• DOI:10.1051/0004-6361:20040551
• Corpus ID: 3149721

First determination of the dynamical mass of a binary L dwarf

@article{Bouy2004FirstDO,
  title={First determination of the dynamical mass of a binary L dwarf},
  author={Herv{\'e} Bouy and Gaspard Duch{\^e}ne and Rainer Koehler and Wolfgang Brandner and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Bouvier and E. L. Mart{\'i}n and Andrea M. Ghez and Xavier Delfosse and Thierry Forveille and France Allard and Isabelle Baraffe and Gibor Basri and Laird M. Close and Caer-Eve McCabe},
  journal={Astronomy and Astrophysics},
  year={2004},
  volume={423},
  pages={341-352}
}

• H. Bouy, G. Duchêne, +11 authors C. McCabe
• Published 6 May 2004
• Physics, Geology
• Astronomy and Astrophysics

We present here the results of astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic observations leading to the determination of the orbit and dynamical masses of the binary L dwarf 2MASSW J0746425+2000321. High angular resolution observations spread over almost 4 years and obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), and at heW. M. Keck Observatory (Keck) allow us to cover ∼36% of the period, corresponding to 60% of the orbit, and, for the first time, to derive a precise estimate of the total and individual masses of such a late-type object. We find an orbital period of 3850.9 +904 −767 days. The corresponding total mass is 0.146 +0.016 −0.006 Mwith uncertainties depending on the distance. Spatially resolved low resolution optical (550-1025 nm) spectra have been obtained with HST/STIS, allowing us to measure the spectral types of the two components (L0 ± 0.5 for the primary and L1.5 ± 0.5 for the secondary). We also present precise photometry of the individual components measured on the high angular resolution images obtained with HST/ACS and WFPC2 (visible), VLT/NACO (J, H and KS bands) and Keck I (KS band). These spectral and photometric measurements enable us to estimate their effective temperatures and mass ratio, and to place the object accurately in a H-R diagram. The binary system is most likely formed by a primary with a mass of 0.085 ± 0.010 Mand a secondary with a mass of 0.066 ± 0.006 M� , thus clearly substellar, for an age of approximately 300 ± 150 Myr. Hα variability indicates chromospheric and/or magnetic activity.