Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2007.15799

ACRONYM IV: Three New, Young, Low-mass Spectroscopic Binaries

Abstract

As part of our search for new low-mass members of nearby young moving groups (YMG), we discovered three low-mass, spectroscopic binaries, two of which are not kinematically associated with any known YMG. Using high-resolution optical spectroscopy, we measure the component and systemic radial velocities of the systems, as well as their lithium absorption and H$α$ emission, both spectroscopic indicators of youth. One system (2MASS J02543316-5108313, M2.0+M3.0) we confirm as a member of the 40 Myr old Tuc-Hor moving group, but whose binarity was previously undetected. The second young binary (2MASS J08355977-3042306, K5.5+M1.5) is not a kinematic match to any known YMG, but each component exhibits lithium absorption and strong and wide H$α$ emission indicative of active accretion, setting an upper age limit of 15 Myr. The third system (2MASS J10260210-4105537, M1.0+M3.0) has been hypothesized in the literature to be a member of the 10 Myr old TW Hya Association (TWA), but with our measured systemic velocity, shows the binary is in fact not part of any known YMG. This last system also has lithium absorption in each component, and has strong and variable H$α$ emission, setting an upper age limit of 15 Myr based on the lithium detection.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Laura Flagg, Evgenya L. Shkolnik, Alycia Weinberger, Brendan P. Bowler, Brian Skiff, Adam L. Kraus, Michael C. Liu. 2020-07-31. ACRONYM IV: Three New, Young, Low-mass Spectroscopic Binaries. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357%2Fab9083

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Stellar characterization with photometric colors from J-PLUS and 2MASS surveys

Aims. We aim at deriving stellar atmospheric parameters based on the photometric data from the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS) in addition to near-infrared photometry from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS). Methods. Our method consists of a semi-supervised machine learning approach based on the k-means method combined with a modified k-nearest neighbors algorithm. This method compares the observed photometry to a set of reference data to estimate the stellar effective temperature ($T_{\rm eff}$), surface gravity ($\log{g}$), and metallicity ([Fe/H]) of stars from J-PLUS Data Release 3 (DR3). Results. We estimated $T_{\rm eff}$, $\log{g}$, and [Fe/H], for approximately 5.6 million stars from J-PLUS DR3, along with their errors.Our results were in agreement with spectroscopic estimates from LAMOST and APOGEE.We also applied a dimension reduction method, seeking greater efficiency by reducing the computation time and minimizing the needed information for calculating the stellar parameters, resulting in a subset of 11 colors. From this approach, stellar parameters were obtained for approximately six million stars. Conclusions. Our results demonstrated the potential of using a method built from machine learning algorithms that do not require prior training. Additionally, it was shown that the proposed method allowed estimating reliable atmospheric parameters even when the available photometry did not fulfill all photometric quality criteria. We defined a neighborhood parameter, which assesses the reliability of our estimations and indicates that objects with smaller neighborhoods values have lower uncertainties.

astro-ph.SR

Population demographics of post-interaction WDMS binaries: From common envelope evolution to stable mass transfer

Close white dwarf (WD) + main-sequence (MS) binaries are end products of mass transfer (MT) that occurred prior to WD formation, making their population demographics a powerful probe of binary evolution. Several recent works have constructed samples of WD+MS binaries with well-understood selection functions using data from wide-field surveys. These include (a) AU-scale astrometric binaries from Gaia that can be shown to contain a WD on dynamical grounds, (b) AU-scale astrometric binaries in which a hot WD is detected through a GALEX UV excess, and (c) close binaries discovered through eclipses. Together, these samples probe outcomes of both stable MT and common-envelope evolution, and interactions on both the red giant branch (RGB) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB). We forward model the three observed samples simultaneously. This approach produces robust constraints on uncertain binary evolution parameters because binaries removed from one population are predicted to appear in another. Our modeling includes a realistic initial binary population and treatments of the selection effects affecting all samples. We confirm that MT from AGB donors requires a critical accretor-to-donor mass ratio of $\sim0.4$ as found in previous work, and find that this is more stable than MT from RGB donors, for which we constrain a critical ratio $\gtrsim0.65$. A common envelope efficiency of $αλ\sim0.3$ matches the relative numbers of close and wide systems and the period distribution of close systems. Most stable MT products in the sample, including those with RGB donors, retain nonzero eccentricities ($\simeq0.1$). The model does not fully reproduce the mass distribution of main-sequence stars in post-common envelope binaries, which shows a cliff below the fully convective limit, possibly pointing to missing physics that may warrant future work.

astro-ph.SR

A large shell around the hypergiant VY Canis Majoris

We report the detection of a remarkable shell around the red hypergiant VY CMa using data from the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx). The shell, which in projection on the plane of the sky appears as a ring, is almost circular in appearance. It has an external diameter of $\sim14'$ to $15'$, and is seen most clearly in the SPHEREx 7827A spectro-photometric image. Filaments, radially aligned with VY CMa, are seen to cut across the shell in several places. We discuss the possibility that the shell is matter swept out from the neighboring star forming region Sh 2-310, by the wind from VY CMa. Resonant atomic scattering, a light echo, or Extended Red Emission are explored as the source of the observed SPHEREx emission. However, no interpretation is without difficulty and further observations are most desirable.

astro-ph.SR