2014ApJ...794..143B -
Astrophys. J., 794, 143 (2014/October-3)
SpeX spectroscopy of unresolved very low mass binaries. II. Identification of 14 candidate binaries with late-M/early-L and T dwarf components.
BARDALEZ GAGLIUFFI D.C., BURGASSER A.J., GELINO C.R., LOOPER D.L., NICHOLLS C.P., SCHMIDT S.J., CRUZ K., WEST A.A., GIZIS J.E. and METCHEV S.
Abstract (from CDS):
Multiplicity is a key statistic for understanding the formation of very low mass (VLM) stars and brown dwarfs. Currently, the separation distribution of VLM binaries remains poorly constrained at small separations ( ≤ 1 AU), leading to uncertainty in the overall binary fraction. We approach this problem by searching for late-M/early-L plus T dwarf spectral binaries whose combined light spectra exhibit distinct peculiarities, allowing for separation-independent identification. We define a set of spectral indices designed to identify these systems, and we use a spectral template fitting method to confirm and characterize spectral binary candidates from a library of 815 spectra from the SpeX Prism Spectral Libraries. We present 11 new binary candidates, confirm 3 previously reported candidates, and rule out 2 previously identified candidates, all with primary and secondary spectral types in the range M7-L7 and T1-T8, respectively. We find that subdwarfs and blue L dwarfs are the primary contaminants in our sample and propose a method for segregating these sources. If confirmed by follow-up observations, these systems may add to the growing list of tight separation binaries, whose orbital properties may yield further insight into brown dwarf formation scenarios.
Abstract Copyright:
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Journal keyword(s):
binaries: close - binaries: general - brown dwarfs - stars: low-mass
VizieR on-line data:
<Available at CDS (J/ApJ/794/143): table2.dat refs.dat>
Simbad objects:
554
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