PSYM-WIDE: A Survey for Large-separation Planetary-mass Companions to Late Spectral Type Members of Young Moving Groups
- Institut de Recherche sur les Exoplanètes, Département de Physique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7 (Canada)
- Carnegie Institution of Washington DTM, 5241 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington, DC 20015 (United States)
- Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2611 (Australia)
We present the results of a direct imaging survey for very large separation (>100 au), low-mass companions around 95 nearby young K5–L5 stars and brown dwarfs. They are high-likelihood candidates or confirmed members of the young (≲150 Myr) β Pictoris and AB Doradus moving groups (ABDMG) and the TW Hya, Tucana–Horologium, Columba, Carina, and Argus associations. Images in i{sup ′} and z{sup ′} filters were obtained with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini South to search for companions down to an apparent magnitude of z{sup ′} ∼ 22–24 at separations ≳20″ from the targets and in the remainder of the wide 5.′5 × 5.′5 GMOS field of view. This allowed us to probe the most distant region where planetary-mass companions could be gravitationally bound to the targets. This region was left largely unstudied by past high-contrast imaging surveys, which probed much closer-in separations. This survey led to the discovery of a planetary-mass (9–13 M{sub Jup}) companion at 2000 au from the M3V star GU Psc, a highly probable member of ABDMG. No other substellar companions were identified. These results allowed us to constrain the frequency of distant planetary-mass companions (5–13 M{sub Jup}) to 0.84{sub −0.66}{sup +6.73}% (95% confidence) at semimajor axes between 500 and 5000 au around young K5–L5 stars and brown dwarfs. This is consistent with other studies suggesting that gravitationally bound planetary-mass companions at wide separations from low-mass stars are relatively rare.
- OSTI ID:
- 22863027
- Journal Information:
- The Astronomical Journal (Online), Vol. 154, Issue 3; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1538-3881
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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