Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userIdentification of WISE J000100.45+065259.6 as an M8.5+T5 Spectral Binary Candidate
63
0
0.0
(
0
)
Authors
Adam J. Burgasser
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
[not part of RNAAS note] We report the discovery of WISE J000100.45+065259.6 as a very low mass star/brown dwarf spectral binary candidate, on the basis of low resolution near-infrared spectroscopy obtained with IRTF/SpeX. Decomposition of the spectrum indicates component types of M8.5+T5 with a predicted $Delta{J}$ = 3.5. As the majority of confirmed spectral binary candidates to date are very closely-separated systems ($rho$ $lesssim$ 3 AU; $P$ $lesssim$ 15~yr), this source may provide mass measurements across the hydrogen burning limit within the decade.
rate research
Read More
[Abridged] We report observations of the recently discovered, nearby late-M dwarf WISE J072003.20-084651.2. Astrometric measurements obtained with TRAPPIST improve the distance measurement to 6.0$pm$1.0 pc and confirm the low tangential velocity (3.5$pm$0.6 km/s) reported by Scholz. Low-resolution optical spectroscopy indicates a spectral type of M9.5 and prominent H$alpha$ emission (<LH$alpha$/Lbol> = -4.68$pm$0.06), but no evidence of subsolar metallicity or Li I absorption. Near-infrared spectroscopy reveals subtle peculiarities indicating the presence of a T5 binary companion, and high-resolution laser guide star adaptive optics imaging reveals a faint ($Delta$H = 4.1) candidate source 014 (0.8 AU) from the primary. We measure a stable radial velocity of +83.8$pm$0.3 km/s, indicative of old disk kinematics and consistent with the angular separation of the possible companion. We measure a projected rotational velocity of v sin i = 8.0$pm$0.5 km/s, and find evidence of low-level variability (~1.5%) in a 13-day TRAPPIST lightcurve, but cannot robustly constrain the rotational period. We also observe episodic changes in brightness (1-2%) and occasional flare bursts (4-8%) with a 0.8% duty cycle, and order-of-magnitude variations in H$alpha$ line strength. Combined, these observations reveal WISE J0720-0846 to be an old, very low-mass binary whose components straddle the hydrogen burning minimum mass, and whose primary is a relatively rapid rotator and magnetically active. It is one of only two known binaries among late M dwarfs within 10 pc of the Sun, both harboring a mid T-type brown dwarf companion. While this specific configuration is rare (1.4% probability), roughly 25% of binary companions to late-type M dwarfs in the local population are likely low-temperature T or Y brown dwarfs.
Evidence is presented that 2MASS J03202839-0446358, a late-type dwarf with discrepant optical (M8:) and near-infrared (L1) spectral types, is an as-yet unresolved stellar/brown dwarf binary with late-type M dwarf and T dwarf components. This conclusion is based on low-resolution, near-infrared spectroscopy that reveals a subtle but distinctive absorption feature at 1.6 micron. The feature, which is also present in the combined light spectrum of the M8.5 + T6 binary SCR 1845-6357, arises from the combination of FeH absorption from an M8.5 primary and pseudo-continuum flux from a T5+/-1 secondary, as ascertained from binary spectral templates constructed from empirical data. The binary templates provide a far superior match to the overall near-infrared spectral energy distribution of 2MASS J0320-0446 than any single comparison spectra. Laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS AO) imaging observations, including the first application of LGS AO aperture mask interferometry, fail to resolve a faint companion, restricting the projected separation of the system to less than 8.3 AU at the time of observation. 2MASS J0320-0446 is the second very low mass binary to be identified from unresolved, low-resolution, near-infrared spectroscopy, a technique that complements traditional high resolution imaging and spectroscopic methods.
We show that SIPS J2045-6332, a late M/early L object previously identified as a candidate spectral mix binary, shows an elongated image shape. Using shape measurement techniques originally developed for cosmological weak lensing surveys on VISTA VHS images we show that this likely blended binary has an implied position angle of ~290 degrees East of North with a secondary companion that is likely to be a late L dwarf. This object would be a good follow-up target for high resolution imaging studies
In the WISE all-sky source catalogue there are 76 million mid-infrared (MIR) point sources that were detected at the first three WISE bands and have association with only one 2MASS near-IR source within 3 arcsec. We search for their identifications in the SIMBAD database and find 3.2 million identified sources. Based on these known sources, we establish three criteria for selecting candidate AGB stars in the Galaxy, which are three defined occupation zones in a color-color diagram, Galactic latitude |gb|< 20 deg, and corrected WISE third-band W3c < 11. Applying these criteria to the WISE+2MASS sources, 1.37 million of them are selected. We analyze the WISE third-band W3 distribution of the selected sources, and further establish that W3 < 8 is required in order to exclude a large fraction of normal stars in them. We therefore find 0.47 million candidate AGB stars in our Galaxy from the WISE source catalogue. Using W3c, we estimate their distances and derive their Galactic distributions. The candidates are generally located around the Galactic center uniformly, with 68% (1-sigma) of them within approximately 8 kpc. We discuss that optical spectroscopy can be used to verify the C-rich AGB stars in our candidates, and they will be good targets for the LAMOST survey that is planned to start from fall of 2012.
Light curves of the eclipsing binary FL Lyr acquired by the Kepler space telescope are analyzed. Eclipse timing measurements for FL Lyr testify to the presence of a third body in the system. Preliminary estimates of its mass and orbital period are > 4M_Jupiter and > 7 yrs. The times of primary minimum in the light curve of FL Lyr during the operation of the Kepler mission are presented.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
