Niall R. Deacon

A global cloud map of the nearest known brown dwarf

Brown dwarfs—substellar bodies more massive than planets but not massive enough to initiate the sustained hydrogen fusion that powers self-luminous stars—are born hot and slowly cool as they age. As they cool below about 2,300 kelvin, liquid or crystalline particles composed of calcium aluminates, silicates and iron condense into atmospheric ‘dust’, which disappears at still cooler temperatures (around 1,300 kelvin). Models to explain this dust dispersal include both an abrupt sinking of the entire cloud deck into the deep, unobservable atmosphere and breakup of the cloud into scattered patches (as seen on Jupiter and Saturn). However, hitherto observations of brown dwarfs have been limited to globally integrated measurements, which can reveal surface inhomogeneities but cannot unambiguously resolve surface features. Here we report a two-dimensional map of a brown dwarf’s surface that allows identification of large-scale bright and dark features, indicative of patchy clouds. Monitoring suggests that the characteristic timescale for the evolution of global weather patterns is approximately one day.

A Nearby M Star with Three Transiting Super-Earths Discovered by K2

Small, cool planets represent the typical end-products of planetary formation. Studying the architectures of these systems, measuring planet masses and radii, and observing these planets’ atmospheres during transit directly informs theories of planet assembly, migration, and evolution. Here we report the discovery of three small planets orbiting a bright (Ks = 8:6 mag) M0 dwarf using data collected as part of K2, the new ecliptic survey using the re-purposed Kepler spacecraft. Stellar spectroscopy and K2 photometry indicate that the system hosts three transiting planets with radii 1.5 { 2.1 R , straddling the transition region between rocky and increasingly volatile-dominated compositions. With orbital periods of 10{45 days the planets receive just 1.5{10 the ux incident on Earth, making these some of the coolest small planets known orbiting a nearby star; planet d is located near the inner edge of the system’s habitable zone. The bright, low-mass star makes this system an excellent laboratory to determine the planets’ masses via Doppler spectroscopy and to constrain their atmospheric compositions via transit spectroscopy. This discovery demonstrates the power of K2 and future space-based transit searches to nd many fascinating objects of interest. Subject headings: EPIC 201367065| techniques: photometric | techniques: spectroscopic | eclipses

Fifteen new T dwarfs discovered in the UKIDSS Large Area Survey

We present the discovery of fifteen new T2.5-T7.5 dwarfs (with estimated distances between �24–93pc), identified in the first three main data releases of the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey. This brings the total number of T dwarfs discovered in the Large Area Survey (to date) to 28. These discoveries are confirmed by near infrared spectroscopy, from which we derive spectral types on the unified scheme of Burgasser et al. (2006). Seven of the new T dwarfs have spectral types of T2.5-T4.5, five have spectral types of T5-T5.5, one is a T6.5p, and two are T7-7.5. We assess spectral morphology and colours to identify T dwarfs in our sample that may have non-typical physical properties (by comparison to solar neighbourhood populations), and find that one of these new T dwarfs may be metal poor, three may have low surface gravity, and one may have high surface gravity. The colours of the full sample of LAS T dwarfs show a possible trend to bluer Y J with decreasing effective temperature, and some interesting colour changes in J H and z J (deserving further investigation) beyond T8. The LAS T dwarf sample from the first and second main data releases show good evidence for a consistent level of completion to J=19. By accounting for the main sources of incompleteness (selection, follow-up and spatial) as well as the effects of unresolved binarity and Malmquist bias, we estimate that there are 17±4 >T4 dwarfs in the J 619 volume of the LAS second data release. Comparing this to theoretical predictions is most consistent with a sub-stellar mass function exponent α between -1.0 and 0. This is consistent with the latest 2MASS/SDSS constraint (which is based on lower number statistics), and is significantly lower than the α � 1.0 suggested by L dwarf field populations, possibly a result of the lower mass range probed by the T dwarf class.

Eight new T4.5–T7.5 dwarfs discovered in the UKIDSS Large Area Survey Data Release 1

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com Copyright Blackwell Publishing DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.12023.x

A wide deep infrared look at the Pleiades with UKIDSS: new constraints on the substellar binary fraction and the low‐mass initial mass function★

We present the results of a deep wide-field near-infrared survey of 12 deg 2 of the Pleiades conducted as part of the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Galactic Cluster Survey (GCS). We have extracted over 340 high-probability proper motion (PM) members down to 0.03 M⊙ using a combination of UKIDSS photometry and PM measurements obtained by cross-correlating the GCS with data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, the Isaac Newton Telescope and the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope. Additionally, we have unearthed 73 new candidate brown dwarf (BD) members on the basis of five-band UKIDSS photometry alone. We have identified 23 substellar multiple system candidates out of 63 candidate BDs from the ( Y − K , Y ) and ( J − K , J ) colour–magnitude diagrams, yielding a binary frequency of 28–44 per cent in the 0.075−0.030 M⊙ mass range. Our estimate is three times larger than the binary fractions reported from high-resolution imaging surveys of field ultracool dwarfs and Pleiades BDs. However, it is marginally consistent with our earlier ‘peculiar’ photometric binary fraction of 50 ± 10 per cent presented by Pinfield et al., in good agreement with the 32–45 per cent binary fraction derived from the recent Monte Carlo simulations of Maxted & Jeffries and compatible with the 26 ± 10 per cent frequency recently estimated by Basri & Reiners. A tentative estimate of the mass ratios from photometry alone seems to support the hypothesis that binary BDs tend to reside in near equal-mass ratio systems. In addition, the recovery of four Pleiades members targeted by high-resolution imaging surveys for multiplicity studies suggests that half of the binary candidates may have separations below the resolution limit of the Hubble Space Telescope or current adaptive optics facilities at the distance of the Pleiades (a ∼7 au). Finally, we have derived luminosity and mass functions from the sample of photometric candidates with membership probabilities. The mass function is well modelled by a lognormal peaking at 0.24 M⊙ and is in agreement with previous studies in the Pleiades.

76 T dwarfs from the UKIDSS LAS: benchmarks, kinematics and an updated space density

We report the discovery of 76 new T dwarfs from the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Large Area Survey (LAS). Near-infrared broad- and narrow-band photometry and spectroscopy are presented for the new objects, along with Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and warm-Spitzer photometry. Proper motions for 128 UKIDSS T dwarfs are presented from a new two epoch LAS proper motion catalogue. We use these motions to identify two new benchmark systems: LHS 6176AB, a T8p+M4 pair and HD 118865AB, a T5.5+F8 pair. Using age constraints from the primaries and evolutionary models to constrain the radii, we have estimated their physical properties from their bolometric luminosity. We compare the colours and properties of known benchmark T dwarfs to the latest model atmospheres and draw two principal conclusions. First, it appears that the H - [4.5] and J - W2 colours are more sensitive to metallicity than has previously been recognized, such that differences in metallicity may dominate over differences in T-eff when considering relative properties of cool objects using these colours. Secondly, the previously noted apparent dominance of young objects in the late-T dwarf sample is no longer apparent when using the new model grids and the expanded sample of late-T dwarfs and benchmarks. This is supported by the apparently similar distribution of late-T dwarfs and earlier type T dwarfs on reduced proper motion diagrams that we present. Finally, we present updated space densities for the late-T dwarfs, and compare our values to simulation predictions and those from WISE.

Southern infrared proper motion survey I. Discovery of new high proper motion stars from first full hemisphere scan

We present the first results from the Southern Infrared Proper Motion Survey. Using 2 Micron All Sky Survey data along with that of the SuperCOSMOS sky survey we have been able to produce the first widefield infrared proper motion survey. Having targeted the survey to identify nearby M, L and T dwarfs we have discovered 70 such new objects with proper motions greater than 0.5 �� /yr with 10 of these having proper motions in excess of 1 �� /yr. The most interesting of these objects is SIPS1259-4336 a late M dwarf. We have calculated a trigonometric parallax for this object of π = 276±41 milliarcsec yielding a distance of 3.62 ± 0.54 pc. We have also discovered a common proper motion triple system and an object with a common proper motion with LHS 128. The survey completeness is limited by the small epoch differences between many 2MASS and UKI observations. Hence we only recover 22% of Luyten objects with favourable photometry. However the Luyten study is itself unquantifiably incomplete. We discuss the prospect of enhancing the survey volume by reducing the lower proper motion limit.

47 new T dwarfs from the UKIDSS Large Area Survey

The definitive version can be found at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com Copyright Royal Astronomical Society

DISCOVERY OF AN UNUSUALLY RED L-TYPE BROWN DWARF

We report the discovery of an unusually red brown dwarf found in a search for high proper motion objects using WISE and 2MASS data. WISEP J004701.06+680352.1 is moving at 044?yr?1 and lies relatively close to the Galactic plane (b = 52). Near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy reveals that this is one of the reddest (2MASS J ? Ks = 2.55 ? 0.08?mag) field L dwarfs yet detected, making this object an important member of the class of unusually red L dwarfs. We discuss evidence for thick condensate clouds and speculate on the age of the object. Although models by different research groups agree that thick clouds can explain the red spectrum, they predict dramatically different effective temperatures, ranging from 1100?K to 1600?K. This brown dwarf is well suited for additional studies of extremely dusty substellar atmospheres because it is relatively bright (Ks = 13.05 ? 0.03?mag), which should also contribute to an improved understanding of young gas-giant planets and the transition between L and T brown dwarfs.

Astrometric and photometric initial mass functions from the UKIDSS Galactic Clusters Survey – I. The Pleiades★

Over the past decades open clusters have been the subject of many studies. Such studies are crucial considering that the universality of the initial mass function is still a subject of current investigations. Praesepe is an interesting open cluster for the study of the stellar and substellar mass function (MF), considering its intermediate age and its nearby distance. Here we present the results of a wide-field, near-infrared study of Praesepe using the Data Release 9 of the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope Infrared Deep Sky Survey Galactic Clusters Survey. We obtained cluster candidates of Praesepe based on a 3σ astrometric and five-band photometric selection. We derived a binary frequency for Praesepe of 25.6 ± 3.0 per cent in the 0.2–0.45 M⊙ mass range, 19.6 ± 3.0 per cent for 0.1–0.2 M⊙ and 23.2 ± 5.6 per cent for 0.07–0.1 M⊙. We also studied the variability of the cluster candidates of Praesepe, and we conclude that seven objects could be variable. We inferred the luminosity function of Praesepe in the Z and J bands and derived its MF. We observe that our determination of the MF of Praesepe differs from previous studies: while previous MFs present an increase from 0.6 to 0.1 M⊙, our MF shows a decrease. We looked at the MF of Praesepe in two different regions of the cluster, i.e. within and beyond 1°.25, and we observed that both regions present an MF which decrease to lower masses. We compared our results with the Hyades, the Pleiades and α Per MF in the mass range 0.072–0.6 M⊙ and showed that the Praesepe MF is more similar to α Per although they are, respectively, of ages ∼85 and ∼600 Myr. Even though of similar age, the Praesepe remains different than the Hyades, with a decrease in the MF of only ∼0.2 dex from 0.6 down to 0.1 M⊙, compared to ∼1 dex for the Hyades.