An infrared imaging search for low-mass companions to members of the young nearby β Pic and Tucana/Horologium associations

Author(s)

R. Neuhäuser, E. W. Guenther, J. Alves, N. Huélamo, Th. Ott, A. Eckart

Abstract

We present deep high dynamic range infrared images of young nearby stars

in the Tucana/Horologium and β Pic associations, all ˜ 10 to

35 Myrs young and at ˜ 10 to 60 pc distance. Such young nearby

stars are well-suited for direct imaging searches for brown dwarf and

even planetary companions, because young sub-stellar objects are still

self-luminous due to contraction and accretion. We performed our

observations at the ESO 3.5m NTT with the normal infrared imaging

detector SofI and the MPE speckle camera Sharp-I. Three arc sec north of

GSC 8047-0232 in Horologium a promising brown dwarf companion candidate

is detected, which needs to be confirmed by proper motion and/or

spectroscopy. Several other faint companion candidates are already

rejected by second epoch imaging. Among 21 stars observed in

Tucana/Horologium, there are not more than one to five brown dwarf

companions outside of 75 AU (1.5'' at 50 pc); most certainly only

Organisation(s)

Department of Astrophysics

External organisation(s)

Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg, European Southern Observatory (Germany), Universität zu Köln, Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

Journal

Astronomische Nachrichten

Volume

324

Pages

535-542

ISSN

0004-6337

Publication date

11-2003

Peer reviewed

Yes

Keywords

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/98495b9d-ef8e-4dc1-8f98-3f854c1a6d7a