We recently reported on the detection of a possible planetary-mass companion to Beta Pictoris at a projected separation of 8 AU from the star, using data taken in November 2003 with NaCo, the adaptive-optics system installed on the Very Large Telesco
pe UT4. Eventhough no second epoch detection was available, there are strong arguments to favor a gravitationally bound companion rather than a background object. If confirmed and located at a physical separation of 8 AU, this young, hot (~1500 K), massive Jovian companion (~8 Mjup) would be the closest planet to its star ever imaged, could be formed via core-accretion, and could explain the main morphological and dynamical properties of the dust disk. Our goal was to return to Beta Pic five years later to obtain a second-epoch observation of the companion or, in case of a non-detection, constrain its orbit. Deep adaptive-optics L-band direct images of Beta Pic and Ks-band Four-Quadrant-Phase-Mask (4QPM) coronagraphic images were recorded with NaCo in January and February 2009. We also use 4QPM data taken in November 2004. No point-like signal with the brightness of the companion candidate (apparent magnitudes L=11.2 or Ks ~ 12.5) is detected at projected distances down to 6.5 AU from the star in the 2009 data. As expected, the non-detection does not allow to rule out a background object; however, we show that it is consistent with the orbital motion of a bound companion that got closer to the star since first observed in 2003 and that is just emerging from behind the star at the present epoch. We place strong constraints on the possible orbits of the companion and discuss future observing prospects.
The relative roles of metallicity and surface gravity on the near-infrared spectra of late-T brown dwarfs are not yet fully understood, and evolutionary models still need to be calibrated in order to provide accurate estimates of brown dwarf physical
parameters from measured spectra. The T-type brown dwarfs Eps Indi Ba and Bb forming the tightly bound binary Eps Indi B, which orbits the K4V star Eps Indi A, are nowadays the only such benchmark T dwarfs for which all important physical parameters such as metallicity, age and mass are (or soon will be) known. We present spatially resolved VLT/NACO images and low resolution spectra of Eps Indi B in the J, H and K near-infrared bands. The spectral types of Eps Indi Ba and Bb are determined by direct comparison of the flux-calibrated JHK spectra with T dwarf standard template spectra and also by NIR spectral indices. Eps Indi Bb is confirmed as a T6 while the spectral type of Eps Indi Ba is T1.5 so somewhat later than the previously reported T1. Constrained values for surface gravity and effective temperature are derived by comparison with model spectra. The evolutionary models predict masses around about 53 M_J for Eps Indi Ba and about 34 M_J for Eps Indi Bb, slightly higher than previously reported values. The suppressed J-band and enhanced K-band flux of Eps Indi Ba indicates that a noticeable cloud layer is still present in a T1.5 dwarf while no clouds are needed to model the spectrum of Eps Indi Bb.
The recently discovered star SCR 1845-6357 is the first late M/T dwarf binary discovered. SCR 1845 is a particular object due to its tight orbit (currently around 4 AU) and its proximity to the Sun (3.85 pc). We present spatially resolved VLT/NACO im
ages and low resolution spectra of SCR 1845 in the J, H and K near-infrared bands. Since the T dwarf companion, SCR 1845B, is so close to the primary SCR 1845A, orbital motion is evident even within a year. Following the orbital motion, the binarys mass can be measured accurately within a decade, making SCR 1845B a key T-dwarf mass-luminosity calibrator. The NIR spectra allow for accurate determination of spectral type and also for rough estimates of the objects physical parameters. The spectral type of SCR 1845B is determined by direct comparison of the flux calibrated JHK spectra with T dwarf standard template spectra and also by NIR spectral indices obtained from synthetic photometry. Constrained values for surface gravity, effective temperature and metallicity are derived by comparison with model spectra. Our data prove that SCR 1845B is a brown dwarf of spectral type T6 that is co-moving with and therefore gravitationally bound to the M8.5 primary. Fitting the NIR spectrum of SCR 1845B to model spectra yields an effective temperature of about 950K and a surface gravity log(g)=5.1 (cgs) assuming solar metallicity. Mass and age of SCR 1845B are in the range 40 to 50 Jupiter masses and 1.8 to 3.1 Gyr.
The paper presents results from a small survey of 22 young, nearby stars that was designed to detect substellar companions and ultimately giant extrasolar planets down to Jupiter masses. The targets are members of the Tucana and Beta Pictoris moving
groups apart from the somewhat older star HIP 71395 that has a radial velocity trend suggesting a massive planet in large orbit. The survey was carried out in the L-band using adaptive optics assisted imaging with NAOS-CONICA (NACO) at the VLT. The chosen observation wavelength is well suited to search for close companions around young stars and delivers unprecedented detection limits. The presented technique reaches some of the best sensitivities as of today and is currently the most sensitive method for the contrast limited detection of substellar companions that are cooler than about 1000K. The companion to 51 Eri, GJ 3305, was found to be a very close binary on an eccentric orbit. No substellar companions were found around the target stars, although the method permitted to detect companions down to a few Jupiter masses at orbital distances of typically 5 astronomical units. A planet with a mass >1 M_Jup at distances >5 AU around AU Mic can be excluded at the time of our observations. The absence of detected planets sets constraints on the frequency distribution and maximum orbital distance of giant exoplanets. For example, a radial distribution power law index of 0.2 in combination with a maximum orbital radius exceeding 30 AU can be rejected at a 90% confidence level.
