We present the discovery of five late-type T dwarfs identified with the
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Low-resolution near-infrared
spectroscopy obtained with the Magellan Folded-port InfraRed Echellette (FIRE)
reveal strong water and methane absorption in all five sources, and spectral
indices and comparison to spectral templates indicate classifications ranging
from T5.5 to T8.5:. The spectrum of the latest-type source, WISE J1812+2721, is
an excellent match to that of the T8.5 companion brown dwarf Wolf 940B.
WISE-based spectrophotometric distance estimates place these T dwarfs at 12-13
pc from the Sun, assuming they are single. Preliminary fits of the spectral
data to the atmosphere models of Saumon & Marley indicate effective
temperatures ranging from 600 K to 930 K, both cloudy and cloud-free
atmospheres, and a broad range of ages and masses. In particular, two sources
show evidence of both low surface gravity and cloudy atmospheres, tentatively
supporting a trend noted in other young brown dwarfs and exoplanets. In
contrast, the high proper motion T dwarf WISE J2018-7423 exhibits a suppressed
K-band peak and blue spectrophotometric J-K colors indicative of an old,
massive brown dwarf; however, it lacks the broadened Y-band peak seen in
metal-poor counterparts. These results illustrate the broad diversity of
low-temperature brown dwarfs that will be uncovered with WISE.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures; accepted for publication to Ap
