Cloud Atlas: Rotational Modulations in the L/T Transition Brown Dwarf Companion HN Peg B

Yifan Zhou; Dániel Apai; Stanimir Metchev; Ben W.P. Lew; Glenn H Schneider; Mark S. Marley; Theodora Karalidi; Elena Manjavacas; Luigi R. Bedin; Nicolas B. Cowan; Paulo A. Miles-Páez; Patrick J. Lowrance; Jacqueline Radigan; Adam J. Burgasser

doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aaabbd

Cloud Atlas: Rotational Modulations in the L/T Transition Brown Dwarf Companion HN Peg B

Yifan Zhou, Dániel Apai, Stanimir Metchev, Ben W.P. Lew, Glenn H Schneider, Mark S. Marley, Theodora Karalidi, Elena Manjavacas, Luigi R. Bedin, Nicolas B. Cowan, Paulo A. Miles-Páez, Patrick J. Lowrance, Jacqueline Radigan, Adam J. Burgasser

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28 Scopus citations

Abstract

Time-resolved observations of brown dwarfs' rotational modulations provide powerful insights into the properties of condensate clouds in ultra-cool atmospheres. Multi-wavelength light curves reveal cloud vertical structures, condensate particle sizes, and cloud morphology, which directly constrain condensate cloud and atmospheric circulation models. We report results from Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 near-infrared G141 taken in six consecutive orbits observations of HN Peg B, an L/T transition brown dwarf companion to a G0V type star. The best-fit sine wave to the 1.1-1.7 μm broadband light curve has an amplitude of 1.206% ±0.025% and period of 15.4 ±0.5 hr. The modulation amplitude has no detectable wavelength dependence except in the 1.4 μm water absorption band, indicating that the characteristic condensate particle sizes are large (>1 μm). We detect significantly (4.4σ) lower modulation amplitude in the 1.4 μm water absorption band and find that HN Peg B's spectral modulation resembles those of early T type brown dwarfs. We also describe a new empirical interpolation method to remove spectral contamination from the bright host star. This method may be applied in other high-contrast time-resolved observations with WFC3.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	132
Journal	Astronomical Journal
Volume	155
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/aaabbd
State	Published - Mar 2018

Keywords

brown dwarfs
methods: observational
stars: atmospheres

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.3847/1538-3881/aaabbd

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Zhou, Y., Apai, D., Metchev, S., Lew, B. W. P., Schneider, G. H., Marley, M. S., Karalidi, T., Manjavacas, E., Bedin, L. R., Cowan, N. B., Miles-Páez, P. A., Lowrance, P. J., Radigan, J., & Burgasser, A. J. (2018). Cloud Atlas: Rotational Modulations in the L/T Transition Brown Dwarf Companion HN Peg B. Astronomical Journal, 155(3), Article 132. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/aaabbd

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abstract = "Time-resolved observations of brown dwarfs' rotational modulations provide powerful insights into the properties of condensate clouds in ultra-cool atmospheres. Multi-wavelength light curves reveal cloud vertical structures, condensate particle sizes, and cloud morphology, which directly constrain condensate cloud and atmospheric circulation models. We report results from Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 near-infrared G141 taken in six consecutive orbits observations of HN Peg B, an L/T transition brown dwarf companion to a G0V type star. The best-fit sine wave to the 1.1-1.7 μm broadband light curve has an amplitude of 1.206% ±0.025% and period of 15.4 ±0.5 hr. The modulation amplitude has no detectable wavelength dependence except in the 1.4 μm water absorption band, indicating that the characteristic condensate particle sizes are large (>1 μm). We detect significantly (4.4σ) lower modulation amplitude in the 1.4 μm water absorption band and find that HN Peg B's spectral modulation resembles those of early T type brown dwarfs. We also describe a new empirical interpolation method to remove spectral contamination from the bright host star. This method may be applied in other high-contrast time-resolved observations with WFC3.",

keywords = "brown dwarfs, methods: observational, stars: atmospheres",

author = "Yifan Zhou and D{\'a}niel Apai and Stanimir Metchev and Lew, {Ben W.P.} and Schneider, {Glenn H} and Marley, {Mark S.} and Theodora Karalidi and Elena Manjavacas and Bedin, {Luigi R.} and Cowan, {Nicolas B.} and Miles-P{\'a}ez, {Paulo A.} and Lowrance, {Patrick J.} and Jacqueline Radigan and Burgasser, {Adam J.}",

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doi = "10.3847/1538-3881/aaabbd",

language = "English (US)",

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T2 - Rotational Modulations in the L/T Transition Brown Dwarf Companion HN Peg B

AU - Zhou, Yifan

AU - Apai, Dániel

AU - Metchev, Stanimir

AU - Lew, Ben W.P.

AU - Schneider, Glenn H

AU - Marley, Mark S.

AU - Karalidi, Theodora

AU - Manjavacas, Elena

AU - Bedin, Luigi R.

AU - Cowan, Nicolas B.

AU - Miles-Páez, Paulo A.

AU - Lowrance, Patrick J.

AU - Radigan, Jacqueline

AU - Burgasser, Adam J.

PY - 2018/3

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N2 - Time-resolved observations of brown dwarfs' rotational modulations provide powerful insights into the properties of condensate clouds in ultra-cool atmospheres. Multi-wavelength light curves reveal cloud vertical structures, condensate particle sizes, and cloud morphology, which directly constrain condensate cloud and atmospheric circulation models. We report results from Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 near-infrared G141 taken in six consecutive orbits observations of HN Peg B, an L/T transition brown dwarf companion to a G0V type star. The best-fit sine wave to the 1.1-1.7 μm broadband light curve has an amplitude of 1.206% ±0.025% and period of 15.4 ±0.5 hr. The modulation amplitude has no detectable wavelength dependence except in the 1.4 μm water absorption band, indicating that the characteristic condensate particle sizes are large (>1 μm). We detect significantly (4.4σ) lower modulation amplitude in the 1.4 μm water absorption band and find that HN Peg B's spectral modulation resembles those of early T type brown dwarfs. We also describe a new empirical interpolation method to remove spectral contamination from the bright host star. This method may be applied in other high-contrast time-resolved observations with WFC3.

AB - Time-resolved observations of brown dwarfs' rotational modulations provide powerful insights into the properties of condensate clouds in ultra-cool atmospheres. Multi-wavelength light curves reveal cloud vertical structures, condensate particle sizes, and cloud morphology, which directly constrain condensate cloud and atmospheric circulation models. We report results from Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 near-infrared G141 taken in six consecutive orbits observations of HN Peg B, an L/T transition brown dwarf companion to a G0V type star. The best-fit sine wave to the 1.1-1.7 μm broadband light curve has an amplitude of 1.206% ±0.025% and period of 15.4 ±0.5 hr. The modulation amplitude has no detectable wavelength dependence except in the 1.4 μm water absorption band, indicating that the characteristic condensate particle sizes are large (>1 μm). We detect significantly (4.4σ) lower modulation amplitude in the 1.4 μm water absorption band and find that HN Peg B's spectral modulation resembles those of early T type brown dwarfs. We also describe a new empirical interpolation method to remove spectral contamination from the bright host star. This method may be applied in other high-contrast time-resolved observations with WFC3.

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KW - methods: observational

KW - stars: atmospheres

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Cloud Atlas: Rotational Modulations in the L/T Transition Brown Dwarf Companion HN Peg B

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Keywords

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