Description
Within the NaCo-ISPY exoplanet imaging program, we aim at detecting and characterizing the population of low-mass companions at wide separations (>~10AU). We observed R CrA twice with the NaCo instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in the L' filter with a one year time baseline in between. We used artificial negative signals to determine the position and brightness of the companion and the related uncertainties. The companion is detected at a separation of 196.8+/-4.5/196.6+/-5.9mas (18.7+/-1.3/18.7+/-1.4AU) and position angle of 134.7+/-0.5{deg}/133.7+/-0.7{deg} in the first/second epoch observation. We measure a contrast of 7.29+/-0.18/6.70+/-0.15mag with respect to the primary. A study of the stellar proper motion rejects the hypothesis that the signal is a background object. Depending on the assumed age, extinction, and brightness of the primary, the stellar companion has a mass between 0.10+/-0.02M_{sun}_ and 1.03^+0.20^_-0.18_M_{sun}_ range, if no contribution from circumsecondary material is taken into account. The presence of this companion needs to be taken into account when analyzing the complex circumstellar environment of R CrA.
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