Benchmark brown dwarfs – I. A blue M2 + T5 wide binary and a probable young [M4 + M4] + [T7 + T8] hierarchical quadruple

ABSTRACT Benchmark brown dwarfs in wide binary systems are crucial for characterizing substellar objects and calibrating atmospheric and evolutionary models. However, brown dwarf benchmarks with subsolar metallicity, very cool temperatures, or suitability for dynamical mass measurements are rare, limiting our understanding across the full range of mass, age, and metallicity. We present the discovery of two new multiple systems containing T dwarf companions, identified through a targeted search using CatWISE2020 and Gaia catalogues. L 122–88 AB is a wide binary comprising a mildly metal-poor M2 dwarf and a T5 dwarf, separated by 215.6 arcsec at a distance of 33.106 $\pm$ 0.014 pc. Atmospheric model fitting to the near-infrared spectrum of L 122–88 A suggests a mildly metal-poor composition ([Fe/H] = –0.2). UPM J1040–3551 AB is a candidate hierarchical quadruple system at 25.283 $\pm$ 0.013 pc, consisting of a likely astrometric binary of two M4 dwarfs and a probable unresolved spectral binary of T7 and T8 dwarfs, separated by 65.48 arcsec from the primary. The H$\alpha$ emission detected in UPM J1040–3551 A indicates an age range of 0.3–2.0 Gyr. This age estimate suggests that the T8 component has a mass between 9 and 28 Jupiter masses, potentially classifying it as a planetary-mass object. These systems augment the sample of benchmark brown dwarfs, particularly in the underexplored regime of cool temperature, providing valuable opportunities for refining our understanding of substellar objects.

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Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Published
2025-06-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf895
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.15

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article

Benchmark brown dwarfs – I. A blue M2 + T5 wide binary and a probable young [M4 + M4] + [T7 + T8] hierarchical quadruple

Z. H. Zhang, M. Huang, R. Raddi, Adam J. Burgasser et al.
1 citations
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
1.15
article

Benchmark brown dwarfs – I. A blue M2 + T5 wide binary and a probable young [M4 + M4] + [T7 + T8] hierarchical quadruple

Z. H. Zhang, M. Huang, R. Raddi, Adam J. Burgasser, D. J. Pinfield, R. L. Smart, Federico Marocco, H. R. A. Jones, P. Cruz, Yuanyuan Shan, B. Gauza, Felipe Navarete, N. Lodieu, M. C. Gálvez-Ortiz, Shams Ali Baig, Gemma Cheng
article en
1 citations

Abstract

ABSTRACT Benchmark brown dwarfs in wide binary systems are crucial for characterizing substellar objects and calibrating atmospheric and evolutionary models. However, brown dwarf benchmarks with subsolar metallicity, very cool temperatures, or suitability for dynamical mass measurements are rare, limiting our understanding across the full range of mass, age, and metallicity. We present the discovery of two new multiple systems containing T dwarf companions, identified through a targeted search using CatWISE2020 and Gaia catalogues. L 122–88 AB is a wide binary comprising a mildly metal-poor M2 dwarf and a T5 dwarf, separated by 215.6 arcsec at a distance of 33.106 $\pm$ 0.014 pc. Atmospheric model fitting to the near-infrared spectrum of L 122–88 A suggests a mildly metal-poor composition ([Fe/H] = –0.2). UPM J1040–3551 AB is a candidate hierarchical quadruple system at 25.283 $\pm$ 0.013 pc, consisting of a likely astrometric binary of two M4 dwarfs and a probable unresolved spectral binary of T7 and T8 dwarfs, separated by 65.48 arcsec from the primary. The H$\alpha$ emission detected in UPM J1040–3551 A indicates an age range of 0.3–2.0 Gyr. This age estimate suggests that the T8 component has a mass between 9 and 28 Jupiter masses, potentially classifying it as a planetary-mass object. These systems augment the sample of benchmark brown dwarfs, particularly in the underexplored regime of cool temperature, providing valuable opportunities for refining our understanding of substellar objects.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical SocietyVol. 542(2)
California Institute of Technology (US), University of Hertfordshire (GB), Universidad de La Laguna (ES), University of Oslo (NO), University of California San Diego (US), Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino (IT), Institute of Astronomy (RU), Centro de Astrobiología (ES), Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (ES), Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica (BR), Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (US), University of Zielona Góra (PL), National Institute for Astrophysics (IT), Nanjing University (CN), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (ES)
National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, European Space Agency, Government of Jiangsu Province, Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação, European Southern Observatory, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of California, San Diego, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Openalex Percentile: Top 19%
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
1.15
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