The Gemini Nici Planet-Finding Campaign: Discovery of a close substellar companion to the young debris disk star PZ TEL

Beth A. Biller; Michael C. Liu; Zahed Wahhaj; Eric L. Nielsen; Laird M. Close; Trent J. Dupuy; Thomas L. Hayward; Adam Burrows; Mark Chun; Christ Ftaclas; Fraser Clarke; Markus Hartung; Jared Males; I. Neill Reid; Evgenya L. Shkolnik; Andrew Skemer; Matthias Tecza; Niranjan Thatte; Silvia H.P. Alencar; Pawel Artymowicz; Alan Boss; Elisabete De Gouveia Dal Pino; Jane Gregorio-Hetem; Shigeru Ida; Marc J. Kuchner; Douglas Lin; Douglas Toomey

doi:10.1088/2041-8205/720/1/L82

The Gemini Nici Planet-Finding Campaign: Discovery of a close substellar companion to the young debris disk star PZ TEL

Beth A. Biller
, Michael C. Liu
, Zahed Wahhaj
, Eric L. Nielsen
, Laird M. Close
, Trent J. Dupuy
, Thomas L. Hayward
, Adam Burrows
, Mark Chun
, Christ Ftaclas
, Fraser Clarke
, Markus Hartung
, Jared Males
, I. Neill Reid
, Evgenya L. Shkolnik
, Andrew Skemer
, Matthias Tecza
, Niranjan Thatte
, Silvia H.P. Alencar
, Pawel Artymowicz

Alan Boss, Elisabete De Gouveia Dal Pino, Jane Gregorio-Hetem, Shigeru Ida, Marc J. Kuchner, Douglas Lin, Douglas Toomey

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

92 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report the discovery of a tight substellar companion to the young solar analog PZ Tel, a member of the β Pic moving group observed with high-contrast adaptive optics imaging as part of the Gemini Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager Planet-Finding Campaign. The companion was detected at a projected separation of 16.4 ± 1.0 AU (0. ′33 ± 0. ′01) in 2009 April. Second-epoch observations in 2010 May demonstrate that the companion is physically associated and shows significant orbital motion. Monte Carlo modeling constrains the orbit of PZ Tel B to eccentricities >0.6. The near-IR colors of PZ Tel B indicate a spectral type of M7 ± 2 and thus this object will be a new benchmark companion for studies of ultracool, low-gravity photospheres. Adopting an age of 12⁺⁸_-4 Myr for the system, we estimate a mass of 36 ± 6 M_Jup based on the Lyon/DUSTY evolutionary models. PZ Tel B is one of the few young substellar companions directly imaged at orbital separations similar to those of giant planets in our own solar system. Additionally, the primary star PZ Tel A shows a 70 μm emission excess, evidence for a significant quantity of circumstellar dust that has not been disrupted by the orbitalmotion of the companion.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	L82-L87
Journal	Astrophysical Journal Letters
Volume	720
Issue number	1 PART 2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/720/1/L82
State	Published - Sep 1 2010

Keywords

Brown dwarfs
Instrumentation: adaptive optics
Planetary systems
Planets and satellites: detection
Stars: pre-main sequence

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1088/2041-8205/720/1/L82

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Biller, B. A., Liu, M. C., Wahhaj, Z., Nielsen, E. L., Close, L. M., Dupuy, T. J., Hayward, T. L., Burrows, A., Chun, M., Ftaclas, C., Clarke, F., Hartung, M., Males, J., Reid, I. N., Shkolnik, E. L., Skemer, A., Tecza, M., Thatte, N., Alencar, S. H. P., ... Toomey, D. (2010). The Gemini Nici Planet-Finding Campaign: Discovery of a close substellar companion to the young debris disk star PZ TEL. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 720(1 PART 2), L82-L87. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/720/1/L82

Biller, BA, Liu, MC, Wahhaj, Z, Nielsen, EL, Close, LM, Dupuy, TJ, Hayward, TL, Burrows, A, Chun, M, Ftaclas, C, Clarke, F, Hartung, M, Males, J, Reid, IN, Shkolnik, EL, Skemer, A, Tecza, M, Thatte, N, Alencar, SHP, Artymowicz, P, Boss, A, De Gouveia Dal Pino, E, Gregorio-Hetem, J, Ida, S, Kuchner, MJ, Lin, D & Toomey, D 2010, 'The Gemini Nici Planet-Finding Campaign: Discovery of a close substellar companion to the young debris disk star PZ TEL', Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol. 720, no. 1 PART 2, pp. L82-L87. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/720/1/L82

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title = "The Gemini Nici Planet-Finding Campaign: Discovery of a close substellar companion to the young debris disk star PZ TEL",

abstract = "We report the discovery of a tight substellar companion to the young solar analog PZ Tel, a member of the β Pic moving group observed with high-contrast adaptive optics imaging as part of the Gemini Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager Planet-Finding Campaign. The companion was detected at a projected separation of 16.4 ± 1.0 AU (0. ′33 ± 0. ′01) in 2009 April. Second-epoch observations in 2010 May demonstrate that the companion is physically associated and shows significant orbital motion. Monte Carlo modeling constrains the orbit of PZ Tel B to eccentricities >0.6. The near-IR colors of PZ Tel B indicate a spectral type of M7 ± 2 and thus this object will be a new benchmark companion for studies of ultracool, low-gravity photospheres. Adopting an age of 12+8-4 Myr for the system, we estimate a mass of 36 ± 6 MJup based on the Lyon/DUSTY evolutionary models. PZ Tel B is one of the few young substellar companions directly imaged at orbital separations similar to those of giant planets in our own solar system. Additionally, the primary star PZ Tel A shows a 70 μm emission excess, evidence for a significant quantity of circumstellar dust that has not been disrupted by the orbitalmotion of the companion.",

keywords = "Brown dwarfs, Instrumentation: adaptive optics, Planetary systems, Planets and satellites: detection, Stars: pre-main sequence",

author = "Biller, \{Beth A.\} and Liu, \{Michael C.\} and Zahed Wahhaj and Nielsen, \{Eric L.\} and Close, \{Laird M.\} and Dupuy, \{Trent J.\} and Hayward, \{Thomas L.\} and Adam Burrows and Mark Chun and Christ Ftaclas and Fraser Clarke and Markus Hartung and Jared Males and Reid, \{I. Neill\} and Shkolnik, \{Evgenya L.\} and Andrew Skemer and Matthias Tecza and Niranjan Thatte and Alencar, \{Silvia H.P.\} and Pawel Artymowicz and Alan Boss and \{De Gouveia Dal Pino\}, Elisabete and Jane Gregorio-Hetem and Shigeru Ida and Kuchner, \{Marc J.\} and Douglas Lin and Douglas Toomey",

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doi = "10.1088/2041-8205/720/1/L82",

language = "English (US)",

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pages = "L82--L87",

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T1 - The Gemini Nici Planet-Finding Campaign

T2 - Discovery of a close substellar companion to the young debris disk star PZ TEL

AU - Biller, Beth A.

AU - Liu, Michael C.

AU - Wahhaj, Zahed

AU - Nielsen, Eric L.

AU - Close, Laird M.

AU - Dupuy, Trent J.

AU - Hayward, Thomas L.

AU - Burrows, Adam

AU - Chun, Mark

AU - Ftaclas, Christ

AU - Clarke, Fraser

AU - Hartung, Markus

AU - Males, Jared

AU - Reid, I. Neill

AU - Shkolnik, Evgenya L.

AU - Skemer, Andrew

AU - Tecza, Matthias

AU - Thatte, Niranjan

AU - Alencar, Silvia H.P.

AU - Artymowicz, Pawel

AU - Boss, Alan

AU - De Gouveia Dal Pino, Elisabete

AU - Gregorio-Hetem, Jane

AU - Ida, Shigeru

AU - Kuchner, Marc J.

AU - Lin, Douglas

AU - Toomey, Douglas

PY - 2010/9/1

Y1 - 2010/9/1

N2 - We report the discovery of a tight substellar companion to the young solar analog PZ Tel, a member of the β Pic moving group observed with high-contrast adaptive optics imaging as part of the Gemini Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager Planet-Finding Campaign. The companion was detected at a projected separation of 16.4 ± 1.0 AU (0. ′33 ± 0. ′01) in 2009 April. Second-epoch observations in 2010 May demonstrate that the companion is physically associated and shows significant orbital motion. Monte Carlo modeling constrains the orbit of PZ Tel B to eccentricities >0.6. The near-IR colors of PZ Tel B indicate a spectral type of M7 ± 2 and thus this object will be a new benchmark companion for studies of ultracool, low-gravity photospheres. Adopting an age of 12+8-4 Myr for the system, we estimate a mass of 36 ± 6 MJup based on the Lyon/DUSTY evolutionary models. PZ Tel B is one of the few young substellar companions directly imaged at orbital separations similar to those of giant planets in our own solar system. Additionally, the primary star PZ Tel A shows a 70 μm emission excess, evidence for a significant quantity of circumstellar dust that has not been disrupted by the orbitalmotion of the companion.

AB - We report the discovery of a tight substellar companion to the young solar analog PZ Tel, a member of the β Pic moving group observed with high-contrast adaptive optics imaging as part of the Gemini Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager Planet-Finding Campaign. The companion was detected at a projected separation of 16.4 ± 1.0 AU (0. ′33 ± 0. ′01) in 2009 April. Second-epoch observations in 2010 May demonstrate that the companion is physically associated and shows significant orbital motion. Monte Carlo modeling constrains the orbit of PZ Tel B to eccentricities >0.6. The near-IR colors of PZ Tel B indicate a spectral type of M7 ± 2 and thus this object will be a new benchmark companion for studies of ultracool, low-gravity photospheres. Adopting an age of 12+8-4 Myr for the system, we estimate a mass of 36 ± 6 MJup based on the Lyon/DUSTY evolutionary models. PZ Tel B is one of the few young substellar companions directly imaged at orbital separations similar to those of giant planets in our own solar system. Additionally, the primary star PZ Tel A shows a 70 μm emission excess, evidence for a significant quantity of circumstellar dust that has not been disrupted by the orbitalmotion of the companion.

KW - Brown dwarfs

KW - Instrumentation: adaptive optics

KW - Planetary systems

KW - Planets and satellites: detection

KW - Stars: pre-main sequence

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/78149436725

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/78149436725#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1088/2041-8205/720/1/L82

DO - 10.1088/2041-8205/720/1/L82

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:78149436725

SN - 2041-8205

VL - 720

SP - L82-L87

JO - Astrophysical Journal Letters

JF - Astrophysical Journal Letters

IS - 1 PART 2

ER -

The Gemini Nici Planet-Finding Campaign: Discovery of a close substellar companion to the young debris disk star PZ TEL

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