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Description
The mass-luminosity relation for late-type stars has long been a critical tool for estimating stellar masses. However, there is growing need for both a higher-precision relation and a better understanding of systematic effects (e.g., metallicity). Here we present an empirical relationship between M_Ks_ and M_*_ spanning 0.075M_{sun}_<M_*_<0.70M_{sun}_. The relation is derived from 62 nearby binaries, whose orbits we determine using a combination of near infra-red (Keck/NIRC2) imaging, archival adaptive optics data, and literature astrometry. From their orbital parameters, we determine the total mass of each system, with a precision better than 1% in the best cases. We use these total masses, in combination with resolved Ks magnitudes and system parallaxes, to calibrate the M_Ks_-M_*_ relation. The resulting posteriors can be used to determine masses of single stars with a precision of 2%-3%, which we confirm by testing the relation on stars with individual dynamical masses from the literature. The precision is limited by scatter around the best-fit relation beyond measured M_*_ uncertainties, perhaps driven by intrinsic variation in the M_Ks_-M_*_ relation or underestimated uncertainties in the input parallaxes. We find that the effect of [Fe/H] on the M_Ks_-M_*_ relation is likely negligible for metallicities in the solar neighborhood (0.0%{+/-}2.2% change in mass per dex change in [Fe/H]). This weak effect is consistent with predictions from the Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database, but inconsistent with those from modules for experiments in stellar astrophysics (MESA) Isochrones and Stellar Tracks (MIST) (at 5{sigma}). A sample of binaries with a wider range of abundances will be required to discern the importance of metallicity in extreme populations (e.g., in the Galactic halo or thick disk).
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