arXiv subjects

Raquel A. Martinez

Publications and source records attributed to Raquel A. Martinez.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Searching for Wide Companions and Identifying Circum(sub)stellar Disks through PSF-Fitting of Spitzer/IRAC Archival Images

Direct imaging surveys have discovered wide-orbit planetary-mass companions that challenge existing models of both star and planet formation, but their demographics remain poorly sampled. We have developed an automated binary companion point spread function (PSF) fitting pipeline to take advantage of Spitzer's infrared sensitivity to planetary-mass objects and circum(sub)stellar disks, measuring photometry across the four IRAC channels of 3.6 $μ$m, 4.5 $μ$m, 5.8 $μ$m, and 8.0 $μ$m. We present PSF-fitting photometry of archival Spitzer/IRAC images for 11 young, low-mass ($M\sim0.044$-0.88 $M_{\odot}$; M7.5-K3.5) members of three nearby star-forming regions (Chameleon, Taurus, and Upper Scorpius; $d\sim$ 150 pc; $τ\sim$ 1-10 Myr) that host confirmed or candidate faint companions at $ρ= 1.68^{\prime\prime}-7.31^{\prime\prime}$. We recover all system primaries, six confirmed, and two candidate low-mass companions in our sample. We also measure non-photospheric $[3.6]-[8.0]$ colors for three of the system primaries, four of the confirmed companions, and one candidate companion, signifying the presence of circumstellar or circum(sub)stellar disks. We furthermore report the confirmation of a $ρ=4.66^{\prime\prime}$ (540 au) companion to [SCH06] J0359+2009 which was previously identified as a candidate via imaging over five years ago, but was not studied further. Based on its brightness ($M_{[3.6]}=8.53$ mag), we infer the companion mass to be $M=20\pm5$ $M_\mathrm{Jup}$ given the primary's model-derived age of 10 Myr. Our framework is sensitive to companions with masses less than 10 $M_\mathrm{Jup}$ at separations of $ρ= 300$ au in nearby star-forming regions, opening up a new regime of parameter space that has yet to be studied in detail, discovering planetary-mass companions in their birth environments and revealing their circum(sub)stellar disks.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2019

TESS Hunt for Young and Maturing Exoplanets (THYME): A planet in the 45 Myr Tucana-Horologium association

Young exoplanets are snapshots of the planetary evolution process. Planets that orbit stars in young associations are particularly important because the age of the planetary system is well constrained. We present the discovery of a transiting planet larger than Neptune but smaller than Saturn in the 45 Myr Tucana-Horologium young moving group. The host star is a visual binary, and our follow-up observations demonstrate that the planet orbits the G6V primary component, DS Tuc A (HD 222259A, TIC 410214986). We first identified transits using photometry from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS; alerted as TOI 200.01). We validated the planet and improved the stellar parameters using a suite of new and archival data, including spectra from SOAR/Goodman, SALT/HRS and LCO/NRES; transit photometry from Spitzer; and deep adaptive optics imaging from Gemini/GPI. No additional stellar or planetary signals are seen in the data. We measured the planetary parameters by simultaneously modeling the photometry with a transit model and a Gaussian process to account for stellar variability. We determined that the planetary radius is $5.70\pm0.17$ Earth radii and that the orbital period is 8.1 days. The inclination angles of the host star's spin axis, the planet's orbital axis, and the visual binary's orbital axis are aligned within 15 degrees to within the uncertainties of the relevant data. DS Tuc Ab is bright enough (V=8.5) for detailed characterization using radial velocities and transmission spectroscopy.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2019

How to Constrain Your M dwarf II: the mass-luminosity-metallicity relation from 0.075 to 0.70$M_\odot$

The mass-luminosity relation for late-type stars has long been a critical tool for estimating stellar masses. However, there is growing need for both a higher-precision relation and a better understanding of systematic effects (e.g., metallicity). Here we present an empirical relationship between Mks and mass spanning $0.075M_\odot<M<0.70M_\odot$. The relation is derived from 62 nearby binaries, whose orbits we determine using a combination of Keck/NIRC2 imaging, archival adaptive optics data, and literature astrometry. From their orbital parameters, we determine the total mass of each system, with a precision better than 1% in the best cases. We use these total masses, in combination with resolved Ks magnitudes and system parallaxes, to calibrate the mass-Mks relation. The result can be used to determine masses of single stars with a precision of 2-3%, which we confirm by a comparison to dynamical masses from the literature. The precision is limited by scatter around the best-fit relation beyond mass uncertainties, perhaps driven by intrinsic variation in the mass-Mks relation or underestimated measurement errors. We find the effect of [Fe/H] on the mass-Mks relation is likely negligible for metallicities in the Solar neighborhood (0.0+/-2.2% change in mass per dex change in [Fe/H]). This weak effect is consistent with predictions from the Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database, but inconsistent with those from MESA Isochrones and Stellar Tracks. A sample of binaries with a wider range of abundances will be required to discern the importance of metallicity in extreme populations (e.g., in the Galactic Halo or thick disk).

astro-ph.SR↗