DH Tau b is a young planetary-mass companion orbiting at a projected separation of 320 AU from its $\sim$2 Myr old host star DH Tau. With an estimated mass of $8-22$ $M_{\rm{Jup}}$ this object straddles the deuterium-burning limit, and might have formed via core or pebble accretion, disk instability, or molecular cloud fragmentation. To shed light on the formation history of DH Tau b, we obtain the first measurement of rotational line broadening for this object using high-resolution (R $\sim$25,000) near-infrared spectroscopy from Keck/NIRSPEC. We measure a projected rotational velocity ($v$sin$i$) of $9.6\pm0.7$ km/s, corresponding to a rotation rate that is between 9-15% of DH Tau b's predicted break-up speed. This low rotation rate is in good agreement with scenarios in which magnetic coupling between the companion and its circumplanetary disk during the late stages of accretion reduces angular momentum and regulates spin. We compare the rotation rate of DH Tau b to published values for other planetary-mass objects with masses between $0.3-20$ $M_{\rm{Jup}}$ and find no evidence of a correlation between mass and rotation rate in this mass regime. Finally, we search for evidence of individual molecules in DH Tau b's spectrum and find that it is dominated by CO and H$_2$O, with no evidence for the presence of CH$_4$. This agrees with expectations given DH Tau b's relatively high effective temperature ($\sim$2300 K).
Dynamical mass estimates down to the planet-mass regime can help to understand planet formation. We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1.3 mm observations of FW Tau C, a proposed ~10 $M_{\rm Jup}$ planet-mass companion at ~330 au from the host binary FW Tau AB. We spatially and spectrally resolve the accretion disk of FW Tau C in ${}^{12}$CO (2-1). By modeling the Keplerian rotation of gas, we derive a dynamical mass of ~0.1 $M_\odot$. Therefore, FW Tau C is unlikely a planet, but rather a low-mass star with a highly inclined disk. This also suggests that FW Tau is a t…
Keck Observations in the INfrared of Taurus and $ρ$ Oph Exoplanets And Ultracool dwarfs (KOINTREAU) I: A Planetary-Mass Companion and a Disk-Obscured Stellar Companion Discovered in Taurus
Directly-imaged planetary-mass companions offer unique opportunities in atmospheric studies of exoplanets. They share characteristics of both brown dwarfs and transiting exoplanets, therefore, are critical for connecting atmospheric characterizations for these objects. Rotational phase mapping is a powerful technique to constrain the condensate cloud properties in ultra-cool atmospheres. Applying this technique to directly-imaged planetary-mass companions will be extremely valuable for constraining cloud models in low mass and surface gravity atmospheres and for determining the rotation rate a…
We present ALMA observations of the FW Tau system, a close binary pair of M5 stars with a wide-orbit (300 AU projected separation) substellar companion. The companion is extremely faint and red in the optical and near-infrared, but boasts a weak far-infrared excess and optical/near-infrared emission lines indicative of a primordial accretion disk of gas and dust. The component-resolved 1.3 mm continuum emission is found to be associated only with the companion, with a flux (1.78 +/- 0.03 mJy) that indicates a dust mass of 1-2 M_Earth. While this mass reservoir is insufficient to form a giant p…
Characterizing the physical properties and compositions of circumplanetary disks can provide important insights into the formation of giant planets and satellites. We report ALMA 0.88 mm (Band 7) continuum observations of six planetary-mass (10-20 $M_{\rm Jup}$) companions: CT Cha b, 1RXS 1609 b, ROXs 12 b, ROXs 42B b, DH Tau b, and FU Tau b. No continuum sources are detected at the locations of the companions down to 3$σ$ limits of 120-210 $μ$Jy. Given these non-detections, it is not clear whether disks around planetary-mass companions indeed follow the disk flux-host mass trend in the stella…
We present the results of a direct-imaging survey for very large separation ($>$100 au), companions around 95 nearby young K5-L5 stars and brown dwarfs. They are high-likelihood candidates or confirmed members of the young ($\lessapprox$150 Myr) $β$ Pictoris and AB Doradus moving groups (ABDMG) and the TW Hya, Tucana-Horologium, Columba, Carina, and Argus associations. Images in $i'$ and $z'$ filters were obtained with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini South to search for companions down to an apparent magnitude of $z'\sim$22-24 at separations $\gtrapprox$20" from the targe…
In this paper, we determine the detectability of eclipsing binary star companions from eclipse timing variations using the Kepler mission dataset. Extensive and precise stellar time-series photometry from space-based missions enable searches for binary star companions. However, due to the large datasets and computational resources involved, these searches would benefit from guidance from detection simulations. Our simulations start with and benefit from the use of empirical Kepler mission data, into which we inject third bodies to predict the resulting timing of binary star eclipses. We find t…
Because of the diversity of stellar masses and orbital sizes of binary systems, and the complex interaction between star-star, star-planet and planet-planet, it has been difficult to fully characterize the planetary systems associated with binary systems. Here, we report high-precision astrometric observations of the low-mass binary system GJ 896AB, revealing the presence of a Jupiter-like planetary companion (GJ 896Ab). The planetary companion is associated to the main star GJ 896A, with an estimated mass of 2.3 Jupiter masses and an orbit period of 284.4 days. A simultaneous analysis of the …
A recent ALMA image revealed several concentric gaps in the protoplanetary disk surrounding the young star HL Tau. We consider the hypothesis that these gaps are carved by planets, and present a general framework for understanding the dynamical stability of such systems over typical disk lifetimes, providing estimates for the maximum planetary masses. We collect these easily evaluated constraints into a workflow that can help guide the design and interpretation of new observational campaigns and numerical simulations of gap opening in such systems. We argue that the locations of resonances sho…
The atmospheres and accretion disks of planetary-mass and substellar companions provide an unprecedented look into planet and moon formation processes, most notably the frequency and lifetime of circumplanetary disks. In our ongoing effort to leverage the extraordinary sensitivity of the Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 $μ$m to study wide planetary-mass and substellar companions near the diffraction limit, we present point-spread function (PSF) fitting photometry of archival Spitzer/IRAC images for nine stars (G0 to M4+M7) in nearby star-forming regions or stellar…
Recent observational campaigns have shown that multi-planet systems seem to be abundant in our Galaxy. Moreover, it seems that these systems might have distant companions, either planets, brown-dwarfs or other stellar objects. These companions might be inclined with respect to the inner planets, and could potentially excite the eccentricities of the inner planets through the Eccentric Kozai-Lidov mechanism. These eccentricity excitations could perhaps cause the inner orbits to cross, disrupting the inner system. We study the stability of two-planet systems in the presence of a distant, incline…
Keck Observations in the INfrared of Taurus and $ρ$ Oph Exoplanets And Ultracool dwarfs (KOINTREAU) II: Two Young Bound Companions to Ophiuchus Stars
Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa(夏威夷大学马诺阿分校天文研究所);Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology(加州理工学院天文学系);Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology(加州理工学院喷气推进实验室);Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh(爱丁堡大学天文研究所);Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology(加州理工学院凯尔天文与天体物理中心);P.E.S., Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur(蔚蓝海岸观测站);California State University Northridge(北岭加州州立大学)
We have been conducting a exoplanet search survey using Bohyunsan Observatory Echelle Spectrograph (BOES) for the last 18 years. We present the detection of exoplanet candidate in orbit around HD 18438 from high-precision radial velocity (RV) mesurements. The target was already reported in 2018 (Bang et al. 2018). They conclude that the RV variations with a period of 719 days are likely to be caused by the pulsations because the Lomb-Scargle periodogram of HIPPARCOS photometric and Ha EW variations for HD 18438 show peaks with periods close to that of RV variations and there were no correlatio…
Direct imaging in the infrared at the diffraction limit of large telescopes is a unique probe of the properties of young planetary systems. We survey 55 single class I and class II stars in Taurus in the L' filter using natural and laser guide star adaptive optics and the near-infrared camera (NIRC2) of the Keck II telescope, in order to search for planetary mass companions. We use both reference star differential imaging and kernel phase techniques, achieving typical 5-sigma contrasts of ~6 magnitudes at separations of 0.2" and ~8 magnitudes beyond 0.5". Although we do not detect any new fain…
We report the discovery of planetary-mass companions to two red giants by the ongoing Penn State - Torun Planet Search (PTPS) conducted with the 9.2-m Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The 1.1 Ms K0-giant, BD+15 2940, has a 1.1 Mj minimum mass companion orbiting the star at a 137.5-day period in a 0.54 AU orbit what makes it the closest - in planet around a giant and possible subject of engulfment as the consequence of stellar evolution. HD 233604, a 1.5 Ms K5-giant, is orbited by a 6.6 Mj minimum mass planet which has a period of 192 days and a semi-major axis of only 0.75 AU making it one of the least…
We present the results of the second year of exoplanet candidate host speckle observations from the SOAR TESS survey. We find 89 of the 589 newly observed TESS planet candidate hosts have companions within 3\arcsec, resulting in light curve dilution, that if not accounted for leads to underestimated planetary radii. We combined these observations with those from paper I to search for evidence of the impact binary stars have on planetary systems. Removing the quarter of the targets observed identified as false-positive planet detections, we find that transiting planet are suppressed by nearly a…
The extrasolar planetary system around HR 8799 is the first multiplanet system ever imaged. It is also, by a wide margin, the highest mass system with >27 Jupiters of planetary mass past 25 AU. This is a remarkable system with no analogue with any other known planetary system. In the first part of this paper we investigate the nature of two faint objects imaged near the system. These objects are considerably fainter (H=20.4, and 21.6 mag) and more distant (projected separations of 612, and 534 AU) than the three known planetary companions b, c, and d (68-24 AU). It is possible that these two o…
We report the detection of the orbital velocity of non-transiting hot Jupiter Tau Boo b. By employing high-resolution ground-based spectroscopy around 2.3 μm during one half night, we are able to detect carbon monoxide absorption lines produced in the planet atmosphere, which shift significantly in wavelength during the course of the observations due to the orbital motion of the planet. This detection of the planetary signal results in the determination of the orbital inclination being i = 47 (+7, -6) degrees and furthermore allow us to solve for the exact planetary mass being mp = 5.6 (0.7) M…
We report the discovery of three planetary-mass companions (M = 6--20 $M_{Jup}$) in wide orbits ($ρ\sim$ 150--300 AU) around the young stars FW Tau (Taurus-Auriga), ROXs 12 (Ophiuchus), and ROXs 42B (Ophiuchus). All three wide planetary-mass companions ("PMCs") were reported as candidate companions in previous binary survey programs, but then were neglected for $>$10 years. We therefore obtained followup observations which demonstrate that each candidate is comoving with its host star. Based on the absolute $M_{K'}$ magnitudes, we infer masses (from hot-start evolutionary models) and projected…
Radio astrometry of nearby, low-mass stars has the potential to be a powerful tool for the discovery and characterization of planetary companions. We present a Very Large Array survey of 172 active M dwarfs at distances of less than 10 pc. Twenty nine stars were detected with flux densities greater than 100 microJy. We observed 7 of these stars with the Very Long Baseline Array at milliarcsecond resolution in three separate epochs. With a detection threshold of 500 microJy in images of sensitivity 1 sigma ~ 100 microJy, we detected three stars three times (GJ 65B, GJ896A, GJ 4247), one star tw…
Accretion signatures from bound brown dwarf and protoplanetary companions provide evidence for ongoing planet formation, and accreting substellar objects have enabled new avenues to study the astrophysical mechanisms controlling formation and accretion processes. Delorme 1 (AB)b, a ~30-45 Myr circumbinary planetary mass companion, was recently discovered to exhibit strong H$α$ emission. This suggests ongoing accretion from a circumplanetary disk, somewhat surprising given canonical gas disk dispersal timescales of 5-10 Myr. Here, we present the first NIR detection of accretion from the compani…
CORALIE radial-velocity search for companions around evolved stars (CASCADES) V. Three planetary companions and achievable precision
Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía-CSIC(安达卢西亚天体物理研究所);Observatoire Astronomique de l’Université de Genève(日内瓦大学天文台);Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, KU Leuven(荷语鲁汶大学天文研究所);Space sciences, Technologies and Astrophysics Research(空间科学、技术与天体物理研究)
Aims. We carried out a radial-velocity survey to search for planets around metal-poor stars. In this paper we report the discovery of two planets around HIP 11952, a metal-poor star with [Fe/H]= -1.9 that belongs to our target sample. Methods. Radial velocity variations of HIP 11952 were monitored systematically with FEROS at the 2.2 m telescope located at the ESO La Silla observatory from August 2009 until January 2011. We used a cross-correlation technique to measure the stellar radial velocities (RV). Results. We detected a long-period RV variation of 290 d and a short-period one of 6.95 d.…
Aims: Our objective is the optical and near-infrared spectroscopic characterisation of 2MASS J0249-0557 c, a recently discovered young planetary mass companion to the $β$ Pictoris member 2MASS J0249-0557. Methods: Using the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) Hemisphere Survey (VHS) and the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) data, we independently identified the companion 2MASS J0249-0557 c. We obtained low-resolution optical spectroscopy of this object using the Optical System for Imaging and low-intermediate-Resolution Integrated Spectroscopy (OSIRIS) spectrograph at t…
We present the discovery of a co-moving planetary-mass companion ~42" (~2000 AU) from a young M3 star, GU Psc, likely member of the young AB Doradus Moving Group (ABDMG). The companion was first identified via its distinctively red i - z color (> 3.5) through a survey made with Gemini-S/GMOS. Follow-up Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/WIRCam near-infrared (NIR) imaging, Gemini-N/GNIRS NIR spectroscopy and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer photometry indicate a spectral type of T3.5+-1 and reveal signs of low gravity which we attribute to youth. Keck/Adaptive Optics NIR observations did not res…
Fomalhaut and epsilon Eridani are two young, nearby stars that possess extended debris disks whose structures suggest the presence of perturbing planetary objects. With its high sensitivity and stable point spread function, Spitzer/IRAC is uniquely capable of detecting cool, Jupiter-like planetary companions whose peak emission is predicted to occur near 4.5 um. We report on deep IRAC imaging of these two stars, taken at 3.6 and 4.5 um using subarray mode and in all four channels in wider-field full array mode. Observations acquired at two different telescope roll angles allowed faint surround…
Exoplanets which are detected using the radial velocity technique have a well-known ambiguity of their true mass, caused by the unknown inclination of the planetary orbit with respect to the plane of the sky. Constraints on the inclination are aided by astrometric follow-up in rare cases or, in ideal situations, through subsequent detection of a planetary transit. As the predicted inclination decreases, the mass of the companion increases leading to a change in the predicted properties. Here we investigate the changes in the mass, radius, and atmospheric properties as the inclination pushes th…
We have performed extensive simulations to explore the possibility of detecting eclipses and transits of close, sub-stellar and planetary companions to white dwarfs in WASP light-curves. Our simulations cover companions $\sim0.3\Re<{\rm R}_{pl}<12\Re$ and orbital periods $2{\rm h}<P<15{\rm d}$, equivalent to orbital radii $0.003{\rm AU} < a < 0.1{\rm AU}$. For Gaussian random noise WASP is sensitive to transits by companions as small as the Moon orbiting a $\textrm{V}\simeq$12 white dwarf. For fainter white dwarfs WASP is sensitive to increasingly larger radius bodies. However, in the presence…
In this study we identify 11 Kepler systems (KIC 5255552, 5653126, 5731312, 7670617, 7821010, 8023317, 10268809, 10296163, 11519226, 11558882 and 12356914) with a "flip-flop" effect in the eclipse timing variations O-C diagrams of the systems, report on what these systems have in common and whether these systems are dynamically stable. These systems have previously reported high eccentric binary stars with highly eccentric third bodies/outer companions. We find that all of the additional bodies in the system are dynamically stable for the configurations previously reported and are therefore li…
We used photometric data from the WASP (Wide-Angle Search for Planets) survey to explore the possibility of detecting eclipses and transit signals of brown dwarfs, gas giants and terrestrial companions in close orbit around white dwarfs. We performed extensive Monte Carlo simulations and we found that for Gaussian random noise WASP is sensitive to companions as small as the Moon orbiting a $V\sim$12 white dwarf. For fainter stars WASP is sensitive to increasingly larger bodies. Our sensitivity drops in the presence of co-variant noise structure in the data, nevertheless Earth-size bodies remai…
Aims. Our aim is to search for and study the origin of the low-amplitude and long-periodic radial velocity (RV) variations in K giants. Methods. We present high-resolution RV measurements of K2 giant epsilon CrB from February 2005 to January 2012 using the fiber-fed Bohyunsan Observatory Echelle Spectrograph (BOES) at the Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory (BOAO). Results. We find that the RV measurements for epsilon CrB exhibit a periodic variation of 417.9 +/- 0.5 days with a semi-amplitude of 129.4 +/- 2.0 m/s. There is no correlation between RV measurements and chromospheric activity …
An HST survey of photometry and multiplicity of brown dwarfs and planetary-mass objects in the field of Taurus
Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh(爱丁堡大学天文研究所);Centre for Exoplanet Science, University of Edinburgh(爱丁堡大学系外行星科学中心);Leiden Observatory, Leiden University(莱顿大学莱登天文台);Department of Astronomy, School of Science, Westlake University(西湖大学理学院天文学系);Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study(西湖高等研究院自然科学院);Department of Astronomy, Indiana University(印第安纳大学天文学系);Département de Physique and Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, Université de Montréal(蒙特利尔大学物理系与蒙梅加尼克天文台)
Recent sub-millimetric observations at the Plateau de Bure interferometer evidenced a cavity at ~ 46 AU in radius into the proto-planetary disk around the T Tauri star LkCa15 (V1079 Tau), located in the Taurus molecular cloud. Additional Spitzer observations have corroborated this result possibly explained by the presence of a massive (>= 5 MJup) planetary mass, a brown dwarf or a low mass star companion at about 30 AU from the star. We used the most recent developments of high angular resolution and high contrast imaging to search directly for the existence of this putative companion, and to …
Searches for stellar companions to hot Jupiters (HJs) have revealed that planetary systems hosting a HJ are approximately three times more likely to have a stellar companion with a semimajor axis between 50 and 2000 AU, compared to field stars. This correlation suggests that HJ formation is affected by the stellar binary companion. A potential model is high-eccentricity migration, in which the binary companion induces high-eccentricity Lidov-Kozai (LK) oscillations in the proto-HJ orbit, triggering orbital migration driven by tides. A pitfall of this `binary-LK' model is that the observed stel…
We have combined optical and NIR photometry from Pan-STARRS 1 and UKIDSS to search the young (5-10 Myr) star-forming region of Upper Scorpius for wide (~400-4000 AU) substellar companions down to ~5 Mjup. Our search is ~4mag deeper than previous work based on 2MASS. We identified several candidates around known stellar members using a combination of color selection and spectral energy distribution fitting. Our followup spectroscopy has identified two new companions as well as confirmed two companions previously identified from photometry, with spectral types of M7.5-M9 and masses of ~15-60 Mju…
We present the discovery of a planetary-mass companion to CFHTWIR-Oph 98, a low-mass brown dwarf member of the young Ophiuchus star-forming region, with a wide 200-au separation (1.46 arcsec). The companion was identified using Hubble Space Telescope images, and confirmed to share common proper motion with the primary using archival and new ground-based observations. Based on the very low probability of the components being unrelated Ophiuchus members, we conclude that Oph 98 AB forms a binary system. From our multi-band photometry, we constrain the primary to be an M9-L1 dwarf, and the faint …
We present moderate-resolution ($R$$\sim$4000-5000) near-infrared integral field spectroscopy of the young (1-5 Myr) 6-14 $M_\mathrm{Jup}$ companions ROXs 42B b and FW Tau b obtained with Keck/OSIRIS and Gemini-North/NIFS. The spectrum of ROXs 42B b exhibits clear signs of low surface gravity common to young L dwarfs, confirming its extreme youth, cool temperature, and low mass. Overall, it closely resembles the free-floating 4-7 $M_\mathrm{Jup}$ L-type Taurus member 2MASS J04373705+2331080. The companion to FW Tau AB is more enigmatic. Our optical and near-infrared spectra show strong evidenc…
We analyse FORS2/VLT $I$-band imaging data to monitor the motions of both components in the nearest known binary brown dwarf WISE J104915.57-531906.1AB (LUH16) over one year. The astrometry is dominated by parallax and proper motion, but with a precision of $\sim$0.2 milli-arcsecond per epoch we accurately measure the relative position change caused by the orbital motion of the pair. This allows us to directly measure a mass ratio of $q=0.78\pm0.10$ for this system. We also search for the signature of a planetary-mass companion around either of the A and B component and exclude at 3-$σ$ the pr…
We report the results of Keck L'-band non-redundant aperture masking of HR 8799, a system with four confirmed planetary mass companions at projected orbital separations of 14 to 68 AU. We use these observations to place constraints on the presence of planets and brown dwarfs at projected orbital separations inside of 10 AU---separations out of reach to more conventional direct imaging methods. No companions were detected at better than 99% confidence between orbital separations of 0.8 to 10 AU. Assuming an age of 30 Myr and adopting the Baraffe models, we place upper limits to planetary mass c…
The aim of the Degenerate Objects around Degenerate Objects (DODO) survey is to search for very low mass brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets in wide orbits around white dwarfs via direct imaging. The direct detection of such companions would allow the spectroscopic investigation of objects with temperatures much lower (< 500 K) than the coolest brown dwarfs currently observed. These ultra-low mass substellar objects would have spectral types > T8.5 and so could belong to the proposed Y dwarf spectral sequence. The detection of a planet around a white dwarf would prove that such objects can sur…
A precise radial velocity survey conducted by a Korean-Japanese planet search program revealed a planetary companion around the intermediate-mass clump giant HD 100655. The radial velocity of the star exhibits a periodic Keplerian variation with a period, semi-amplitude and eccentricity of 157.57 d, 35.2 m s^-1 and 0.085, respectively. Adopting an estimated stellar mass of 2.4 M_Sun, we confirmed the presence of a planetary companion with a semi-major axis of 0.76 AU and a minimum mass of 1.7 M_Jup. The planet is the lowest-mass planet yet discovered around clump giants with masses greater tha…
We present a photometric $J$-band variability study of GU Psc b, a T3.5 co-moving planetary-mass companion (9-13$M_{\rm{Jup}}$) to a young ($\sim$150 Myr) M3 member of the AB Doradus Moving Group. The large separation between GU Psc b and its host star (42") provides a rare opportunity to study the photometric variability of a planetary-mass companion. The study presented here is based on observations obtained from 2013 to 2014 over three nights with durations of 5-6 hr each with the WIRCam imager at Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Photometric variability with a peak-to-peak amplitude of $4\pm…
We place the first constraints on the obliquity of a planetary-mass companion (PMC) outside of the Solar System. Our target is the directly imaged system 2MASS J01225093-2439505 (2M0122), which consists of a 120 Myr 0.4 M_sun star hosting a 12-27 M_J companion at 50 AU. We constrain all three of the system's angular momentum vectors: how the companion spin axis, the stellar spin axis, and the orbit normal are inclined relative to our line of sight. To accomplish this, we measure projected rotation rates (vsini) for both the star and the companion using new near-infrared high-resolution spectra…
We have searched for planetary companions around 800 pulsars monitored at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, with both circular and eccentric orbits of periods between $20$ days and $17$ years and inclination-dependent planetary masses from $10^{-4}$ to $100\,\mathrm{M}_{\oplus}$. Using a Bayesian framework, we simultaneously model pulsar timing parameters and a stationary noise process with a power-law power spectral density. We put limits on the projected masses of any planetary companions, which reach as low as 1/100th of the mass of the Moon ($\sim 10^{-4}\,\mathrm{M}_{\oplus}$). We find that t…
Uninterrupted observations from space-borne telescopes provide the photometric precision that is required to detect shallow transits of small planets missed by ground-based surveys. We used data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to search for nearby planetary companions in 12 planetary systems with hot Jupiters: HD 2685, Qatar-10, WASP-4, WASP-48, WASP-58, WASP-91, WASP-120, WASP-121, WASP-122, WASP-140, XO-6, and XO-7. We also applied the transit timing method based on homogeneously determined mid-transit times in order to search for non-transiting companions that could gr…
Astrometric observations of the M9 dwarf TVLM 513$-$46546 taken with the VLBA reveal an astrometric signature consistent with a period of 221 $\pm$ 5 days. The orbital fit implies that the companion has a mass m$_{p}$ = 0.35$-$0.42 $M_{J}$, a circular orbit ($e \simeq 0$), a semi-major axis a = 0.28$-$0.31 AU and an inclination angle i = 71$-$88$^\circ$. The detected companion, TVLM~513$b$, is one of the few giant-mass planets found associated to UCDs. The presence of a Saturn-like planet on a circular orbit, 0.3 AU from a 0.06$-$0.08 $M_\odot$ star, represents a challenge to planet formation …
We report an Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 0.88 mm (Band 7) continuum detection of the accretion disk around SR 12 c, an $\sim$11 $M_{\rm Jup}$ planetary-mass companion (PMC) orbiting its host binary at 980 au. This is the first submillimeter detection of a circumplanetary disk around a wide PMC. The disk has a flux density of $127 \pm14~μ$Jy and is not resolved by the $\sim$0.1" beam, so the dust disk radius is likely less than 5 au and can be much smaller if the dust continuum is optically thick. If, however, the dust emission is optically thin, then the SR 12 c disk has a com…
Studies of planetary systems of stars in star-forming regions and young clusters open a window on the formative stages of planetary evolution. We obtained high-cadence high-resolution infrared spectroscopy of the solar-mass Taurus association-member V1298 Tau during a transit of its 10R$_{\oplus}$-size "b" planet. We measured the systemic radial velocity and find that the kinematics of V1298 Tau suggest an affiliation with a $\gtrsim$6 Myr-old subgroup. A comparison of V1298 Tau and the nearby, co-moving star 2M0405 with stellar evolution models suggests an age of $\sim$10-25 Myr. We measured …
Measurements of photometric variability at different wavelengths provide insights into the vertical cloud structure of brown dwarfs and planetary-mass objects. In seven Hubble Space Telescope consecutive orbits, spanning $\sim$10 h of observing time}, we obtained time-resolved spectroscopy of the planetary-mass T8-dwarf Ross 458C using the near-infrared Wide Field Camera 3. We found spectrophotometric variability with a peak-to-peak signal of 2.62$\pm$0.02 % (in the 1.10-1.60~$μ$m white light curve). Using three different methods, we estimated a rotational period of 6.75$\pm$1.58~h for the whi…
Surveys of young star-forming regions have discovered a growing population of planetary-mass (<13 M_Jup) companions around young stars. There is an ongoing debate as to whether these companions formed like planets (that is, from the circumstellar disk), or if they represent the low-mass tail of the star formation process. In this study we utilize high-resolution spectroscopy to measure rotation rates of three young (2-300 Myr) planetary-mass companions and combine these measurements with published rotation rates for two additional companions to provide a look at the spin distribution of these …
It is thought that planetary mass companions may form through gravitational disk instabilities or core accretion. Identifying such objects in the process of formation would provide the most direct test for the competing formation theories. One of the most promising candidates for a planetary mass object still in formation is the third object in the FW Tau system. We here present ALMA cycle 1 observations confirming the recently published 1.3 mm detection of a dust disk around this third object and present for the first time a clear detection of a single peak $^{12}$CO (2-1) line, providing dir…
The sensitivity of radial velocity (RV) surveys for exoplanet detection are extending to increasingly long orbital periods, where companions with periods of several years are now being regularly discovered. Companions with orbital periods that exceed the duration of the survey manifest in the data as an incomplete orbit or linear trend, a feature that can either present as the sole detectable companion to the host star, or as an additional signal overlain on the signatures of previously discovered companion(s). A diagnostic that can confirm or constrain scenarios in which the trend is caused b…
In this paper, we present our HARPS radial-velocity data for eight low-activity solar-type stars belonging to the HARPS volume-limited sample: HD6718, HD8535, HD28254, HD290327, HD43197, HD44219, HD148156, and HD156411. Keplerian fits to these data reveal the presence of low-mass companions around these targets. With minimum masses ranging from 0.58 to 2.54 MJup, these companions are in the planetary mass domain. The orbital periods of these planets range from slightly less than one to almost seven years. The eight orbits presented in this paper exhibit a wide variety of eccentricities: from 0…
Young giant planets and brown dwarf companions emit near-infrared radiation that can be linearly polarized up to several percent. This polarization can reveal the presence of a circumsubstellar accretion disk, rotation-induced oblateness of the atmosphere, or an inhomogeneous distribution of atmospheric dust clouds. We measured the near-infrared linear polarization of 20 known directly imaged exoplanets and brown dwarf companions with the high-contrast imager SPHERE-IRDIS at the VLT. We reduced the data using the IRDAP pipeline to correct for the instrumental polarization and crosstalk with an…
Context. Direct imaging provides a steady flow of newly discovered giant planets and brown dwarf companions. These multi-object systems can provide information about the formation of low-mass companions in wide orbits and/or help us to speculate about possible migration scenarios. Accurate classification of companions is crucial for testing formation pathways. Aims. In this work we further characterise the recently discovered candidate for a planetary-mass companion CS Cha b and determine if it is still accreting. Methods. MUSE is a four-laser-adaptive-optics-assisted medium-resolution integra…
We present the initial results from a survey for planetary-mass brown dwarfs in the Taurus star-forming region. We have identified brown dwarf candidates in Taurus using proper motions and photometry from several ground- and space-based facilities. Through spectroscopy of some of the more promising candidates, we have found 18 new members of Taurus. They have spectral types ranging from mid M to early L and they include the four faintest known members in extinction-corrected K_s, which should have masses as low as ~4-5 M_Jup according to evolutionary models. Two of the coolest new members (M9.…