A companion to AB Pic at the planet/brown dwarf boundary

2005/04/29 by G. Chauvin, A. -M. Lagrange, A.-M. Lagrange +8 · 14 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361:200500111

published as Astron.Astrophys.438:L29-L32,2005 · 4 pages, 3 figures. accepted in Astronomy & Astrophysics

arxiv created 2005/04/29 · openalex publication_date 2005/07/18 · arxiv updated 2014/10/13 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

We report deep imaging observations of the young, nearby star AB Pic, a member of the large Tucana-Horologium as sociation. We have detected a faint, red source 5.5" South of the star with JHK colors compatible with that of a young substellar L dwarf. Follow-up observations at two additional epochs confirm, with a confidence level of 4.7sigma, that the faint red object is a companion to AB Pic rather than it being a stationary background object. A low resolution K-band spectrum indicates an early-L spectral type for the companion. Finally, evolutionary model predictions based on the JHK photometry of AB Pic b indicate a mass of 13 to 14 MJup if its age is ~30Myr. Is AB Pic b a massive planet or a minimum mass brown dwarf?

Citations

• Spectroscopy of Brown Dwarf Candidates in the rho Ophiuchi Molecular Core
• A Giant Planet Candidate near a Young Brown Dwarf

Cited by

• RADIO INTERFEROMETRIC PLANET SEARCH. I. FIRST CONSTRAINTS ON PLANETARY COMPANIONS FOR NEARBY, LOW-MASS STARS FROM RADIO ASTROMETRY
• THE LYOT PROJECT DIRECT IMAGING SURVEY OF SUBSTELLAR COMPANIONS: STATISTICAL ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION FROM NONDETECTIONS
• Constraints on Extrasolar Planet Populations from VLT NACO/SDI and MMT SDI and Direct Adaptive Optics Imaging Surveys: Giant Planets are Rare at Large Separations
• Comparative Lyot Coronagraphy with Extreme Adaptive Optics Systems
• A Method for Determining the Physical Properties of the Coldest Known Brown Dwarfs
• Star Formation via the Little Guy: A Bayesian Study of Ultracool Dwarf Imaging Surveys for Companions
• High-Contrast Observations in Optical and Infrared Astronomy
• Direct Imaging Discovery of a `Super-Jupiter' Around the late B-Type Star Kappa And
• A Statistical Analysis of SEEDS and Other High-Contrast Exoplanet Surveys: Massive Planets or Low-Mass Brown Dwarfs?
• DISCOVERY OF THE COLDEST IMAGED COMPANION OF A SUN-LIKE STAR
• THE LICK-CARNEGIE SURVEY: A NEW TWO-PLANET SYSTEM AROUND THE STAR HD 207832
• RACE-OC project: Rotation and variability of young stellar associations within 100 pc
• AB Pictoris [wikipedia]
• Pictor [wikipedia]