Other
Scientific paper
Jan 2012
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012aas...21922805h&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219, #228.05
Other
Scientific paper
We report the results of two studies carried out at the W. M. Keck Observatory targeting the very young (5 Myr) Upper Scorpius OB Association using aperture masking interferometry. Our primary goal is the direct detection of the primordial population of planets and brown dwarfs in Upper Sco. I will present the first discovery of 6-8 brown dwarf companions in our ongoing, multi-year survey of the intermediate mass stars (spectral type B, A,and F) in this association. Our discoveries of these 20-80 Jupiter mass objects provide crucial initial characteristics of very young systems serving as a key benchmark against which evolutionary models can be compared. Moreover, this study serves as a crucial bridge between the radial velocity surveys targetting these more massive spectral types, and more conventional high contrast imaging surveys geared towards placing constraints on the frequency of companions at very large orbital radii. From a mass ratio point-of-view, our discovery of these objects are analogous to the detection of planetary mass companions orbiting solar mass stars. More importantly, our detections provide data independent of extrapolations from binary star populations or radial velocity measurements. If time permits, I will briefly mention another study targetting a sample of mid-M dwarfs in Upper Sco. These objects have Spitzer IRAC/MIPS observations confirming the presence of circumstellar debris disks in which the inner disk has been depleted of small dust grains. We can easily rule out any stellar companions or brown dwarfs as responsible for clearing the inner regions of these transitional disks. Given that these disks also show signs of dynamical stirring, we conclude the inner holes are likely sculpted by planetary mass companions,and we place an upper limit of 10 Jupiter masses on these planets.
Carpenter John Michael
Hinkley Sasha
Ireland Michael J.
Kraus Adam L.
Tuthill Peter
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