Confirming the least massive members of the Pleiades star cluster

We present optical photometry (i- and Z-band) and low-resolution spectroscopy (640-1015 nm) of very faint candidate members (J = 20.2-21.2 mag) of the Pleiades star cluster (120 Myr). The main goal is to address their cluster membership via photometric, astrometric, and spectroscopic studies, and to determine the properties of the least massive population of the cluster through the comparison of the data with younger and older spectral counterparts and state-of-the art model atmospheres. We confirm three bona-fide Pleiades members that have extremely red optical and infrared colors, effective temperatures of ~1150 K and ~1350 K, and masses in the interval 11-20 Mjup, and one additional likely member that shares the same motion as the cluster but does not appear to be as red as the other members with similar brightness. This latter object requires further near-infrared spectroscopy to fully address its membership in the Pleiades. The optical spectra of two bona-fide members were classified as L6-L7 and show features of KI, a tentative detection of CsI, hydrides and water vapor with an intensity similar to high-gravity dwarfs of related classification despite their young age. The properties of the Pleiades L6-L7 members clearly indicate that very red colors of L dwarfs are not a direct evidence of ages younger than ~100 Myr. We also report on the determination of the bolometric corrections for the coolest Pleiades members. These data can be used to interpret the observations of the atmospheres of exoplanets orbiting stars.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS (17 pages

Testing the existence of optical linear polarization in young brown dwarfs

Linear polarization can be used as a probe of the existence of atmospheric condensates in ultracool dwarfs. Models predict that the observed linear polarization increases withthe degree of oblateness, which is inversely proportional to the surface gravity. We aimed to test the existence of optical linear polarization in a sample of bright young brown dwarfs, with spectral types between M6 and L2, observable from the Calar Alto Observatory, and cataloged previously as low gravity objects using spectroscopy. Linear polarimetric images were collected in I and R-band using CAFOS at the 2.2 m telescope in Calar Alto Observatory (Spain). The flux ratio method was employed to determine the linear polarization degrees. With a confidence of 3$\sigma$, our data indicate that all targets have a linear polarimetry degree in average below 0.69% in the I-band, and below 1.0% in the R-band, at the time they were observed. We detected significant (i.e. P/$\sigma$ $\le$ 3) linear polarization for the young M6 dwarf 2MASS J04221413+1530525 in the R-band, with a degree of $\mathrm{p^{*}}$ = 0.81 $\pm$ 0.17 %.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Using binary statistics in Taurus-Auriga to distinguish between brown dwarf formation processes

Whether BDs form as stars through gravitational collapse ("star-like") or BDs and some very low-mass stars constitute a separate population which form alongside stars comparable to the population of planets, e.g. through circumstellar disk ("peripheral") fragmentation, is one of the key questions of the star-formation problem. For young stars in Taurus-Auriga the binary fraction is large with little dependence on primary mass above ~0.2Msun, while for BDs it is <10%. We investigate a case in which BDs in Taurus formed dominantly through peripheral fragmentation. The decline of the binary frequency in the transition region between star-like and peripheral formation is modelled. A dynamical population synthesis model is employed in which stellar binary formation is universal. Peripheral objects form separately in circumstellar disks with a distinctive initial mass function (IMF), own orbital parameter distributions for binaries and a low binary fraction. A small amount of dynamical processing of the stellar component is accounted for as appropriate for the low-density Taurus-Auriga embedded clusters. The binary fraction declines strongly between the mass-limits for star-like and peripheral formation. The location of characteristic features and the steepness depend on these mass-limits. Such a trend might be unique to low density regions hosting dynamically unprocessed binary populations. The existence of a strong decline in the binary fraction -- primary mass diagram will become verifiable in future surveys on BD and VLMS binarity in the Taurus-Auriga star forming region. It is a test of the (non-)continuity of star formation along the mass-scale, the separateness of the stellar and BD populations and the dominant formation channel for BDs and BD binaries in regions of low stellar density hosting dynamically unprocessed populations.Comment: accepted for publication in A&A, 11 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

New constraints on the formation and settling of dust in the atmospheres of young M and L dwarfs

We obtained medium-resolution near-infrared spectra of seven young M9.5-L3 dwarfs classified in the optical. We aim to confirm the low surface gravity of the objects in the NIR. We also test whether atmospheric models correctly represent the formation and the settling of dust clouds in the atmosphere of young late-M and L dwarfs. We used ISAAC at VLT to obtain the spectra of the targets. We compared them to those of mature and young BD, and young late-type companions to nearby stars with known ages, in order to identify and study gravity-sensitive features. We computed spectral indices weakly sensitive to the surface gravity to derive near-infrared spectral types. Finally, we found the best fit between each spectrum and synthetic spectra from the BT-Settl 2010 and 2013 models. Using the best fit, we derived the atmospheric parameters of the objects and identify which spectral characteristics the models do not reproduce. We confirmed that our objects are young BD and we found NIR spectral types in agreement with the ones determined at optical wavelengths. The spectrum of the L2-gamma dwarf 2MASSJ2322-6151 reproduces well the spectrum of the planetary mass companion 1RXS J1609-2105b. BT-Settl models fit the spectra and the 1-5 $\mu$m SED of the L0-L3 dwarfs for temperatures between 1600-2000 K. But the models fail to reproduce the shape of the H band, and the NIR slope of some of our targets. This fact, and the best fit solutions found with super-solar metallicity are indicative of a lack of dust, in particular at high altitude, in the cloud models. The modeling of the vertical mixing and of the grain growth will be revised in the next version of the BT-Settl models. These revisions may suppress the remaining non-reproducibilities.Comment: Accepted in A&A, February 6, 201

Hunting for brown dwarf binaries and testing atmospheric models with X-Shooter

The determination of the brown dwarf binary fraction may contribute to the understanding of the substellar formation mechanisms. Unresolved brown dwarf binaries may be revealed through their peculiar spectra or the discrepancy between optical and near-infrared spectral type classification. We obtained medium-resolution spectra of 22 brown dwarfs with these characteristics using the X-Shooter spectrograph at the VLT. We aimed to identify brown dwarf binary candidates, and to test if the BT-Settl 2014 atmospheric models reproduce their observed spectra. To find binaries spanning the L-T boundary, we used spectral indices and compared the spectra of the selected candidates to single spectra and synthetic binary spectra. We used synthetic binary spectra with components of same spectral type to determine as well the sensitivity of the method to this class of binaries. We identified three candidates to be combination of L plus T brown dwarfs. We are not able to identify binaries with components of similar spectral type. In our sample, we measured minimum binary fraction of $9.1^{+9.9}_{-3.0}$. From the best fit of the BT-Settl models 2014 to the observed spectra, we derived the atmospheric parameters for the single objects. The BT-Settl models were able to reproduce the majority of the SEDs from our objects, and the variation of the equivalent width of the RbI (794.8 nm) and CsI (852.0 nm) lines with the spectral type. Nonetheless, these models did not reproduce the evolution of the equivalent widths of the NaI (818.3 nm and 819.5 nm) and KI (1253 nm) lines with the spectral type.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Temporal Quantum Control with Graphene

We introduce a novel strategy for controlling the temporal evolution of a quantum system at the nanoscale. Our method relies on the use of graphene plasmons, which can be electrically tuned in frequency by external gates. Quantum emitters (e.g., quantum dots) placed in the vicinity of a graphene nanostructure are subject to the strong interaction with the plasmons of this material, thus undergoing time variations in their mutual interaction and quantum evolution that are dictated by the externally applied gating voltages. This scheme opens a new path towards the realization of quantum-optics devices in the robust solid-state environment of graphene.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Classifying evolutionary forces in language change using neural networks

A fundamental problem in research into language and cultural change is the difficulty of distinguishing processes of stochastic drift (also known as neutral evolution) from processes that are subject to selection pressures. In this article, we describe a new technique based on deep neural networks, in which we reformulate the detection of evolutionary forces in cultural change as a binary classification task. Using residual networks for time series trained on artificially generated samples of cultural change, we demonstrate that this technique is able to efficiently, accurately and consistently learn which aspects of the time series are distinctive for drift and selection, respectively. We compare the model with a recently proposed statistical test, the Frequency Increment Test, and show that the neural time series classification system provides a possible solution to some of the key problems associated with this test.Language Use in Past and Presen

A lizard acting as carrier of the amphibian-killing chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in southern Brazil

Fungal infections are causing widespread population declines and extinctions in all vertebrate classes. Among them, an important fungal disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the pathogenic chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). With an aquatic infectious phase, Bd does not survive desiccation for long, but may be transported by non-amphibian carriers. Such mechanism is key to understand amphibian-chytrid dynamics and may contribute to local amphibian conservation action plans. Therefore, we surveyed Bd in reptiles from two different Brazilian rainforests, looking for possible Bd carriers. We sampled 35 individuals belonging to 11 squamate families, five from the Atlantic Forest and 30 from the Amazon. We detected Bd in one adult lizard, Placosoma glabellum. This lizard feeds, shelters, and breeds in the leaf-litter, and moves between Atlantic Forest streams. Hence, it may be carrying Bd from stream to stream, and also spreading the pathogen to direct-developing amphibians, which have no contact with water bodies and are more susceptible to chytridiomycosis than aquatic species. This is the first record of a non-amphibian chytrid carrier in South America. We suggest that additional field and museum samplings will contribute to understand whether Bd can actually infect reptiles, and how reptile carriers can affect chytrid dynamics in the wild

JWST/NIRSpec Observations of the Planetary Mass Companion TWA 27B

We present 1-5um spectroscopy of the young planetary mass companion TWA 27B (2M1207B) performed with NIRSpec on board the James Webb Space Telescope. In these data, the fundamental band of CH_4 is absent and the fundamental band of CO is weak. The nondetection of CH_4 reinforces a previously observed trend of weaker CH_4 with younger ages among L dwarfs, which has been attributed to enhanced non-equilibrium chemistry among young objects. The weakness of CO may reflect an additional atmospheric property that varies with age, such as the temperature gradient or cloud thickness. We are able to reproduce the broad shape of the spectrum with an ATMO cloudless model that has T=1300 K, non-equilibrium chemistry, and a temperature gradient reduction caused by fingering convection. However, the fundamental bands of CH_4 and CO are somewhat stronger in the model. In addition, the model temperature of 1300 K is higher than expected from evolutionary models given the luminosity and age of TWA 27B (T=1200 K). Previous models of young L-type objects suggest that the inclusion of clouds could potentially resolve these issues; it remains to be seen whether cloudy models can provide a good fit to the 1-5um data from NIRSpec. TWA 27B exhibits emission in Paschen transitions and the He I triplet at 1.083um, which are signatures of accretion that provide the first evidence of a circumstellar disk. We have used the NIRSpec data to estimate the bolometric luminosity of TWA 27B (log L/L_sun=-4.466+/-0.014), which implies a mass of 5-6 MJup according to evolutionary models.Comment: Astrophysical Journal Letters, in pres