2011AJ....141..119K -
Astron. J., 141, 119 (2011/April-0)
The widest-separation substellar companion candidate to a binary T Tauri star.
KUZUHARA M., TAMURA M., ISHII M., KUDO T., NISHIYAMA S. and KANDORI R.
Abstract (from CDS):
The results of near-infrared imaging and spectroscopy of a substellar companion (SR12 C), with a possible planetary mass, of a binary T Tauri star (SR12 AB) in the ρ Ophiuchi star-forming region are presented. The object is separated by ∼8".7, corresponding to ∼1100 AU at 125 pc, and has an H-band brightness of 15.2 mag and infrared spectra suggesting a spectral type of M9.0±0.5. It is confirmed that SR12 C is physically related to the ρ Ophiuchi star-forming region from its common proper motion with SR12 AB and its youth is confirmed by a gravity-sensitive spectral feature. Furthermore, based on the number of known members of the ρ Ophiuchi star-forming region in the area in which SR12 AB exists, the probability of a chance alignment is ∼1% and it is therefore likely that SR12 C is physically associated with SR12 AB. The mass of SR12 C is estimated by comparing its estimated luminosity and assumed age with the theoretical age-luminosity relation. SR12 C is identified as an extremely low-mass (0.013±0.007 M☉) object, but its separation from its parent star is the widest among planetary-mass companion (PMC) candidates imaged to date. In addition, SR12 C is the first PMC candidate directly imaged around a binary star. This discovery suggests that PMCs form via multiple star formation processes including disk gravitational instability and cloud core fragmentation.
Abstract Copyright:
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Journal keyword(s):
brown dwarfs - planetary systems - stars: low-mass - stars: pre-main sequence
Simbad objects:
21
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