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Title: WISE J072003.20-084651.2B is a Massive T Dwarf

Journal Article · · The Astronomical Journal (Online)
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [2];  [2];  [5]; ORCiD logo [5];  [6]; ORCiD logo [7]; ORCiD logo [8]; ORCiD logo [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2];  [2];  [9];  [2];  [10];  [10];  [9] more »; ORCiD logo [10];  [9];  [9];  [9] « less
  1. Gemini Observatory, Hilo, HI (United States)
  2. Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States)
  3. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
  4. Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)
  5. Univ. of Exeter (United Kingdom); Univ. of Lyon (France)
  6. Univ. of Grenoble Alpes (France)
  7. The Univ. of Western Ontario, London, ON (Canada)
  8. Univ. Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
  9. W.M. Keck Observatory, Kamuela, HI (United States)
  10. California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)

We present individual dynamical masses for the nearby M9.5+T5.5 binary WISE J072003.20-084651.2AB, a.k.a. Scholz’s star. Combining high-precision Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope/WIRCam photocenter astrometry and Keck adaptive optics resolved imaging, we measure the first high-quality parallactic distance ($$6.80^{+0.05}_{-0.06}$$ pc) and orbit ($$8.06^{+0.24}_{-0.25}$$yr period) for this system composed of a low-mass star and brown dwarf. We find a moderately eccentric orbit ($$e = 0.240^{+0.009}_{-0.010}$$), incompatible with previous work based on less data, and dynamical masses of 99 ± 6 MJup and 66 ± 4 MJup for the two components. The primary mass is marginally inconsistent (2.1σ) with the empirical mass–magnitude–metallicity relation and models of main-sequence stars. The relatively high mass of the cold (Teff = 1250 ± 40 K) brown dwarf companion indicates an age older than a few gigayears, in accord with age estimates for the primary star, and is consistent with our recent estimate of ≈70 MJup for the stellar/substellar boundary among the field population. Our improved parallax and proper motion, as well as an orbit-corrected system velocity, improve the accuracy of the system’s close encounter with the solar system by an order of magnitude. WISE J0720-0846AB passed within 68.7 ± 2.0 kau of the Sun 80.5 ± 0.7 kyr ago, passing through the outer Oort cloud where comets can have stable orbits.

Research Organization:
Krell Institute, Ames, IA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0019323; AST-1518339; AST-1611623; AST-1106391
OSTI ID:
1803689
Journal Information:
The Astronomical Journal (Online), Vol. 158, Issue 5; ISSN 1538-3881
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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