Three wide planetary-mass companions to FW Tau, ROXs 12, and ROXs 42B
- Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 (United States)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Macquarie University, NSW 2109 (Australia)
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Dr., Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
- Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
We report the discovery of three planetary-mass companions (M = 6-20 M {sub Jup}) in wide orbits (ρ ∼ 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 yr. We therefore obtained followup observations that demonstrate that each candidate is comoving with its host star. Based on the absolute M{sub K{sup ′}} magnitudes, we infer masses (from hot-start evolutionary models) and projected separations of 10 ± 4 M {sub Jup} and 330 ± 30 AU for FW Tau b, 16 ± 4 M {sub Jup} and 210 ± 20 AU for ROXs 12, and 10 ± 4 M {sub Jup} and 140 ± 10 AU for ROXs 42B b. We also present similar observations for 10 other candidates that show that they are unassociated field stars, as well as multicolor JHK'L' near-infrared photometry for our new PMCs and for five previously identified substellar or planetary-mass companions. The near-infrared photometry for our sample of eight known and new companions generally parallels the properties of free-floating, low-mass brown dwarfs in these star-forming regions. However, five of the seven objects with M < 30 M {sub Jup} are redder in K' – L' than the distribution of young free-floating counterparts of similar J – K' color. We speculate that this distinction could indicate a structural difference in circumplanetary disks, perhaps tied to higher disk mass since at least two of the objects in our sample are known to be accreting more vigorously than typical free-floating counterparts.
- OSTI ID:
- 22348180
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 781, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
DIRECT IMAGING AND SPECTROSCOPY OF A CANDIDATE COMPANION BELOW/NEAR THE DEUTERIUM-BURNING LIMIT IN THE YOUNG BINARY STAR SYSTEM, ROXs 42B
SEARCHING FOR SCATTERERS: HIGH-CONTRAST IMAGING OF YOUNG STARS HOSTING WIDE-SEPARATION PLANETARY-MASS COMPANIONS