Ross 19B: An Extremely Cold Companion Discovered via the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 Citizen Science Project


الملخص بالإنكليزية

Through the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project, we have identified a wide-separation ($sim$10, $sim$9900 au projected) substellar companion to the nearby ($sim$17.5 pc), mid-M dwarf Ross 19. We have developed a new formalism for determining chance alignment probabilities based on the BANYAN $Sigma$ tool, and find a 100% probability that this is a physically associated pair. Through a detailed examination of Ross 19A, we find that the system is metal-poor ([Fe/H]=$-$0.40$pm$0.12) with an age of 7.2$^{+3.8}_{-3.6}$ Gyr. Combining new and existing photometry and astrometry, we find that Ross 19B is one of the coldest known wide-separation companions, with a spectral type on the T/Y boundary, an effective temperature of 500$^{+115}_{-100}$ K, and a mass in the range 15-40 $M_{rm Jup}$. This new, extremely cold benchmark companion is a compelling target for detailed characterization with future spectroscopic observations using facilities such as the Hubble Space Telescope or James Webb Space Telescope.

تحميل البحث