Young imaged planet/brown dwarf at 2M0122-2439

A new super-Jovian planet?
 
Planets Around Low-Mass Stars (PALMS). III. A Young Dusty L Dwarf Companion at the Deuterium-Burning Limit
 

Quote :

We report the discovery of an L-type companion to the young M3.5V star 2MASS J01225093-2439505 at a projected separation of 1.45" (~52 AU) as part of our adaptive optics imaging search for extrasolar giant planets around young low-mass stars. 2MASS 0122-2439 B has very red near-infrared colors similar to the HR 8799 planets and the reddest known young/dusty L dwarfs in the field. Moderate-resolution (R~3800) 1.5-2.4 $\mu$m spectroscopy reveals a near-infrared spectral type of L4-L6 and an angular H-band shape, confirming its cool temperature and young age. The kinematics of 2MASS 0122-2439 AB are marginally consistent with members of the ~120 Myr AB Dor young moving group based on the photometric distance to the primary (36 +/- 4 pc) and our radial velocity measurement of 2MASS 0122-2439 A from Keck/HIRES. We adopt the AB Dor group age for the system, but the high energy emission, lack of Li I $\lambda$6707 absorption, and spectral shape of 2MASS 0122-2439 B suggest a range of ~10-120 Myr is possible. The age and luminosity of 2MASS 0122-2439 B fall in a strip where "hot-start" evolutionary model mass tracks overlap as a result of deuterium burning. The implied mass of 2MASS 0122-2439 B is ~12-13 Mjup or ~22-27 Mjup if it is an AB Dor member, or possibly as low as 11 Mjup if the wider age range is adopted. Evolutionary models predict an effective temperature for 2MASS 0122-2439 B that corresponds to spectral types near the L/T transition (~1300-1500 K) for field objects. However, we find a mid-L near-infrared spectral type, indicating that 2MASS 0122-2439 B represents another case of photospheric dust being retained to cooler temperatures at low surface gravities, as seen in the spectra of young (8-30 Myr) planetary companions.

Also has implications for other similar objects which do not have unique mass predictions from evolutionary tracks:

• 2MASS J0103–5515 ABb
• AB Pic b
• κ And b
• G196-3 B
• SDSS 2249+0044 B
• LP 261-75 B
• HD 203030 B
• HN Peg B

In EPE now:

http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/2m_0122-2439_b/

Early Results from VLT-SPHERE: Long-Slit Spectroscopy of 2MASS 0122-2439B, a Young Companion Near the Deuterium Burning Limit

Quote :

We present 0.95-1.80 μm spectroscopy of the ∼12-27 MJup companion orbiting the faint (R∼13.6), young (∼120 Myr) M-dwarf 2MASS J01225093--2439505 ("2M0122--2439 B") at 1.5 arcsecond separation (50 AU). Our coronagraphic long-slit spectroscopy was obtained with the new high contrast imaging platform VLT-SPHERE during Science Verification. The unique long-slit capability of SPHERE enables spectral resolution an order of magnitude higher than other extreme AO exoplanet imaging instruments. With a low mass, cool temperature, and very red colors, 2M0122-2439 B occupies a particularly important region of the substellar color-magnitude diagram by bridging the warm directly imaged hot planets with late-M/early-L spectral types (e.g. β Pic b and ROXs 42Bb) and the cooler, dusty objects near the L/T transition (e.g. HR 8799bcde and 2MASS 1207b). We fit BT-Settl atmospheric models to our R≈350 spectrum and find Teff=1600±100 K and log(g)=4.5±0.5 dex. Visual analysis of our 2M0122-2439 B spectrum suggests a spectral type L3-L4, and we resolve shallow J-band alkali lines, confirming its low gravity and youth. Specifically, we use the Allers & Liu (2013) spectral indices to quantitatively measure the strength of the FeH, VO, KI, spectral features, as well as the overall H-band shape. Using these indices, along with the visual spectral type analysis, we classify 2M0122-2439 B as an intermediate gravity (INT-G) object with spectral type L3.7±1.0.

Merged with the discovery paper's thread.

Sirius_Alpha wrote:

Merged with the discovery paper's thread.

Yeah, wise choice.

We have now measured the rotation axis inclination for the planet, the star, and the inclination of the orbit of the "planet." While the star's spin vector and planet's orbit vector appear well aligned, the planet's spin vector does not.

Obliquity Constraints on an Extrasolar Planetary-Mass Companion
https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.11131

Quote :

We place the first constraints on the obliquity of a planetary-mass companion (PMC) outside of the Solar System. Our target is the directly imaged system 2MASS J01225093-2439505 (2M0122), which consists of a 120 Myr 0.4 M_sun star hosting a 12-27 M_J companion at 50 AU. We constrain all three of the system's angular momentum vectors: how the companion spin axis, the stellar spin axis, and the orbit normal are inclined relative to our line of sight. To accomplish this, we measure projected rotation rates (vsini) for both the star and the companion using new near-infrared high-resolution spectra with NIRSPEC at Keck Observatory. We combine these with a new stellar photometric rotation period from TESS and a published companion rotation period from HST to obtain spin axis inclinations for both objects. We also fitted multiple epochs of astrometry, including a new observation with NIRC2/Keck, to measure 2M0122b's orbital inclination. The three line-of-sight inclinations place limits on the true de-projected companion obliquity and stellar obliquity. We find that while the stellar obliquity marginally prefers alignment, the companion obliquity tentatively favors misalignment. We evaluate possible origin scenarios. While collisions, secular spin-orbit resonances, and Kozai-Lidov oscillations are unlikely, formation by gravitational instability in a gravito-turbulent disk - the scenario favored for brown dwarf companions to stars - appears promising.

They suggest this points to a disk-fragmentation model for the formation of the "planet," and suggest it's probably more likely to be a brown dwarf.