2005A&A...431..539P

We present deep IJHK_s and H₂ images of a region in the Chamaeleon I dark cloud containing the very low-mass young object [KG2001] 102, in an attempt to search for multiplicity and molecular outflow in the vicinity of this object. No low-velocity shocked structures were detected in our H₂ image. The broad-band and narrow-band images show that [KG2001] 102 is composed of four objects within a radius of ∼2''. The brightest component [KG2001] 102A shows near-IR excess emission and its mass is estimated to be in the range 33 to 55M_Jup, depending on which model is adopted. Red spectra were obtained of the two fainter components B and C. The spectrum of the former suggests a K7V spectral type while the spectrum of component C is too noisy to allow a reliable classification but rules out a late M-type. The three faint components (B, C and D) have IJHK colors that suggest a much later spectral type, with extinctions similar to other members of the cloud. The computed probability of randomly finding a pair of field stars like [KG2001] 102AB is 1.5x10^–3 while for a triple optical system like [KG2001] 102ABC, it would be 3.8x10^–5 and more than an order of magnitude lower for finding a quadruple system like this by chance projection.