proposed for the formation of brown dwarfs, but there is as yet no consensus as to which -- if any -- are operative in nature. Any theory of brown dwarf formation must explain the observed statistics of brown dwarfs. These statistics are limited by selection effects, but they are becoming increasingly discriminating. In particular, it appears (a) that brown dwarfs that are secondaries to Sun-like stars tend to be on wide orbits, a\ga 100\,{\rm AU} (the Brown Dwarf Desert), and (b) that these brown dwarfs have a significantly higher chance of being in a close (a\la 10\,{\rm AU}) binary system with another brown dwarf than do brown dwarfs in the field. This then raises the issue of whether these brown dwarfs have formed {\it in situ}, i.e. by fragmentation of a circumstellar disc; or have formed elsewhere and subsequently been captured. We present numerical simulations of the purely gravitational interaction between a close brown-dwarf binary and a Sun-like star. These simulations demonstrate that such interactions have a negligible chance ($<0.001$) of leading to the close brown-dwarf binary being captured by the Sun-like star. Making the interactions dissipative by invoking the hydrodynamic effects of attendant discs might alter this conclusion. However, in order to explain the above statistics, this dissipation would have to favour the capture of brown-dwarf binaries over single brown-dwarfs, and we present arguments why this is unlikely. The simplest inference is that most brown-dwarf binaries -- and therefore possibly also most single brown dwarfs -- form by fragmentation of circumstellar discs around Sun-like protostars, with some of them subsequently being ejected into the field.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

UBVRI Light curves of 44 Type Ia supernovae

We present UBVRI photometry of 44 Type la supernovae (SNe la) observed from 1997 to 2001 as part of a continuing monitoring campaign at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The data set comprises 2190 observations and is the largest homogeneously observed and reduced sample of SNe la to date, nearly doubling the number of well-observed, nearby SNe la with published multicolor CCD light curves. The large sample of [U-band photometry is a unique addition, with important connections to SNe la observed at high redshift. The decline rate of SN la U-band light curves correlates well with the decline rate in other bands, as does the U - B color at maximum light. However, the U-band peak magnitudes show an increased dispersion relative to other bands even after accounting for extinction and decline rate, amounting to an additional ∼40% intrinsic scatter compared to the B band

Spectroscopy of Candidate Members of the Sco-Cen Complex

We present spectroscopy of 285 previously identified candidate members of populations in the Sco-Cen complex, primarily Ophiuchus, Upper Sco, and Lupus. The spectra are used to measure spectral types and diagnostics of youth. We find that 269 candidates exhibit signatures of youth in our spectra or previous data, which is consistent with their membership in Sco-Cen. We have constructed compilations of candidate members of Ophiuchus, Upper Sco, and Lupus that have spectral classifications and evidence of youth, which contain a total of 2274 objects. In addition, we have used spectra from previous studies to classify three sources in Ophiuchus that have been proposed to be protostellar brown dwarfs: ISO Oph 70, 200, and 203. We measure spectral types of early M from those data, which are earlier than expected for young brown dwarfs based on evolutionary models (⪆M6.5) and instead are indicative of stellar masses (∼0.6 M o˙). © 2021. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

JWST/NIRSpec observations of the coldest known brown dwarf*

We present 1–5 μm spectroscopy of the coldest known brown dwarf, WISE J085510.83−071442.5 (WISE 0855), performed with the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). NIRSpec has dramatically improved the measurement of the spectral energy distribution (SED) of WISE 0855 in terms of wavelength coverage, signal-to-noise ratios, and spectral resolution. We have performed preliminary modeling of the NIRSpec data using the ATMO 2020 models of cloudless atmospheres, arriving at a best-fitting model that has Teff = 285 K. That temperature is ∼20 K higher than the value derived by combining our luminosity estimate with evolutionary models (i.e., the radius in the model fit to the SED is somewhat smaller than expected from evolutionary models). Through comparisons to the model spectra, we detect absorption in the fundamental band of CO, which is consistent with an earlier detection in a ground-based spectrum and indicates the presence of vertical mixing. Although PH3 is expected in Y dwarfs that experience vertical mixing, it is not detected in WISE 0855. Previous ground-based M-band spectroscopy of WISE 0855 has been cited for evidence of H2O ice clouds, but we find that the NIRSpec data in that wavelength range are matched well by our cloudless model. Thus, clear evidence of H2O ice clouds in WISE 0855 has not been identified yet, but it may still be present in the NIRSpec data. The physical properties of WISE 0855, including the presence of H2O clouds, can be better constrained by more detailed fitting with both cloudless and cloudy models and the incorporation of unpublished 5–28 μm data from the Mid-infrared Instrument on JWST