No Arabic abstract
We present 2MASS J11151597+1937266, a recently identified low-surface gravity L dwarf, classified as an L2$gamma$ based on Sloan Digital Sky Survey optical spectroscopy. We confirm this spectral type with near-infrared spectroscopy, which provides further evidence that 2MASS J11151597+1937266 is a low-surface gravity L dwarf. This object also shows significant excess mid-infrared flux, indicative of circumstellar material; and its strong H$alpha$ emission (EW$_{mathrm{H}alpha}=560pm82$ AA) is an indicator of enhanced magnetic activity or weak accretion. Comparison of its spectral energy distribution to model photospheres yields an effective temperature of $1724^{+184}_{-38}$ K. We also provide a revised distance estimate of $37pm6$ pc using a spectral type-luminosity relationship for low-surface gravity objects. The 3-dimensional galactic velocities and positions of 2MASS J11151597+1937266 do not match any known young association or moving group. Assuming a probable age in the range of 5-45 Myr, the model-dependent estimated mass of this object is between 7-21 $M_mathrm{Jup}$, making it a potentially isolated planetary-mass object. We also identify a candidate co-moving, young stellar companion, 2MASS J11131089+2110086.
We present the discovery of a planetary-mass companion to CFHTWIR-Oph 98, a low-mass brown dwarf member of the young Ophiuchus star-forming region, with a wide 200-au separation (1.46 arcsec). The companion was identified using Hubble Space Telescope images, and confirmed to share common proper motion with the primary using archival and new ground-based observations. Based on the very low probability of the components being unrelated Ophiuchus members, we conclude that Oph 98 AB forms a binary system. From our multi-band photometry, we constrain the primary to be an M9-L1 dwarf, and the faint companion to have an L2-L6 spectral type. For a median age of 3 Myr for Ophiuchus, fits of evolutionary models to measured luminosities yield masses of $15.4pm0.8$ M$_mathrm{Jup}$ for Oph 98 A and $7.8pm0.8$ M$_mathrm{Jup}$ for Oph 98 B, with respective effective temperatures of $2320pm40$ K and $1800pm40$ K. For possible system ages of 1-7 Myr, masses could range from 9.6-18.4 M$_mathrm{Jup}$ for the primary, and from 4.1-11.6 M$_mathrm{Jup}$ for the secondary. The low component masses and very large separation make this binary the lowest binding energy system imaged to date, indicating that the outcome of low-mass star formation can result in such extreme, weakly-bound systems. With such a young age, Oph 98 AB extends the growing population of young free-floating planetary-mass objects, offering a new benchmark to refine formation theories at the lowest masses.
We present the identification of two previously known young objects in the solar neighbourhood as a likely very wide binary. TYC 9486-927-1, an active, rapidly rotating early-M dwarf, and 2MASS J21265040-8140293, a low-gravity L3 dwarf previously identified as candidate members of the $sim$45 Myr old Tucana Horologium association (TucHor). An updated proper motion measurement of the L3 secondary, and a detailed analysis of the pairs kinematics in the context of known nearby, young stars, reveals that they share common proper motion and are likely bound. New observations and analyses reveal the primary exhibits Li 6708~AA~absorption consistent with M dwarfs younger than TucHor but older than the $sim$10 Myr TW Hydra association yielding an age range of 10-45 Myr. A revised kinematic analysis suggests the space motions and positions of the pair are closer to, but not entirely in agreement with, the $sim$24 Myr old $beta$ Pictoris moving group. This revised 10-45 Myr age range yields a mass range of 11.6--15 M$_J$ for the secondary. It is thus likely 2MASS J21265040-8140293short is the widest orbit planetary mass object known ($>$4500AU) and its estimated mass, age, spectral type, and $T_{eff}$ are similar to the well-studied planet $beta$ Pictoris b. Because of their extreme separation and youth, this low-mass pair provide an interesting case study for very wide binary formation and evolution.
OTS44 is one of only four free-floating planets known to have a disk. We have previously shown that it is the coolest and least massive known free-floating planet ($sim$12 M$_{rm Jup}$) with a substantial disk that is actively accreting. We have obtained Band 6 (233 GHz) ALMA continuum data of this very young disk-bearing object. The data shows a clear unresolved detection of the source. We obtained disk-mass estimates via empirical correlations derived for young, higher-mass, central (substellar) objects. The range of values obtained are between 0.07 and 0.63 M$_{oplus}$ (dust masses). We compare the properties of this unique disk with those recently reported around higher-mass (brown dwarfs) young objects in order to infer constraints on its mechanism of formation. While extreme assumptions on dust temperature yield disk-mass values that could slightly diverge from the general trends found for more massive brown dwarfs, a range of sensible values provide disk masses compatible with a unique scaling relation between $M_{rm dust}$ and $M_{*}$ through the substellar domain down to planetary masses.
We conducted a multi-wavelength, multi-instrument observational characterisation of the candidate free-floating planet CFBDSIR~J214947.2-040308.9, a late T-dwarf with possible low-gravity features, in order to constrain its physical properties. We analyzed 9 hours of X-Shooter spectroscopy with signal detectable from 0.8--2.3$mu$m, as well as additional photometry in the mid-infrared using the Spitzer Space Telescope. Combined with a VLT/HAWK-I astrometric parallax, this enabled a full characterisation of the absolute flux from the visible to 5$mu$m, encompassing more than 90% of the expected energy emitted by such a cool late T-type object. Our analysis of the spectrum also provided the radial velocity and therefore the determination of its full 3-D kinematics. While our new spectrum confirms the low gravity and/or high metallicity of CFBDSIR2149, the parallax and kinematics safely rule out membership to any known young moving group, including AB~Doradus. We use the equivalent width of the KI doublet at 1.25$mu$m as a promising tool to discriminate the effects of low-gravity from the effects of high-metallicity on the emission spectra of cool atmospheres. In the case of CFBDSIR2149, the observed KI doublet clearly favours the low-gravity solution. CFBDSIR2149 is therefore a peculiar late-T dwarf that is probably a young, planetary-mass object (2--13Mjup, $<$500Myr) possibly similar to the exoplanet 51Erib, or perhaps a 2--40Mjup brown dwarf with super-solar metallicity.
Substellar companions at wide separation around stars hosting planets or brown dwarfs (BDs) yet close enough for their formation in the circumstellar disc are of special interest. In this letter we report the discovery of a wide (projected separation $sim$16.0arcsec, or 2400 AU, and position angle 114.61$^circ$) companion of the GQ Lup A-B system, most likely gravitationally bound to it. A VLT/X-Shooter spectrum shows that this star, 2MASS J15491331-3539118, is a bonafide low-mass ($sim$0.15 M$_odot$) young stellar object (YSO) with stellar and accretion/ejection properties typical of Lupus YSOs of similar mass, and with kinematics consistent with that of the GQ Lup A-B system. A possible scenario for the formation of the triple system is that GQ Lup A and 2MASS J15491331-3539118 formed by fragmentation of a turbulent core in the Lup I filament, while GQ Lup B, the BD companion of GQ Lup A at 0.7arcsec, formed in situ by the fragmentation of the circumprimary disc. The recent discoveries that stars form along cloud filaments would favour the scenario of turbulent fragmentation for the formation of GQ Lup A and 2MASS J15491331-3539118.