NEAR-INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF Y DWARFS: LOW AMMONIA ABUNDANCE AND THE ONSET OF WATER CLOUDS
- Gemini Observatory, Northern Operations Center, 670 N. A'ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)
- NASA Ames Research Center, Mail Stop 245-3, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States)
We present new near-infrared photometry for seven late-type T dwarfs and nine Y-type dwarfs, and lower limit magnitudes for a tenth Y dwarf, obtained at Gemini Observatory. We also present a reanalysis of H-band imaging data from the Keck Observatory Archive, for an 11th Y dwarf. These data are combined with earlier MKO-system photometry, Spitzer and WISE mid-infrared photometry, and available trigonometric parallaxes, to create a sample of late-type brown dwarfs that includes 10 T9-T9.5 dwarfs or dwarf systems, and 16 Y dwarfs. We compare the data to our models, which include updated H{sub 2} and NH{sub 3} opacity, as well as low-temperature condensate clouds. The models qualitatively reproduce the trends seen in the observed colors; however, there are discrepancies of around a factor of two in flux for the Y0-Y1 dwarfs, with T {sub eff} ≈ 350-400 K. At T {sub eff} ∼ 400 K, the problems could be addressed by significantly reducing the NH{sub 3} absorption, for example by halving the abundance of NH{sub 3} possibly by vertical mixing. At T {sub eff} ∼ 350 K, the discrepancy may be resolved by incorporating thick water clouds. The onset of these clouds might occur over a narrow range in T {sub eff}, as indicated by the observed small change in 5 μm flux over a large change in J – W2 color. Of the known Y dwarfs, the reddest in J –W2 are WISEP J182831.08+265037.8 and WISE J085510.83–071442.5. We interpret the former as a pair of identical 300-350 K dwarfs, and the latter as a 250 K dwarf. If these objects are ∼3 Gyr old, their masses are ∼10 and ∼5 Jupiter-masses, respectively.
- OSTI ID:
- 22364526
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 799, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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