418 research outputs found
The 2MASS Wide-Field T Dwarf Search. IV Unting out T dwarfs with Methane Imaging
We present first results from a major program of methane filter photometry
for low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. The definition of a new methane filter
photometric system is described. A recipe is provided for the differential
calibration of methane imaging data using existing 2MASS photometry. We show
that these filters are effective in discriminating T dwarfs from other types of
stars, and demonstrate this with Anglo-Australian Telescope observations using
the IRIS2 imager. Methane imaging data and proper motions are presented for ten
T dwarfs identified as part of the 2MASS "Wide Field T Dwarf Search" -- seven
of them initially identified as T dwarfs using methane imaging.
We also present near-infrared moderate resolution spectra for five T dwarfs,
newly discovered by this technique. Spectral types obtained from these spectra
are compared to those derived from both our methane filter observations, and
spectral types derived by other observers. Finally, we suggest a range of
future programs to which these filters are clearly well suited: the winnowing
of T dwarf and Y dwarf candidate objects coming from the next generation of
near-infrared sky surveys; the robust detection of candidate planetary-mass
brown dwarfs in clusters; the detection of T dwarf companions to known L and T
dwarfs via deep methane imaging; and the search for rotationally-modulated
time-variable surface features on cool brown dwarfs.Comment: 20 pages. To appear in The Astronomical Journal, Nov. 200
2MASS J03105986+1648155AB - A new binary at the L/T transition
The transition from the L to the T spectral type of brown dwarfs is marked by
a very rapid transition phase, remarkable brightening in the J-band and a
higher binary frequency. Despite being an active area of inquiry, this
transition regime still remains one of the most poorly understood phases of
brown dwarf evolution. We resolved the L dwarf 2MASS J03105986+1648155 for the
first time into two almost equally bright components straddling the L/T
transition. Since such a co-eval system with common age and composition
provides crucial information of this special transition phase, we monitored the
system over 3 years to derive first orbital parameters and dynamical mass
estimates, as well as a spectral type determination. We obtained resolved high
angular resolution, near-IR images with HST and the adaptive optics instrument
NACO at the VLT including the laser guide star system PARSEC. Based on two
epochs of astrometric data we derive a minimum semi-major axis of 5.2 +- 0.8
AU. The assumption of a face-on circular orbit yields an orbital period of 72
+- 4 years and a total system mass of 30-60 Mjup. This places the masses of the
individual components of the system at the lower end of the mass regime of
brown dwarfs. The achieved photometry allowed a first spectral type
determination of L9 +- 1 for each component. In addition, this seems to be only
the fifth resolved L/T transition binary with a flux reversal. While ultimate
explanations for this effect are still owing, the 2MASS J03105986+1648155
system adds an important benchmark object for improving our understanding of
this remarkable evolutionary phase of brown dwarfs. Additionally, the
observational results of 2MASS J03105986+1648155 AB derived with the new PARSEC
AO system at the VLT show the importance of this technical capability. The
updated AO system allows us to significantly extend the sample of brown dwarfs
observable with high-resolution from the ground and hence to reveal more of
their physical properties.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication by A&
Revisiting the proposed planetary system orbiting the eclipsing polar HU Aquarii
It has recently been proposed, on the basis of eclipse-timing data, that the
eclipsing polar cataclysmic variable HU Aquarii is host to at least two giant
planets. However, that result has been called into question based upon the
dynamical stability of the proposed planets. In this work, we present a
detailed re-analysis of all eclipse timing data available for the HU Aquarii
system, making use of standard techniques used to fit orbits to radial-velocity
data. We find that the eclipse timings can be used to obtain a two-planet
solution that does not require the presence of additional bodies within the
system. We then perform a highly detailed dynamical analysis of the proposed
planetary system. We show that the improved orbital parameters we have derived
correspond to planets that are dynamically unstable on unfeasibly short
timescales (of order 10^4 years or less). Given these results, we discuss
briefly how the observed signal might in fact be the result of the intrinsic
properties of the eclipsing polar, rather than being evidence of dynamically
improbable planets. Taken in concert, our results highlight the need for
caution in interpreting such timing variations as being planetary in nature.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Short-term spectroscopic monitoring of two cool dwarfs with strong magnetic fields
Context: There is now growing evidence that some brown dwarfs (BDs) have very
strong magnetic fields, and yet their surface temperatures are so low that the
coupling is expected to be small between the matter and the magnetic field in
the atmosphere. In the deeper layers, however, the coupling is expected to be
much stronger. Aims: This raises the question of whether the magnetic field
still leads to the formation of structures in the photosphere. Methods: We
carried out a spectroscopic monitoring campaign of two ultracool dwarfs that
have strong magnetic fields: the BD LP944-20 and 2MASSW J0036159+182110.
LP944-20 was observed simultaneously in the optical and in the near infrared
regime, 2MASSW J0036159+182110 only in the infrared. Results: Both dwarfs
turned out to be remarkably constant. In the case of LP944-20, the
Teff-variations are <50K, and the rms-variations in the equivalent widths of
Halpha small. We also find that the equivalent widths of photospheric lines are
remarkably constant. We did not find any significant variations in the case of
2MASSW J0036159+182110 either. Thus the most important result is that no
significant variability was found at the time of our observations. When
comparing our spectra with spectra taken over the past 11 years, we recognize
significant changes during this time. Conclusions: We interpret these results
as evidence that the photosphere of these objects are remarkably homogeneous,
with only little structure in them, and despite the strong magnetic fields.
Thus, unlike active stars, there are no prominent spots on these objects.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures. Astronomy and Astrophysics (accepted
X-ray Observations of Gravitationally Lensed Quasars; Evidence for a Hidden Quasar Population
The large magnification factors of gravitationally lensed (GL) systems allow
us to investigate the properties of quasars with X-ray luminosities that are
substantially lower than those of unlensed ones and also provide an independent
means of estimating the contribution of faint quasars to the hard X-ray
component of the cosmic X-ray background. Our spectral analysis indicate a
flattening of the spectral index in the hard band (4-20keV restframe) for 2
radio-loud quasars in the GL quasar sample for which the data have moderate
signal-to-noise ratio. We have identified a large fraction of Broad Absorption
Line (BAL) quasars amongst the GL quasar population. We find that approximately
35% of radio-quiet GL quasars contain BAL features which is significantly
larger than the 10% fraction of BAL quasars presently found in optically
selected flux limited quasar samples. We present a simple model that estimates
the effects of attenuation and lens magnification on the luminosity function of
quasars and that explains the observed fraction of GL BAL quasars. These
observations suggest that a large fraction of BAL quasars are missed from flux
limited optical surveys. Modeling of several X-ray observations of the GL BAL
quasar PG1115+080 suggests that the observed large X-ray variability may be
caused in part by a variable intrinsic absorber consistent with previously
observed variability of the BAL troughs in the UV band. The observed large
X-ray flux variations in PG1115+080 offer the prospect of considerably reducing
errors in determining the time delay with future X-ray monitoring of this
system and hence constraining the Hubble constant H.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, 9 Tables, accepted for publication in Ap
High eccentricity planets from the Anglo-Australian Planet Search
We report Doppler measurements of the stars HD187085 and HD20782 which
indicate two high eccentricity low-mass companions to the stars. We find
HD187085 has a Jupiter-mass companion with a ~1000d orbit. Our formal `best
fit' solution suggests an eccentricity of 0.47, however, it does not sample the
periastron passage of the companion and we find that orbital solutions with
eccentricities between 0.1 and 0.8 give only slightly poorer fits (based on RMS
and chi^2) and are thus plausible. Observations made during periastron passage
in 2007 June should allow for the reliable determination of the orbital
eccentricity for the companion to HD187085. Our dataset for HD20782 does sample
periastron and so the orbit for its companion can be more reliably determined.
We find the companion to HD20782 has M sin i=1.77+/-0.22M_JUP, an orbital
period of 595.86+/-0.03d and an orbit with an eccentricity of 0.92+/-0.03. The
detection of such high-eccentricity (and relatively low velocity amplitude)
exoplanets appears to be facilitated by the long-term precision of the
Anglo-Australian Planet Search. Looking at exoplanet detections as a whole, we
find that those with higher eccentricity seem to have relatively higher
velocity amplitudes indicating higher mass planets and/or an observational bias
against the detection of high eccentricity systems.Comment: to appear in MNRA
Proper Motions of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope Imaging. I: Method and a Preliminary Measurement for Fornax
This article presents and discusses a method for measuring the proper motions
of the Galactic dwarf spheroidal galaxies using images taken with the Hubble
Space Telescope. The method involves fitting an effective point spread function
to the image of a star or quasi-stellar object to determine its centroid with
an accuracy of about 0.005 pixel (0.25 milliarcseconds) -- an accuracy
sufficient to measure the proper motion of a dwarf spheroidal galaxy using
images separated by just a few years. The data consist of images, dithered to
reduce the effects of undersampling, taken at multiple epochs with the Space
Telescope Imaging Spectrograph or the Wide Field Planetary Camera. The science
fields are in the directions of the Carina, Fornax, Sculptor, and Ursa Minor
dwarf spheroidal galaxies and each has at least one quasi-stellar object whose
identity has been established by other studies. The rate of change with time of
the centroids of the stars of the dwarf spheroidal with respect to the centroid
of the quasi-stellar object is the proper motion.
Four independent preliminary measurements of the proper motion of Fornax for
three fields agree within their uncertainties. The weighted average of these
measurements is mu_alpha = 49 +- 13 milliarcseconds/century and mu_delta = -59
+- 13 milliarcseconds/century. The Galactocentric velocity derived from the
proper motion implies that Fornax is near perigalacticon, may not be bound to
the Milky Way, and is not a member of any of the proposed streams of galaxies
and globular clusters in the Galactic halo. If Fornax is bound, the Milky Way
must have a mass of at least (1.6 +- 0.8) x 10^{12} solar masses.Comment: 4 tables, 16 figures (22 postscript files), 30+ pages. Accepted for
publication in AJ. v2: Revised to remove a typo in the abstract and improve
the formattin
56Ni dredge-up in the type IIp Supernova 1995V
We present contemporary infrared and optical spectra of the plateau type II
SN 1995V in NGC 1087 covering four epochs, approximately 22 to 84 days after
shock breakout. The data show, for the first time, the infrared spectroscopic
evolution during the plateau phase of a typical type II event. In the optical
region P Cygni lines of the Balmer series and of metals lines were identified.
The infrared (IR) spectra were largely dominated by the continuum, but P Cygni
Paschen lines and Brackett gamma lines were also clearly seen. The other
prominent IR features are confined to wavelengths blueward of 11000 \AA and
include Sr II 10327, Fe II 10547, C I 10695 and He I 10830 \AA. We demonstrate
the presence of He I 10830 \AA on days 69 and 85. The presence of this line at
such late times implies re-ionisation. A likely re-ionising mechanism is
gamma-ray deposition following the radioactive decay of 56Ni. We examine this
mechanism by constructing a spectral model for the He I 10830 \AA line based on
explosion model s15s7b2f of Weaver & Woosley (1993). We find that this does not
generate the observed line owing to the confinement of the 56Ni to the central
zones of the ejecta. In order to reproduce the He I line, it was necessary to
introduce additional upward mixing of the 56Ni, with 10^{-5} of the total
nickel mass reaching above the helium photosphere. In addition, we argue that
the He I line-formation region is likely to have been in the form of pure
helium clumps in the hydrogen envelope.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 32 pages including 11 figures
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