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1. A large moving group within the LCC association
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/868/32
Title:
A large moving group within the LCC association
Short Name:
J/ApJ/868/32
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
Scorpius-Centaurus is the nearest OB association, and its hundreds of members are divided into subgroups, including the Lower Centaurus Crux (LCC). Here we study the dynamics of the LCC area. We report the revelation of a large moving group containing more than 1800 intermediate- and low-mass young stellar objects and brown dwarfs that escaped identification until Gaia DR2 allowed a kinematic and photometric selection to be performed. We investigate the stellar and substellar content of this moving group using the Gaia DR2 astrometric and photometric measurements. The median distance of the members is 114.5pc, and 80% lie between 102 and 135pc from the Sun. Our new members cover a mass range of 0.02-5M_{sun}_ and add up to a total mass of about 700M_{sun}_. The present-day mass function follows a log-normal law with m_c_=0.22M_{sun}_ and {sigma}=0.64. We find more than 200 brown dwarfs in our sample. The star formation rate had its maximum of 8x10^-5^M_{sun}_/yr about 9Myr ago. We grouped the new members into four denser subgroups, which have increasing age from 7 to 10Myr, surrounded by "free-floating" young stars with mixed ages. Our isochronal ages, now based on accurate parallaxes, are compatible with several earlier studies of the region. The whole complex is presently expanding, and the expansion started between 8 and 10Myr ago. Two hundred members show infrared excess compatible with circumstellar disks from full to debris disks. This discovery provides a large sample of nearby young stellar and substellar objects for disk and exoplanet studies.
2. Analysis of the NIR spectra of neighboring L dwarfs
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/155/34
Title:
Analysis of the NIR spectra of neighboring L dwarfs
Short Name:
J/AJ/155/34
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
Discrepancies between competing optical and near-infrared (NIR) spectral typing systems for L dwarfs have motivated us to search for a classification scheme that ties the optical and NIR schemes together, and addresses complexities in the spectral morphology. We use new and extant optical and NIR spectra to compile a sample of 171 L dwarfs, including 27 low-gravity {beta} and {gamma} objects, with spectral coverage from 0.6-2.4 {mu}m. We present 155 new low-resolution NIR spectra and 19 new optical spectra. We utilize a method for analyzing NIR spectra that partially removes the broad-band spectral slope and reveals similarities in the absorption features between objects of the same optical spectral type. Using the optical spectra as an anchor, we generate near-infrared spectral average templates for L0-L8, L0-L4{gamma}, and L0-L1{beta} type dwarfs. These templates reveal that NIR spectral morphologies are correlated with the optical types. They also show the range of spectral morphologies spanned by each spectral type. We compare low-gravity and field-gravity templates to provide recommendations on the minimum required observations for credibly classifying low-gravity spectra using low-resolution NIR data. We use the templates to evaluate the existing NIR spectral standards and propose new ones where appropriate. Finally, we build on the work of Kirkpatrick et al. to provide a spectral typing method that is tied to the optical and can be used when only H or K band data are available. The methods we present here provide resolutions to several long-standing issues with classifying L dwarf spectra and could also be the foundation for a spectral classification scheme for cloudy exoplanets.
3. Brown dwarf surface gravities with Keck/NIRSPEC
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/838/73
Title:
Brown dwarf surface gravities with Keck/NIRSPEC
Short Name:
J/ApJ/838/73
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We combine 131 new medium-resolution (R~2000) J-band spectra of M, L, and T dwarfs from the Keck NIRSPEC Brown Dwarf Spectroscopic Survey (BDSS) with 97 previously published BDSS spectra to study surface-gravity-sensitive indices for 228 low-mass stars and brown dwarfs spanning spectral types M5-T9. Specifically, we use an established set of spectral indices to determine surface gravity classifications for all of the M6-L7 objects in our sample by measuring the equivalent widths (EW) of the K I lines at 1.1692, 1.1778, and 1.2529{mu}m, and the 1.2{mu}m FeH_J_ absorption index. Our results are consistent with previous surface gravity measurements, showing a distinct double peak-at ~L5 and T5-in K I EW as a function of spectral type. We analyze the K I EWs of 73 objects of known ages and find a linear trend between log(Age) and EW. From this relationship, we assign age ranges to the very low gravity, intermediate gravity, and field gravity designations for spectral types M6-L0. Interestingly, the ages probed by these designations remain broad, change with spectral type, and depend on the gravity-sensitive index used. Gravity designations are useful indicators of the possibility of youth, but current data sets cannot be used to provide a precise age estimate.
4. Brown dwarfs with spectral type later than T6
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/842/118
Title:
Brown dwarfs with spectral type later than T6
Short Name:
J/ApJ/842/118
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The survey of the mid-infrared sky by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) led to the discovery of extremely cold, low-mass brown dwarfs, classified as Y dwarfs, which extend the T class to lower temperatures. Twenty-four Y dwarfs are known at the time of writing. Here we present improved parallaxes for four of these, determined using Spitzer images. We give new photometry for four late-type T and three Y dwarfs and new spectra of three Y dwarfs, obtained at Gemini Observatory. We also present previously unpublished photometry taken from HST, ESO, Spitzer, and WISE archives of 11 late-type T and 9 Y dwarfs. The near-infrared data are put onto the same photometric system, forming a homogeneous data set for the coolest brown dwarfs. We compare recent models to our photometric and spectroscopic data set. We confirm that nonequilibrium atmospheric chemistry is important for these objects. Nonequilibrium cloud-free models reproduce well the near-infrared spectra and mid-infrared photometry for the warmer Y dwarfs with 425<=T_eff_(K)<=450. A small amount of cloud cover may improve the model fits in the near-infrared for the Y dwarfs with 325<=T_eff_(K)<=375. Neither cloudy nor cloud-free models reproduce the near-infrared photometry for the T_eff_=250K Y dwarf WISEJ085510.83-071442.5 (W0855). We use the mid-infrared region, where most of the flux originates, to constrain our models of W0855. We find that W0855 likely has a mass of 1.5-8 Jupiter masses and an age of 0.3-6Gyr. The Y dwarfs with measured parallaxes are within 20pc of the Sun and have tangential velocities typical of the thin disk. The metallicities and ages we derive for the sample are generally solar-like. We estimate that the known Y dwarfs are 3 to 20 Jupiter-mass objects with ages of 0.6-8.5Gyr.
5. Catalog of M, L, & T dwarfs from PS1 3{pi} Survey
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/234/1
Title:
Catalog of M, L, & T dwarfs from PS1 3{pi} Survey
Short Name:
J/ApJS/234/1
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present a catalog of 9888 M, L and T dwarfs detected in the Pan-STARRS1 3{pi} Survey (PS1), covering three-quarters of the sky. Our catalog contains nearly all known objects of spectral types L0-T2 in the PS1 field, with objects as early as M0 and as late as T9, and includes PS1, 2MASS, AllWISE, and Gaia DR1 photometry. We analyze the different types of photometry reported by PS1 and use two types in our catalog in order to maximize both depth and accuracy. Using parallaxes from the literature, we construct empirical SEDs for field ultracool dwarfs spanning 0.5-12{mu}m. We determine typical colors of M0-T9 dwarfs and highlight the distinctive colors of subdwarfs and young objects. We combine astrometry from PS1, 2MASS, and Gaia DR1 to calculate new proper motions for our catalog. We achieve a median precision of 2.9mas/yr, a factor of ~3-10 improvement over previous large catalogs. Our catalog contains proper motions for 2405 M6-T9 dwarfs and includes the largest set of homogeneous proper motions for L and T dwarfs published to date, 406 objects for which there were no previous measurements, and 1176 objects for which we improve upon previous literature values. We analyze the kinematics of ultracool dwarfs in our catalog and find evidence that bluer but otherwise generic late-M and L field dwarfs (i.e., not subdwarfs) tend to have tangential velocities higher than those of typical field objects. With the public release of the PS1 data, this survey will continue to be an essential tool for characterizing the ultracool dwarf population.
6. Cloud Atlas: HST/WFC3 NIR spectral library
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/157/101
Title:
Cloud Atlas: HST/WFC3 NIR spectral library
Short Name:
J/AJ/157/101
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
Bayesian atmospheric retrieval tools can place constraints on the properties of brown dwarfs' and hot Jupiters' atmospheres. To fully exploit these methods, high signal-to-noise spectral libraries with well-understood uncertainties are essential. We present a high signal-to-noise spectral library (1.10-1.69 {mu}m) of the thermal emission of 76 brown dwarfs and hot Jupiters. All our spectra have been acquired with the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 instrument and its G141 grism. The near-infrared spectral types of these objects range from L4 to Y1. Eight of our targets have estimated masses below the deuterium-burning limit. We analyze the database to identify peculiar objects and/or multiple systems, concluding that this sample includes two very-low-surface-gravity objects and five intermediate-surface-gravity objects. In addition, spectral indices designed to search for composite-atmosphere brown dwarfs indicate that eight objects in our sample are strong candidates to have such atmospheres. None of these objects are overluminous, so their composite atmospheres are unlikely to be companion-induced artifacts. Five of the eight confirmed candidates have been reported as photometrically variable, suggesting that composite atmospheric indices are useful in identifying brown dwarfs with strongly heterogeneous cloud covers. We compare hot Jupiters and brown dwarfs in a near-infrared color-magnitude diagram. We confirm that the coldest hot Jupiters in our sample have spectra similar to mid-L dwarfs, and the hottest hot Jupiters have spectra similar to those of M-dwarfs. Our sample provides a uniform data set of a broad range of ultracool atmospheres, allowing large-scale comparative studies and providing an HST legacy spectral library.
7. Discoveries from the NEOWISE proper motion survey
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/158/182
Title:
Discoveries from the NEOWISE proper motion survey
Short Name:
J/AJ/158/182
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present low-resolution near-infrared spectra of discoveries from an all-sky proper motion search conducted using multi-epoch data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Using the data from NEOWISE, along with the AllWISE catalog, Schneider et al. (2016, J/ApJ/817/112) conducted an all-sky proper motion survey to search for nearby objects with high proper motions. Here, we present a follow-up spectroscopic survey of 65 of their discoveries, which focused primarily on potentially nearby objects (d<25 pc), candidate late-type brown dwarfs (>=L7), and subdwarf candidates. We found 31 new M dwarfs, 18 new L dwarfs, and 11 new T dwarfs. Of these, 13 are subdwarfs, including one new sdL1 and two new sdL7s. Eleven of these discoveries, with spectral types ranging from M7 to T7 (including one subdwarf) are predicted to be within 25 pc, adding to the number of known objects in the solar neighborhood. We also discovered three new early-type T subdwarf candidates, one sdT1, one sdT2, and one sdT3, which would increase the number of known early-type T subdwarfs from two to five.
8. Four new eclipsing mid M-dwarf systems from MEarth
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/156/140
Title:
Four new eclipsing mid M-dwarf systems from MEarth
Short Name:
J/AJ/156/140
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
Using data from the MEarth-North and MEarth-South transit surveys, we present the detection of eclipses in four mid M-dwarf systems: LP 107-25, LP 261-75, LP 796-24, and LP 991-15. Combining the MEarth photometry with spectroscopic follow-up observations, we show that LP 107-25 and LP 796-24 are short-period (1.388 and 0.523 day, respectively) eclipsing binaries in triple-lined systems with substantial third-light contamination from distant companions. LP 261-75 is a short-period (1.882 day) single-lined system consisting of a mid M-dwarf eclipsed by a probable brown dwarf secondary, with another distant visual brown dwarf companion. LP 991-15 is a long-period (29.3 day) double-lined eclipsing binary on an eccentric orbit with a geometry that produces only primary eclipses. A spectroscopic orbit is given for LP 991-15, and initial orbits for LP 107-25 and LP 261-75.
9. Gaia survey of stars associated with Lupus Clouds
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/160/186
Title:
Gaia survey of stars associated with Lupus Clouds
Short Name:
J/AJ/160/186
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
I have used high-precision photometry and astrometry from the second data release of the Gaia mission to perform a survey for young stars associated with the Lupus clouds, which have distances of ~160pc and reside within the Scorpius-Centaurus (Sco-Cen) OB association. The Gaia data have made it possible to distinguish Lupus members from most of the stars in other groups in Sco-Cen that overlap with the Lupus clouds, which have contaminated previous surveys. The new catalog of candidate Lupus members should be complete for spectral types earlier than M7 at AK<0.2 within fields encompassing clouds 1-4. I have used that catalog to characterize various aspects of the Lupus stellar population. For instance, the sequence of low- mass stars in Lupus is ~0.4mag brighter than the sequence for Upper Sco, which implies an age of ~6Myr based an adopted age of 10-12Myr for Upper Sco and the change in luminosity with age predicted by evolutionary models. I also find that the initial mass function in Lupus is similar to that in other nearby star-forming regions based on a comparison of their distributions of spectral types.
10. Hawaii infrared parallax program. II. Ultracool dwarfs
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/833/96
Title:
Hawaii infrared parallax program. II. Ultracool dwarfs
Short Name:
J/ApJ/833/96
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present a large, uniform analysis of young (~10-150Myr) ultracool dwarfs, based on new high-precision infrared (IR) parallaxes for 68 objects. We find that low-gravity (VL-G) late-M and L dwarfs form a continuous sequence in IR color-magnitude diagrams, separate from the field population and from current theoretical models. These VL-G objects also appear distinct from young substellar (brown dwarf and exoplanet) companions, suggesting that the two populations may have a different range of physical properties. In contrast, at the L/T transition, young, old, and spectrally peculiar objects all span a relatively narrow range in near-IR absolute magnitudes. At a given spectral type, the IR absolute magnitudes of young objects can be offset from ordinary field dwarfs, with the largest offsets occurring in the Y and J bands for late-M dwarfs (brighter than the field) and mid-/late-L dwarfs (fainter than the field). Overall, low-gravity (VL-G) objects have the most uniform photometric behavior, while intermediate gravity (INT-G) objects are more diverse, suggesting a third governing parameter beyond spectral type and gravity class. We examine the moving group membership for all young ultracool dwarfs with parallaxes, changing the status of 23 objects (including 8 previously identified planetary-mass candidates) and fortifying the status of another 28 objects. We use our resulting age-calibrated sample to establish empirical young isochrones and show a declining frequency of VL-G objects relative to INT-G objects with increasing age. Notable individual objects in our sample include high-velocity (>~100km/s) INT-G objects, very red late-L dwarfs with high surface gravities, candidate disk-bearing members of the MBM20 cloud and {beta} Pic moving group, and very young distant interlopers. Finally, we provide a comprehensive summary of the absolute magnitudes and spectral classifications of young ultracool dwarfs, using a combined sample of 102 objects found in the field and as substellar companions to young stars.