91 research outputs found
Lucky Imaging survey for southern M dwarf binaries
While M dwarfs are the most abundant stars in the Milky Way, there is still
large uncertainty about their basic physical properties (mass, luminosity,
radius, etc.) as well as their formation environment. Precise knowledge of
multiplicity characteristics and how they change in this transitional mass
region, between Sun-like stars on the one side and very low mass stars and
brown dwarfs on the other, provide constraints on low mass star and brown dwarf
formation. In the largest M dwarf binary survey to date, we search for
companions to active, and thus preferentially young, M dwarfs in the solar
neighbourhood. We study their binary/multiple properties, such as the
multiplicity frequency and distributions of mass ratio and separation, and
identify short period visual binaries, for which orbital parameters and hence
dynamical mass estimates can be derived in the near future. The observations
are carried out in the SDSS i' and z' band using the Lucky Imaging camera
AstraLux Sur at the ESO 3.5 m New Technology Telescope. In the first part of
the survey, we observed 124 M dwarfs of integrated spectral types M0-M6 and
identified 34 new and 17 previously known companions to 44 stars. We derived
relative astrometry and component photometry for these systems. More than half
of the binaries have separations smaller than 1 arcsec and would have been
missed in a simply seeing-limited survey. Correcting our sample for selection
effects yields a multiplicity fraction of 32+/-6% for 108 M dwarfs within 52 pc
and with angular separations of 0.1-6.0 arcsec, corresponding to projected
separation 3-180 AU at median distance 30 pc. Compared to early-type M dwarfs
(M>0.3M_Sun), later type (and hence lower mass) M dwarf binaries appear to have
closer separations, and more similar masses.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures. Minor corrections and changes. Revised to match
accepted A&A versio
Evolution of Young Brown Dwarf Disks in the Mid-Infrared
We have imaged two bona-fide brown dwarfs with TReCS/GEMINI-S and find
mid-infrared excess emission that can be explained by optically thick dust disk
models. In the case of the young (2Myr) Cha H1 we measure
fluxes at 10.4m and 12.3m that are fully consistent with a standard
flared disk model and prominent silicate emission. For the 10Myr old
brown dwarf 2MASS1207-3932 located in the TW Hydrae association we find excess
emission at 8.7m and 10.4m with respect to its photosphere, and
confirm disk accretion as likely cause of its strong activity. Disks around
brown dwarfs likely last at least as long as their low-mass stellar
counterparts in the T-Tauri phase. Grain growth, dust settling, and evolution
of the geometry of brown dwarfs disks may appear on a timescale of 10Myr and
can be witnessed by observations in the mid-infrared.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Rotational periods of T Tauri stars in Taurus-Auriga, south of Taurus-Auriga, and in MBM12
Context: .The ROSAT All-Sky Survey detected many young objects outside any known star forming region. Their formation is yet unclear.<BR /> Aims: .In order to improve the knowledge about these X-ray bright objects we aimed at measuring their rotational properties, which are fundamental stellar parameters, and at comparing them to young objects inside molecular clouds.<BR /> Methods: .We monitored photometric variations of 5 T Tauri stars in MBM12 and of 26 young objects in the Taurus-Auriga molecular cloud and south of it. Among the 26 young objects there are 17 weak-line T Tauri stars, 7 zero age main-sequence stars and 2 of unknown type. In addition, 2 main-sequence K-type stars were observed, and one comparison star turned out to be an eclipsing binary.<BR /> Results: .We found periodic variations for most of the targets. The measured periods of the T Tauri stars range from 0.57 to 7.4 days. The photometric variation can be ascribed to rotational modulation caused by spots. For a few of the periodic variables, changes of the light curve profile within several weeks are reported. For one star such changes have been observed in data taken two years apart. The exceptions are two eclipsing systems. One so far unknown system - GSC2.2 N3022313162 - shows a light curve with full phase coverage having both primary and secondary minima well resolved. It has an orbital period of 0.59075 days. From our spectroscopic observations we conclude that it is a main sequence star of spectral type F2 ± 4. We further compared the off-cloud weak-line T Tauri stars to the weak-line T Tauri stars inside the molecular cloud in terms of rotational period distribution. Statistical analysis of the two samples shows that both groups are likely to have the same period distribution. <BR /
The enigmatic young brown dwarf binary FU Tau: accretion and activity
FU Tau belongs to a rare class of young, wide brown dwarf binaries. We have
resolved the system in a Chandra X-ray observation and detected only the
primary, FU Tau A. Hard X-ray emission, presumably from a corona, is present
but, unexpectedly, we detect also a strong and unusually soft component from FU
Tau A. Its X-ray properties, so far unique among brown dwarfs, are very similar
to those of the T Tauri star TW Hya. The analogy with TW Hya suggests that the
dominating soft X-ray component can be explained by emission from accretion
shocks. However, the typical free-fall velocities of a brown dwarf are too low
for an interpretation of the observed X-ray temperature as post-shock region.
On the other hand, velocities in excess of the free-fall speed are derived from
archival optical spectroscopy, and independent pieces of evidence for strong
accretion in FU Tau A are found in optical photometry. The high X-ray
luminosity of FU Tau A coincides with a high bolometric luminosity confirming
an unexplained trend among young brown dwarfs. In fact, FU Tau A is
overluminous with respect to evolutionary models while FU Tau B is on the 1 Myr
isochrone suggesting non-contemporaneous formation of the two components in the
binary. The extreme youth of FU Tau A could be responsible for its peculiar
X-ray properties, in terms of atypical magnetic activity or accretion.
Alternatively, rotation and magnetic field effects may reduce the efficiency of
convection which in turn affects the effective temperature and radius of FU Tau
A shifting its position in the HR diagram. Although there is no direct prove of
this latter scenario so far we present arguments for its plausibility.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS; 9 pages, 5 figure
An unusual very low-mass high-amplitude pre-main sequence periodic variable
We have investigated the nature of the variability of CHS7797, an unusual
periodic variable in the Orion Nebula Cluster. An extensive I-band photometric
data set of CHS7797 was compiled between 2004-2010 using various telescopes.
Further optical data have been collected in R and z' bands. In addition,
simultaneous observations of the ONC region including CHS7797 were performed in
the I, J, Ks and IRAC [3.6] and [4.5] bands over a time interval of about 40d.
CHS7797 shows an unusual large-amplitude variation of about 1.7 mag in the R,
I, and z' bands with a period 17.786. The amplitude of the brightness
modulation decreases only slightly at longer wavelengths. The star is faint
during 2/3 of the period and the shape of the phased light-curves for seven
different observing seasons shows minor changes and small-amplitude variations.
Interestingly, there are no significant colour-flux correlations for
wavelengths smaller than 2microns, while the object becomes redder when fainter
at longer wavelengths. CHS7797 has a spectral type of M6 and an estimated mass
between 0.04-0.1Msun. The analysis of the data suggests that the periodic
variability of CHS7797 is most probably caused by an orbital motion.
Variability as a result of rotational brightness modulation by spots is
excluded by the lack of any color-brightness correlation in the optical. The
latter indicates that CHS7797 is most probably occulted by circumstellar matter
in which grains have grown from typical 0.1 microns to 1-2 micron sizes. We
discuss two possible scenarios in which CHS7797 is periodically eclipsed by
structures in a disc, namely that CHS7797 is a single object with a
circumstellar disc, or that CHS7797 is a binary system, similar to KH15D, in
which an inclined circumbinary disc is responsible of the variability. Possible
reasons for the typical 0.3mag variations in I-band at a given phase are
discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication A&
The ultracool-field dwarf luminosity-function and space density from the Canada-France Brown Dwarf Survey
Context. Thanks to recent and ongoing large scale surveys, hundreds of brown
dwarfs have been discovered in the last decade. The Canada-France Brown Dwarf
Survey is a wide-field survey for cool brown dwarfs conducted with the MegaCam
camera on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope telescope. Aims. Our objectives
are to find ultracool brown dwarfs and to constrain the field brown-dwarf
luminosity function and the mass function from a large and homogeneous sample
of L and T dwarfs. Methods. We identify candidates in CFHT/MegaCam i' and z'
images and follow them up with pointed near infrared (NIR) imaging on several
telescopes. Halfway through our survey we found ~50 T dwarfs and ~170 L or
ultra cool M dwarfs drawn from a larger sample of 1400 candidates with typical
ultracool dwarfs i' - z' colours, found in 780 square degrees. Results. We have
currently completed the NIR follow-up on a large part of the survey for all
candidates from mid-L dwarfs down to the latest T dwarfs known with utracool
dwarfs' colours. This allows us to draw on a complete and well defined sample
of 102 ultracool dwarfs to investigate the luminosity function and space
density of field dwarfs. Conclusions. We found the density of late L5 to T0
dwarfs to be 2.0pm0.8 x 10-3 objects pc-3, the density of T0.5 to T5.5 dwarfs
to be 1.4pm0.3 x 10-3 objects pc-3, and the density of T6 to T8 dwarfs to be
5.3pm3.1 x 10-3 objects pc-3 . We found that these results agree better with a
flat substellar mass function. Three latest dwarfs at the boundary between T
and Y dwarfs give the high density 8.3p9.0m5.1 x 10-3 objects pc-3. Although
the uncertainties are very large this suggests that many brown dwarfs should be
found in this late spectral type range, as expected from the cooling of brown
dwarfs, whatever their mass, down to very low temperature.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
The discovery of an M4+T8.5 binary system
The original article can be found at: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com Copyright Blackwell Publishing / Royal Astronomical Society. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.14620.xWe report the discovery of a T8.5 dwarf, which is a companion to the M4 dwarf Wolf 940. [Please see original online abstract for complete version with correct notation]Peer reviewe
A Large Scale Double Beta and Dark Matter Experiment: GENIUS
The recent results from the HEIDELBERG-MOSCOW experiment have demonstrated
the large potential of double beta decay to search for new physics beyond the
Standard Model. To increase by a major step the present sensitivity for double
beta decay and dark matter search much bigger source strengths and much lower
backgrounds are needed than used in experiments under operation at present or
under construction. We present here a study of a project proposed recently,
which would operate one ton of 'naked' enriched GErmanium-detectors in liquid
NItrogen as shielding in an Underground Setup (GENIUS). It improves the
sensitivity to neutrino masses to 0.01 eV. A ten ton version would probe
neutrino masses even down to 10^-3 eV. The first version would allow to test
the atmospheric neutrino problem, the second at least part of the solar
neutrino problem. Both versions would allow in addition significant
contributions to testing several classes of GUT models. These are especially
tests of R-parity breaking supersymmetry models, leptoquark masses and
mechanism and right-handed W-boson masses comparable to LHC. The second issue
of the experiment is the search for dark matter in the universe. The entire
MSSM parameter space for prediction of neutralinos as dark matter particles
could be covered already in a first step of the full experiment - with the same
purity requirements but using only 100 kg of 76Ge or even of natural Ge -
making the experiment competitive to LHC in the search for supersymmetry.
The layout of the proposed experiment is discussed and the shielding and
purity requirements are studied using GEANT Monte Carlo simulations. As a
demonstration of the feasibility of the experiment first results of operating a
'naked' Ge detector in liquid nitrogen are presented.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures, see also
http://pluto.mpi-hd.mpg.de/~betalit/genius.htm
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