WISE Brown Dwarf Binaries: The Discovery of a T5+T5 and a T8.5+T9 System
Christopher R. Gelino, J. Davy Kirkpatrick, Michael C. Cushing, Peter R. Eisenhardt, Roger L. Griffith, Amanda K. Mainzer, Kenneth A. Marsh, Michael F. Skrutskie, Edward L. Wright
备注：
22 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in AJ
The multiplicity properties of brown dwarfs are critical empirical constraints for formation theories, while multiples themselves provide unique opportunities to test evolutionary and atmospheric models and examine empirical trends. Studies using high-resolution imaging can not only uncover faint companions, but they can also be used to determine dynamical masses through long-term monitoring of binary systems. We have begun a search for the coolest brown dwarfs using preliminary processing of data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and have confirmed many of the candidates as late-type T dwarfs. In order to search for companions to these objects, we are conducting observations using the Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics system on Keck II. Here we present the first results of that search, including a T5 binary with nearly equal mass components and a faint companion to a T8.5 dwarf with an estimated spectral type of T9.
The astrometric space mission Gaia is expected to detect a large number of brown dwarf binary systems with close orbits and determine astrometric orbit solutions. This will provide key information for the formation and evolution of brown dwarfs, such as the binary frequency and dynamical masses. Known brown dwarf binaries with orbit constraints from other techniques will play an important role. We are carrying out one of the most precise and long-lasting radial velocity surveys for brown dwarf binaries in the Cha I star-forming region at the VLT. We were able to add two orbit determinations to…
Several mechanisms have been proposed for the formation of brown dwarfs, but there is as yet no consensus as to which -- if any -- are operative in nature. Any theory of brown dwarf formation must explain the observed statistics of brown dwarfs. These statistics are limited by selection effects, but they are becoming increasingly discriminating. In particular, it appears (a) that brown dwarfs that are secondaries to Sun-like stars tend to be on wide orbits, $a\ga 100\,{\rm AU}$ (the Brown Dwarf Desert), and (b) that these brown dwarfs have a significantly higher chance of being in a close ($a\…
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has detected the close binary brown dwarf system CFBDSIR 1458+1013AB as WISEP J145829.35+101341.8 with a combined magnitude at 4.6 microns of W2 = 15.488+/-0.147. This allows a comparison with another "coolest" brown dwarf candidate WD 0806-661B that has been observed at 4.5 microns with [4.5] = 16.75+/-0.05. Here we use the WISE data to show that 1458+1013B is almost certainly warmer and more luminous than WD 0806-661B.
As part of a larger search of Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data for cool brown dwarfs with effective temperatures less than 1000 K, we present the discovery of three new cool brown dwarfs with spectral types later than T7. Using low-resolution, near-infrared spectra obtained with the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility and the Hubble Space Telescope we derive spectral types of T9.5 for WISE J094305.98+360723.5, T8 for WISE J200050.19+362950.1, and Y0: for WISE J220905.73+271143.9. The identification of WISE J220905.73+271143.9 as a Y dwarf brings the total number of spectroscopicall…
We have been using Keck laser guide star adaptive optics to monitor the orbits of ultracool binaries, providing dynamical masses at lower luminosities and temperatures than previously available and enabling strong tests of theoretical models. (1) We find that model color-magnitude diagrams cannot reliably be used to infer masses as they do not accurately reproduce the colors of ultracool dwarfs of known mass. (2) Effective temperatures inferred from evolutionary model radii can be inconsistent with temperatures derived from fitting observed spectra with atmospheric models by at most 100-300 K.…
Multiplicity is a key statistic for understanding the formation of very low mass (VLM) stars and brown dwarfs. Currently, the separation distribution of VLM binaries remains poorly constrained at small separations (<1 AU), leading to uncertainty in the overall binary fraction. We approach this problem by searching for late M/early L plus T dwarf spectral binaries whose combined light spectra exhibit distinct peculiarities, making their identification independent of separation. We define a set of spectral indices designed to identify these systems, and use a spectral template fitting method to …
The determination of the brown dwarf binary fraction may contribute to the understanding of the substellar formation mechanisms. Unresolved brown dwarf binaries may be revealed through their peculiar spectra or the discrepancy between optical and near-infrared spectral type classification. We obtained medium-resolution spectra of 22 brown dwarfs with these characteristics using the X-Shooter spectrograph at the VLT. We aimed to identify brown dwarf binary candidates, and to test if the BT-Settl 2014 atmospheric models reproduce their observed spectra. To find binaries spanning the L-T boundary…
We present new spectroscopy and astrometry to characterize the nearby brown dwarf WISEP J180026.60+013453.1. The optical spectral type, L7.5, is in agreement with the previously reported near-infrared spectral type. The preliminary trigonometric parallax places it at a distance of $8.01 \pm 0.21$ pc, confirming that it is the fourth closest known late-L (L7-L9) dwarf. The measured luminosity, our detection of lithium, and the lack of low surface gravity indicators indicates that WISEP J180026.60+013453.1 has a mass $0.03 < M < 0.06 M_\odot$ and an age between 300 million and 1.5 billion years …
Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are extreme horizontal branch stars believed to originate from close binary evolution. Indeed about half of the known sdB stars are found in close binaries with periods ranging from a few hours to a few days. The enormous mass loss required to remove the hydrogen envelope of the red-giant progenitor almost entirely can be explained by common envelope ejection. A rare subclass of these binaries are the eclipsing HW Vir binaries where the sdB is orbited by a dwarf M star. Here we report the discovery of an HW Vir system in the course of the MUCHFUSS project. A most li…
We present a new suite of atmosphere models with flexible cloud parameters to investigate the effects of clouds on brown dwarfs across the L/T transition. We fit these models to a sample of 13 objects with well-known masses, distances, and spectral types spanning L3-T5. Our modelling is guided by spatially-resolved photometry from the Hubble Space Telescope and the W. M. Keck Telescopes covering visible to near-infrared wavelengths. We find that, with appropriate cloud parameters, the data can be fit well by atmospheric models with temperature and surface gravity in agreement with the predicti…
We present a census of the disk population for UKIDSS selected brown dwarfs in the 5-10 Myr old Upper Scorpius OB association. For 116 objects originally identified in UKIDSS, the majority of them not studied in previous publications, we obtain photometry from the WISE database. The resulting colour-magnitude and colour-colour plots clearly show two separate populations of objects, interpreted as brown dwarfs with disks (class II) and without disks (class III). We identify 27 class II brown dwarfs, 14 of them not previously known. This disk fraction (27 out of 116 or 23%) among brown dwarfs wa…
Using FORS2 on the Very Large Telescope, we have astrometrically monitored over a period of two months the two components of the brown dwarf system WISE J104915.57-531906.1, the closest one to the Sun. Our astrometric measurements - with a relative precision at the milli-arcsecond scale - allow us to detect the orbital motion and derive more precisely the parallax of the system, leading to a distance of 2.020+/-0.019 pc. The relative orbital motion of the two objects is found to be perturbed, which leads us to suspect the presence of a substellar companion around one of the two components. We …
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft has been reactivated as NEOWISE-R to characterize and search for Near Earth Objects. The brown dwarf WISE J085510.83-071442.5 has now been reobserved by NEOWISE-R, and we confirm the results of Luhman (2014b), who found a very low effective temperature ($\approx 250$ K), a very high proper motion (8.1 +/- 0.1 arcsec/yr) , and a large parallax (454 +/- 45 mas). The large proper motion has separated the brown dwarf from the background sources that influenced the 2010 WISE data, allowing a measurement of a very red WISE color of W1-W2 $> 3…
Context. Nearby isolated planetary mass objects are beginning to be discovered, but their individual properties are poorly constrained because their low surface temperatures and strong molecular self-absorption make them extremely faint. Aims. We aimed to detect the near infrared emission of the coldest brown dwarf (BD) found so far, WISE0855$-$0714, located $\sim$2.2 pc away, and to improve its temperature estimate (T$_{\rm eff}$= 225-260 K) from a comparison with state-of-the-art models of BD atmospheres. Methods. We observed the field containing WISE0855-0714 with HAWK-I at the VLT in the $…
Using Keck laser guide star adaptive optics imaging, we have found that the T9 dwarf WISE J1217+1626 and T8 dwarf WISE J1711+3500 are exceptional binaries, with unusually wide separations (~0.8 arcsec, 8-15 AU), large near-IR flux ratios (~2-3 mags), and small mass ratios (~0.5) compared to previously known field ultracool binaries. Keck/NIRSPEC H-band spectra give a spectral type of Y0 for WISE J1217+1626B, and photometric estimates suggest T9.5 for WISE J1711+3500B. The WISE J1217+1626AB system is very similar to the T9+Y0 binary CFBDSIR J1458+1013AB; these two systems are the coldest known …
Route & Wolszczan (2016) recently detected five radio bursts from the T6 dwarf WISEP J112254.73+255021.5 and used the timing of these events to propose that this object rotates with an ultra-short period of ~17.3 minutes. We conducted follow-up observations with the Very Large Array and Gemini-North but found no evidence for this periodicity. We do, however, observe variable, highly circularly polarized radio emission possibly with a period of 116 minutes, although our observation lasted only 162 minutes and so more data are needed to confirm it. Our proposed periodicity is typical of other ra…
We present the results of a high-resolution spectral differential imaging survey of 12 nearby, relatively young field L dwarfs (<1 Gyr) carried out with HST/NICMOS to search for planetary mass companions at small physical separations from their host. The survey resolved two brown dwarf binaries: the L dwarf system Kelu-1AB and the newly discovered L/T transition system 2MASS J031059+164815AB. For both systems common proper motion has already been confirmed in follow-up observations which have been published elsewhere. The derived separations of the binaries are smaller than 6 AU and consistent…
WISE J104915.57-531906.1 A+B and WISE J085510.83-071442.5 were recently discovered as the third and fourth closest known systems to the Sun, respectively (2.0 and 2.3 pc). The former consists of a L8+T0.5 binary and the latter is a probable Y dwarf and is the coldest known brown dwarf (~250 K). We present a search for common proper motion companions to these brown dwarfs using multi-epoch mid-infrared images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. We have also obtained near-infrared adaptive optics images of WISE J104915.57-531906.1 A+B with the Very Large Telescope to search for companions at small…
We present spatially resolved photometric and spectroscopic observations of two wide brown dwarf binaries uncovered by the SIMP near-infrared proper motion survey. The first pair (SIMP J1619275+031350AB) has a separation of 0.691" (15.2 AU) and components T2.5+T4.0, at the cooler end of the ill-understood J-band brightening. The system is unusual in that the earlier-type primary is bluer in J-Ks than the later-type secondary, whereas the reverse is expected for binaries in the late-L to T dwarf range. This remarkable color reversal can possibly be explained by very different cloud properties b…
The time-series component of WISE is a valuable resource for the study of variable objects. We present an analysis of an all-sky sample of ~450,000 AllWISE+NEOWISE infrared light curves of likely variables identified in AllWISE. By computing periodograms of all these sources, we identify ~56,000 periodic variables. Of these, ~42,000 are short-period (P<1 day), near-contact or contact eclipsing binaries, many of which are on the main sequence. We use the periodic and aperiodic variables to test computationally inexpensive methods of periodic variable classification and identification, utilizing…
Common envelope evolution is a fundamental ingredient in our understanding of the formation of close binary stars containing compact objects which includes the progenitors of type Ia supernovae, short gamma ray bursts and most stellar gravitational wave sources. To predict the outcome of common envelope evolution we still rely to a large degree on a simplified energy conservation equation. Unfortunately, this equation contains a theoretically rather poorly constrained efficiency parameter ($α_{\mathrm{CE}}$) and, even worse, it is unclear if energy sources in addition to orbital energy (such a…
I report some observations and calculations related to the new nearby brown dwarf at d = 2 pc discovered by Luhman (2013, ApJ Letters, in press; arXiv:1303.2401). I report archival astrometry and photometry of the new object from IRAS (epoch 1983.5; IRAS Z10473-5303), AKARI (epoch 2007.0; AKARI J1049166-531907), and the Guide Star Catalog (epoch 1995.304; GSC2.2 S11132026703, GSC2.3 S4BM006703). A SuperCOSMOS scan of a plate taken with the ESO Schmidt Telescope (epoch 1984.169) shows the source as elongated (PA = 138 deg). Membership of the binary to any of the known nearby young groups within…
We have investigated the brown dwarf (BD) and stellar disc fractions in the Upper Scorpius OB Association (USco) and compared them with several other young regions. We have compiled the most complete sample of of all spectroscopically confirmed BDs in USco, and have made use of the WISE catalog to identify the disc candidates. We report on the discovery of 12 new BD discs in USco, with spectral type (SpT) between M6 and M8.5. The WISE colors for the new discs are similar to the primordial (transition) discs earlier detected in USco. Combining with previous surveys, we find the lowest inner dis…
Analysis of APOGEE DR12 stellar radial-velocities by Troup et al. (2016) affirmed the existence of the well-known Brown-Dwarf Desert (BDD). They detected a dearth of spectroscopic binaries (SB) with periods shorter than $\sim 10$ - $30$ days and secondaries with masses in the range of $\sim0.01$ - $0.1\, M_{\odot}$. We reconsider here their sample of binaries, focusing on 116 systems on the main sequence of the Gaia color-magnitude diagram, with mostly K-dwarf primaries. Using our recently devised algorithm to analyze the mass-ratio distribution of a sample of SBs we confirm the BDD existence …
While spectroscopically characterizing nearby ultracool dwarfs discovered in the Gaia Second Data Release with the TripleSpec spectrograph on the Palomar 200'' telescope, we encountered a particularly cool, nearby, new member of the solar neighborhood: Gaia DR2 3106548406384807680 = WISE J064336.71-022315.4 = 2MASS J06433670-0223130. The $\it{Gaia}$ parallax corresponds to a distance of 13.9 $\pm$ 0.3 pc. Using our TripleSpec spectrum we classify W0643 as spectral type L8, and measured a heliocentric radial velocity of 142 $\pm$ 12 km s$^{-1}$. When combined with $\it{Gaia}$ astrometry, we det…
Brown dwarfs in close-in orbits around white dwarfs offer an excellent opportunity to investigate properties of fast-rotating, tidally-locked, and highly-irradiated atmospheres. We present Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 G141 phase-resolved observations of two brown dwarf-white dwarf binaries: WD 0137-349 and EPIC 212235321. Their 1.1 to 1.7 $μ$m phase curves demonstrate rotational modulations with semi-amplitudes of $5.27\pm0.02$% and $29.1\pm0.1$%; both can be well fit by multi-order Fourier series models. The high-order Fourier components have the same phase as the first order an…
Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are core helium-burning stars located on the extreme horizontal branch. About half of the known sdB stars are found in close binaries. Their short orbital periods of 1.2 h to a few days suggest that they are post common-envelope systems. Eclipsing hot subdwarf binaries are rare, but important to determine the fundamental stellar parameters. Low-mass companions are identified by the reflection effect. In most cases the companion is a main sequence star near the stellar mass limit. Here we report the discovery of an eclipsing hot subdwarf binary SDSS J162256.66+473051…
We have carried out 200,000 N-body simulations of three identical stellar embryos with masses from a Chabrier IMF and embedded in a molecular core. The bodies are initially non-hierarchical and undergo chaotic motions, while accreting using Bondi-Hoyle accretion. The coupling of dynamics and accretion often leads to one or two dominant bodies controlling the center of the cloud core, while banishing the other(s) to the lower-density outskirts, leading to stunted growth. Eventually each system transforms either to a bound hierarchical configuration or breaks apart into separate single and binar…
We present the discovery of seven ultracool brown dwarfs identified with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Near-infrared spectroscopy reveals deep absorption bands of H_2O and CH_4 that indicate all seven of the brown dwarfs have spectral types later than UGPS J072227.51-054031.2, the latest type T dwarf currently known. The spectrum of WISEP J182831.08+265037.8 is distinct in that the heights of the J- and H-band peaks are approximately equal in units of f_lambda, so we identify it as the archetypal member of the Y spectral class. The spectra of at least two of the other brown d…
We report the identification of 17 candidate brown dwarf binaries whose components straddle the L dwarf/T dwarf transition. These sources were culled from a large near-infrared spectral sample of L and T dwarfs observed with the Infrared Telescope Facility SpeX spectrograph. Candidates were selected on the basis of spectral ratios which segregate known (resolved) L dwarf/T dwarf pairs from presumably single sources. Composite templates, constructed by combining 13581 pairs of absolute flux-calibrated spectra, are shown to provide statistically superior fits to the spectra of our seventeen cand…
The formation of hot subdwarf stars (sdBs), which are core helium-burning stars located on the extended horizontal branch, is still not understood. Many of the known hot subdwarf stars reside in close binary systems with short orbital periods between a few hours and a few days with either M star or white dwarf companions. Common envelope ejection is the most probable formation channel. Among these, eclipsing systems are of special importance because it is possible to constrain the parameters of both components tightly by combining spectroscopic and light curve analyses. We report the discovery…
We present a detailed examination of the brown dwarf multiples 2MASS J08503593+1057156 and 2MASS J17281150+3948593, both suspected of harboring components that straddle the L dwarf/T dwarf transition. Resolved photometry from Hubble Space Telescope/NICMOS show opposite trends in the relative colors of the components, with the secondary of 2MASS J0850+1057 being redder than its primary, while that of 2MASS J1728+3948 is bluer. We determine near-infrared component types by matching combined-light, near-infrared spectral data to binary templates, with component spectra scaled to resolved NICMOS a…
WISE J085510.83-071442.5 (hereafter WISE 0855-0714) is the coldest known brown dwarf (~250 K) and the fourth closest known system to the Sun (2.2 pc). It has been previously detected only in the J band and two mid-IR bands. To better measure its spectral energy distribution (SED), we have performed deep imaging of WISE 0855-0714 in six optical and near-IR bands with Gemini Observatory, the Very Large Telescope, and the Hubble Space Telescope. Five of the bands show detections, although one detection is marginal (S/N~3). We also have obtained two epochs of images with the Spitzer Space Telescop…
Using data from the extended Kepler mission in K2 Campaign 10 we identify two eclipsing binaries containing white dwarfs with cool companions that have extremely short orbital periods of only 71.2 min (SDSS J1205-0242, a.k.a. EPIC 201283111) and 72.5 min (SDSS J1231+0041, a.k.a. EPIC 248368963). Despite their short periods, both systems are detached with small, low-mass companions, in one case a brown dwarf, and the other case either a brown dwarf or a low-mass star. We present follow-up photometry and spectroscopy of both binaries, as well as phase-resolved spectroscopy of the brighter system…
The scarcity of white dwarf-brown dwarf binaries in the solar neighbourhood: A population synthesis study
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya（加泰罗尼亚理工大学）；Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya（加泰罗尼亚空间研究所）；University of Leicester（莱斯特大学）；Sun Yat-sen University（中山大学）；CSST Science Center for the Guangdong-HongKong-Macau Great Bay Area, Sun Yat-sen University（中山大学粤港澳大湾区嫦娥科学中心）；Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院云南天文台）；International Centre of Supernovae, Yunnan Key Laboratory（云南省超新星国际研究中心）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）
Continued follow-up of WISEA J153429.75-104303.3, announced in Meisner et al (2020), has proven it to have an unusual set of properties. New imaging data from Keck/MOSFIRE and HST/WFC3 show that this object is one of the few faint proper motion sources known with J-ch2 > 8 mag, indicating a very cold temperature consistent with the latest known Y dwarfs. Despite this, it has W1-W2 and ch1-ch2 colors ~1.6 mag bluer than a typical Y dwarf. A new trigonometric parallax measurement from a combination of WISE, Spitzer, and HST astrometry confirms a nearby distance of $16.3^{+1.4}_{-1.2}$ pc and a l…
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) is a powerful tool for finding nearby brown dwarfs and searching for new planets in the outer solar system, especially with the incorporation of NEOWISE and NEOWISE-Reactivation data. So far, searches for brown dwarfs in WISE data have yet to take advantage of the full depth of the WISE images. To efficiently search this unexplored space via visual inspection, we have launched a new citizen science project, called "Backyard Worlds: Planet 9," which asks volunteers to examine short animations composed of difference images constructed from time-reso…
We present spectroscopy, astrometry, and photometry of the brown dwarf WISEP J004701.06+680352.1 (W0047+68), an unusually red field L dwarf at a distance of $12.2 \pm 0.4$ parsecs. The three-dimensional space motion identifies it as a member of the AB Dor Moving Group, an identification supported by our classification of W0047+68 as intermediate surface gravity (INT-G) using the Allers \& Liu (2013) near-infrared classification system. This moving group membership implies near-solar metallicity, age $\sim 100-125$ Myr, $M \approx 0.018~M_\odot$, and $\log g \approx 4.5$; the thick condensate c…
Brown dwarfs undergo little change in near-infrared luminosity while cooling from L to T spectral types, making the L/T transition (spectral types $\approx$L9--T6) an ideal region to examine the differences in photometry for binary and single brown dwarfs. We investigated the mean absolute magnitudes for binaries and singles with parallaxes as a function of J-K color in the L/T transition. Overall, binaries are on average $1-2σ$ brighter than singles of the same color. We discuss the implications for candidate binaries that are apparent spectral blends which span a broad range of luminosities,…
We present a sample of brown dwarfs identified with the {\it Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer} (WISE) for which we have obtained {\it Hubble Space Telescope} ({\it HST}) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) near-infrared grism spectroscopy. The sample (twenty-two in total) was observed with the G141 grism covering 1.10$-$1.70 $μ$m, while fifteen were also observed with the G102 grism, which covers 0.90$-$1.10 $μ$m. The additional wavelength coverage provided by the G102 grism allows us to 1) search for spectroscopic features predicted to emerge at low effective temperatures (e.g.\ ammonia bands) and …
We report the detection of radio emission and orbital motion from the nearby star-brown dwarf binary WISE J072003.20-084651.2AB. Radio observations across the 4.5-6.5 GHz band with the Very Large Array identify at the position of the system quiescent emission with a flux density of 15$\pm$3 $μ$Jy, and a highly-polarized radio source that underwent a 2-3 min burst with peak flux density 300$\pm$90 $μ$Jy. The latter emission is likely a low-level magnetic flare similar to optical flares previously observed for this source. No outbursts were detected in separate narrow-band H$α$ monitoring observ…
With the discovery of Y dwarfs by the WISE mission, the population of field brown dwarfs now extends to objects with temperatures comparable to those of Solar System planets. To investigate the atmospheres of these newly identified brown dwarfs, we have conducted a pilot study monitoring an initial sample of three late T-dwarfs (T6.5, T8 and T8.5) and one Y-dwarf (Y0) for infrared photometric variability at multiple epochs. With J-band imaging, each target was observed for a period of 1.0h to 4.5h per epoch, which covers a significant fraction of the expected rotational period. These measureme…
We review the statistical properties of stars and brown dwarfs obtained from the first hydrodynamical simulation of star cluster formation to produce more than a thousand stars and brown dwarfs while simultaneously resolving the lowest mass brown dwarfs (those with masses set by the opacity limit for fragmentation), binaries with separations down to 1 AU, and discs with radii greater than 10 AU. In particular, we present the eccentricity distribution of the calculation's very-low-mass and brown dwarf binaries which has not been previously published.
This paper introduces a series of papers aiming to study the dozens of low mass eclipsing binaries (EBLM), with F, G, K primaries, that have been discovered in the course of the WASP survey. Our objects are mostly single-line binaries whose eclipses have been detected by WASP and were initially followed up as potential planetary transit candidates. These have bright primaries, which facilitates spectroscopic observations during transit and allows the study of the spin-orbit distribution of F, G, K+M eclipsing binaries through the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. Here we report on the spin-orbit ang…
We have determined astrometric positions for 15 WISE-discovered late-type brown dwarfs (6 T8-9 and 9 Y dwarfs) using the Keck II telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Hubble Space Telescope. Combining data from 8 to 20 epochs we derive parallactic and proper motions for these objects which put the majority within 15 parsecs. For ages greater than a few Gyr, as suggested from kinematic considerations, we find masses of 10-30 M$_{Jup}$ based on standard models for the evolution of low mass objects with a range of mass estimates for individual objects depending on the model in question.…
We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) near-infrared photometry of the coldest known brown dwarf, WISE J085510.83$-$071442.5 (WISE 0855$-$0714). WISE 0855$-$0714 was observed with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) aboard HST using the F105W, F125W, and F160W filters, which approximate the $Y$, $J$, and $H$ near-infrared bands. WISE 0855$-$0714 is undetected at F105W with a corresponding 2$σ$ magnitude limit of $\sim$26.9. We marginally detect WISE 0855$-$0714 in the F125W images (S/N $\sim$4), with a measured magnitude of 26.41 $\pm$ 0.27, more than a magnitude fainter than the $J-$band magnitud…
The separation distribution for M-dwarf binaries in the ASTRALUX survey is narrower and peaking at smaller separations than the distribution for solar-type binaries. This is often interpreted to mean that M-dwarfs constitute a continuous transition from brown dwarfs (BDs) to stars. Here a prediction for the M-dwarf separation distribution is presented, using a dynamical population synthesis (DPS) model in which "star-like" binaries with late-type primaries ($\lesssim1.5 M_{\rm sun}$) follow universal initial distribution functions and are dynamically processed in their birth embedded clusters.…
Although many models have been proposed, the physical mechanisms responsible for the formation of low-mass brown dwarfs are poorly understood. The multiplicity properties and minimum mass of the brown-dwarf mass function provide critical empirical diagnostics of these mechanisms. We present the discovery via gravitational microlensing of two very low-mass, very tight binary systems. These binaries have directly and precisely measured total system masses of 0.025 Msun and 0.034 Msun, and projected separations of 0.31 AU and 0.19 AU, making them the lowest-mass and tightest field brown-dwarf bin…
Massive far-red and infrared imaging surveys in different bandpasses are the main contributors to the discovery of brown dwarfs. The Virtual Observatory represents an adequate framework to handle these vast datasets efficiently and filter them out according to specific requirements. A statistically significant number of BDs is mandatory for understanding their general properties better for identifing peculiar objects. WISE, an all-sky survey in the mid-infrared, provides an excellent opportunity to increase the number of BDs significantly, in particular those at the lower end of the temperatur…
We report the discovery of three low-mass double-lined eclipsing binaries in the pre-main sequence Upper Scorpius association, revealed by $K2$ photometric monitoring of the region over $\sim$ 78 days. The orbital periods of all three systems are $<$5 days. We use the $K2$ photometry plus multiple Keck/HIRES radial velocities and spectroscopic flux ratios to determine fundamental stellar parameters for both the primary and secondary components of each system, along with the orbital parameters. We present tentative evidence that EPIC 203868608 is a hierarchical triple system comprised of an ecl…
Multiplicity is a key statistic for understanding the formation of very low mass (VLM) stars and brown dwarfs. Currently, the separation distribution of VLM binaries remains poorly constrained at small separations ($\leq$ 1 AU), leading to uncertainty in the overall binary fraction. We approach this problem by searching for late-M/early-L plus T dwarf spectral binaries whose combined light spectra exhibit distinct peculiarities, allowing for separation-independent identification. We define a set of spectral indices designed to identify these systems, and use a spectral template fitting method …
This paper revisits a sample of ultracool dwarfs in the Solar neighborhood previously observed with the Hubble Space Telescope's NICMOS NIC1 instrument. We have applied a novel high angular resolution data analysis technique based on the extraction and fitting of kernel phases to archival data. This was found to deliver a dramatic improvement over earlier analysis methods, permitting a search for companions down to projected separations of $\sim$1 AU on NIC1 snapshot images. We reveal five new close binary candidates and present revised astrometry on previously-known binaries, all of which wer…
This paper uses the multi-epoch astrometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to demonstrate a method to measure proper motions and trigonometric parallaxes with precisions of $\sim$4 mas yr$^{-1}$ and $\sim$7 mas, respectively, for low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. This method relies on WISE single exposures (Level 1b frames) and a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. The limitations of Gaia in observing very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs are discussed, and it is shown that WISE will be able to measure astrometry past the 95% completeness limit and magnitude limit of Gaia (L, T,…
We present Spitzer 3.6 and 4.5 $μ$m photometry and positions for a sample of 1510 brown dwarf candidates identified by the WISE all-sky survey. Of these, 166 have been spectroscopically classified as objects with spectral types M(1), L(7), T(146), and Y(12); Sixteen other objects are non-(sub)stellar in nature. The remainder are most likely distant L and T dwarfs lacking spectroscopic verification, other Y dwarf candidates still awaiting follow-up, and assorted other objects whose Spitzer photometry reveals them to be background sources. We present a catalog of Spitzer photometry for all astro…
Through a previous analysis of multi-epoch astrometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), I identified WISE J085510.83-071442.5 as a new high proper motion object. By combining astrometry from WISE and the Spitzer Space Telescope, I have measured a proper motion of 8.1+/-0.1"/yr and a parallax of 0.454+/-0.045" (2.20+0.24/-0.20 pc) for WISE J085510.83-071442.5, giving it the third highest proper motion and the fourth largest parallax of any known star or brown dwarf. It is also the coldest known brown dwarf based on its absolute magnitude at 4.5um and its color in [3.6]-[4.5].…
We have conducted a mini-survey for low-frequency radio emission from some of the closest brown dwarfs to the Sun with rapid rotation rates: SIMP J013656.5+093347, WISEPC J150649.97+702736.0, and WISEPA J174124.26+255319.5. We have placed robust 3-sigma upper limits on the flux density in the 111 - 169 MHz frequency range for these targets: WISE 1506: < 0.72 mJy; WISE 1741: < 0.87 mJy; SIMP 0136: < 0.66 mJy. At 8 hours of integration per target to achieve these limits, we find that systematic and detailed study of this class of object at LOFAR frequencies will require a substantial dedication …
We present ground-based spectroscopic verification of six Y dwarfs (see Cushing et al), eighty-nine T dwarfs, eight L dwarfs, and one M dwarf identified by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Eighty of these are cold brown dwarfs with spectral types greater than or equal to T6, six of which have been announced earlier in Mainzer et al and Burgasser et al. We present color-color and color-type diagrams showing the locus of M, L, T, and Y dwarfs in WISE color space. Near-infrared classifications as late as early Y are presented and objects with peculiar spectra are discussed. After d…
We present the Late-Type Extension to the Motion Verified Red Stars (LaTE-MoVeRS) catalog, containing 46,463 photometric late-type ($>$ M5) dwarfs within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) footprint. Proper motions were computed for objects combining astrometry from the SDSS Data Release 12 (DR12), the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) Point Source Catalog (PSC), and the \emph{Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer} (\emph{WISE}) AllWISE datasets. LaTE-MoVeRS objects were required to have significant proper motion ($μ_\mathrm{tot} \geqslant 2σ_{μ_\mathrm{tot}}$). Using the LaTE-MoVeRS sample and…
