arXiv subjects

H. R. A. Jones

Publications and source records attributed to H. R. A. Jones.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Euclid: The convective-transition gap of 47 Tuc

We report the first detection of the `convective-transition gap' (also known as `M-dwarf gap') in the globular cluster 47 Tuc (NGC 104) thanks to Euclid data. This feature, linked to a change in the physical properties of late-type dwarfs, has remained elusive, with only two detections so far. Leveraging the large number of stars, high resolution, and photometric precision enabled by Euclid, we detect a statistically significant, sharp discontinuity in the main-sequence luminosity function of 47 Tuc at $I_{\rm E} \approx 22.9$, which we identify as the convective-transition gap. We compare the observed properties of the gap in 47 Tuc with theoretical models, showing how the gap can be a powerful diagnostic to probe the internal chemical structure of globular clusters, and their multiple stellar populations. Following its initial discovery in the metal-poor cluster NGC 6397, the identification of a convective gap in the metal-rich 47 Tuc suggests that this feature might be more general than previously thought. These results demonstrate that Euclid can be transformative well beyond cosmology, with impact across multiple areas of astrophysics, including resolved stellar populations.

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arXiv2026

Two late-T dwarfs at kiloparsec distances revealed by JWST UNCOVER survey

We conducted a search for brown dwarf candidates in a James Webb Space Telescope deep field around A2744 to investigate the space density of these objects at kiloparsec distances. Our methodology employed an initial selection based on photometric colours, followed by spectral energy distribution fitting to both stellar atmospheric models and high-redshift galaxy templates. This approach yielded two robust T dwarf candidates and one possible L subdwarf candidate. The T dwarfs have estimated Galactic heights of 0.43 and 0.86 kpc, likely residing near the outer edges of the Galactic thin and thick discs, respectively. We measure a T dwarf surface number density of 0.094 per squared arcmin in the UNCOVER field, lower than previous predictions but consistent at the order-of-magnitude level. We also provide space number density estimates for T5-T8.9 dwarfs across different effective temperature and spectral type bins, finding that T5-T7 dwarfs out to 2 kpc have significantly lower densities than their solar neighbourhood counterparts, whilst T8 dwarfs within the thick disc exhibit densities comparable to local values. Our analysis demonstrates that broad-band near- to mid-infrared photometry provides high sensitivity to late-T dwarfs but is relatively less sensitive to L and early-T dwarfs. Spectroscopy is typically required to distinguish photometric candidates of L dwarfs, early-T subdwarfs, and high-redshift galaxies in JWST deep fields. This study demonstrates the potential for expanding our understanding of brown dwarf distributions and characteristics at unprecedented distances, offering new insights into substellar populations beyond the solar neighbourhood.

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arXiv2025

Benchmark brown dwarfs -- I. A blue M2 + T5 wide binary and a probable young [M4 + M4] + [T7 + T8] hierarchical quadruple

Benchmark brown dwarfs in wide binary systems are crucial for characterizing substellar objects and calibrating atmospheric and evolutionary models. However, brown dwarf benchmarks with subsolar metallicity, very cool temperatures, or suitability for dynamical mass measurements are rare, limiting our understanding across the full range of mass, age, and metallicity. We present the discovery of two new multiple systems containing T dwarf companions, identified through a targeted search using CatWISE2020 and Gaia catalogues. L 122-88 AB is a wide binary comprising a mildly metal-poor M2 dwarf and a T5 dwarf, separated by 215.6 arcsec at a distance of 33.106+/-0.014 pc. Atmospheric model fitting to the near infrared spectrum of L 122-88 A suggests a mildly metal-poor composition ([Fe/H] = -0.2). UPM J1040-3551 AB is a candidate hierarchical quadruple system at 25.283+/-0.013 pc, consisting of a likely astrometric binary of two M4 dwarfs and a probable unresolved spectral binary of T7 and T8 dwarfs, separated by 65.48 arcsec from the primary. The H-alpha emission detected in UPM J1040-3551 A indicates an age range of 0.3-2.0 Gyr. This age estimate suggests that the T8 component has a mass between 9 and 28 Jupiter masses, potentially classifying it as a planetary-mass object. These systems augment the sample of benchmark brown dwarfs, particularly in the underexplored regime of cool temperature, providing valuable opportunities for refining our understanding of substellar objects.

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arXiv2025

RedDots: Planetary masses in the GJ1061 system from planet-planet interaction

GJ1061 is a very nearby M star hosting three low-mass temperate planets detected from radial velocity variations. The close to 4:2:1 period commensurability of the planets, the available long-term monitoring of the system and new very high-precision radial velocity measurements from ESPRESSO enable the determination of masses from the planet-planet interaction. Using nested sampling, we derived parameter distributions for a co-planar configuration. The three planets (Mb =1.07 +- 0.11M_Earth, Pb =3.2073 +- 0.0003 d, Mc=1.76 +- 0.13M_Earth, Pc=6.6821 +- 0.0008 d, Md =1.55 +- 0.17M_Earth, Pd =13.066 +- 0.002 d) are potentially all rocky with equilibrium temperatures between 360 K and 240 K. This makes the GJ1061 system one of the prime targets for future ground or space based instruments suitable for a direct detection of the planetary atmospheres.

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arXiv2025

The Gaia Ultracool Dwarf Sample -- VI. Spectral Types and Properties of 51 Ultracool Dwarfs

Near-infrared spectra from the IRTF/SpeX and Blanco/ARCoIRIS telescope/instrument combinations are used for spectroscopic classification, to measure radial velocities and for the inference of astrophysical properties of 51 Gaia-selected nearby ultracool dwarfs. In this sample, 44 are newly classified in the near infrared. All but one of the UCDs are within 100 pc, and 37 lie within 50 pc. We find a total of 26 M-types, 24 L-types and one T-type in our sample. The positions of the majority of the UCDs on colour-magnitude diagrams and with evolutionary cooling track plots indicate that they are largely old and stellar in nature. There are a few UCDs of particular interest which lie away from expected trends, highlighting potential young, binary and thick disc/subdwarf UCDs. From spectral and kinematic analyses, we identify UCDs of particular interest for further investigation, including seven potentially young UCDs, three thick disc UCDs, one subdwarf, six wide binaries, and six unresolved binaries.

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arXiv2024

The Gaia Ultracool Dwarf Sample -- IV. GTC/OSIRIS optical spectra of Gaia late-M and L dwarfs

As part of our comprehensive, ongoing characterisation of the low-mass end of the main sequence in the Solar neighbourhood, we used the OSIRIS instrument at the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias to acquire low- and mid-resolution (R$\approx$300 and R$\approx$2500) optical spectroscopy of 53 late-M and L ultracool dwarfs. Most of these objects are known but poorly investigated and lacking complete kinematics. We measured spectral indices, determined spectral types (six of which are new) and inferred effective temperature and surface gravity from BT-Settl synthetic spectra fits for all objects. We were able to measure radial velocities via line centre fitting and cross correlation for 46 objects, 29 of which lacked previous radial velocity measurements. Using these radial velocities in combination with the latest Gaia DR3 data, we also calculated Galactocentric space velocities. From their kinematics, we identified two candidates outside of the thin disc and four in young stellar kinematic groups. Two further ultracool dwarfs are apparently young field objects: 2MASSW J1246467$+$402715 (L4$β$), which has a potential, weak lithium absorption line, and G 196$-$3B (L3$β$), which was already known as young due to its well-studied primary companion.

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arXiv2024

HD 222237 b: a long period super-Jupiter around a nearby star revealed by radial-velocity and Hipparcos-Gaia astrometry

Giant planets on long period orbits around the nearest stars are among the easiest to directly image. Unfortunately these planets are difficult to fully constrain by indirect methods, e.g., transit and radial velocity (RV). In this study, we present the discovery of a super-Jupiter, HD 222237 b, orbiting a star located $11.445\pm0.002$ pc away. By combining RV data, Hipparcos and multi-epoch Gaia astrometry, we estimate the planetary mass to be ${5.19}_{-0.58}^{+0.58}\,M_{\rm Jup}$, with an eccentricity of ${0.56}_{-0.03}^{+0.03}$ and a period of ${40.8}_{-4.5}^{+5.8}$ yr, making HD 222237 b a promising target for imaging using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) of JWST. A comparative analysis suggests that our method can break the inclination degeneracy and thus differentiate between prograde and retrograde orbits of a companion. We further find that the inferred contrast ratio between the planet and the host star in the F1550C filter ($15.50\,μ\rm m$) is approximately $1.9\times10^{-4}$, which is comparable with the measured limit of the MIRI coronagraphs. The relatively low metallicity of the host star ($\rm-0.32\,dex$) combined with the unique orbital architecture of this system presents an excellent opportunity to probe the planet-metallicity correlation and the formation scenarios of giant planets.

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arXiv2024

Primeval very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs -- VIII. The first age benchmark L subdwarf, a wide companion to a halo white dwarf

We report the discovery of five white dwarf + ultracool dwarf systems identified as common proper motion wide binaries in the Gaia Catalogue of Nearby Stars. The discoveries include a white dwarf + L subdwarf binary, VVV 1256-62AB, a gravitationally bound system located 75.6(+1.9/-1.8) pc away with a projected separation of 1375(+35/-33) au. The primary is a cool DC white dwarf with a hydrogen dominated atmosphere, and has a total age of 10.5(+3.3/-2.1) Gyr, based on white dwarf model fitting. The secondary is an L subdwarf with a metallicity of [M/H] = -0.72(+0.08/-0.10) (i.e. [Fe/H] = -0.81+/-0.10) and Teff = 2298(+45/-43) K based on atmospheric model fitting of its optical to near infrared spectrum, and likely has a mass just above the stellar/substellar boundary. The sub-solar metallicity of the L subdwarf and the system's total space velocity of 406 km/s indicates membership in the Galactic halo, and it has a flat eccentric Galactic orbit passing within 1~kpc of the centre of the Milky Way every ~0.4Gyr and extending to 15-31 kpc at apogal. VVV 1256-62B is the first L subdwarf to have a well-constrained age, making it an ideal benchmark of metal-poor ultracool dwarf atmospheres and evolution.

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arXiv2024

The VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea eXtended (VVVX) ESO public survey: Completion of the observations and legacy

The ESO public survey VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) surveyed the inner Galactic bulge and the adjacent southern Galactic disk from $2009-2015$. Upon its conclusion, the complementary VVV eXtended (VVVX) survey has expanded both the temporal as well as spatial coverage of the original VVV area, widening it from $562$ to $1700$ sq. deg., as well as providing additional epochs in $JHK_{\rm s}$ filters from $2016-2023$. With the completion of VVVX observations during the first semester of 2023, we present here the observing strategy, a description of data quality and access, and the legacy of VVVX. VVVX took $\sim 2000$ hours, covering about 4% of the sky in the bulge and southern disk. VVVX covered most of the gaps left between the VVV and the VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS) areas and extended the VVV time baseline in the obscured regions affected by high extinction and hence hidden from optical observations. VVVX provides a deep $JHK_{\rm s}$ catalogue of $\gtrsim 1.5\times10^9$ point sources, as well as a $K_{\rm s}$ band catalogue of $\sim 10^7$ variable sources. Within the existing VVV area, we produced a $5D$ map of the surveyed region by combining positions, distances, and proper motions of well-understood distance indicators such as red clump stars, RR Lyrae, and Cepheid variables. In March 2023 we successfully finished the VVVX survey observations that started in 2016, an accomplishment for ESO Paranal Observatory upon 4200 hours of observations for VVV+VVVX. The VVV+VVVX catalogues complement those from the Gaia mission at low Galactic latitudes and provide spectroscopic targets for the forthcoming ESO high-multiplex spectrographs MOONS and 4MOST.

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arXiv2023

Ultracool Spectroscopic Outliers in Gaia DR3

Gaia DR3 provided a first release of RP spectra and astrophysical parameters for ultracool dwarfs. We used these Gaia RP spectra and astrophysical parameters to select the most outlying ultracool dwarfs. These objects have spectral types of M7 or later and might be young brown dwarfs or low metallicity objects. This work aimed to find ultracool dwarfs which have Gaia RP spectra significantly different to the typical population. However, the intrinsic faintness of these ultracool dwarfs in Gaia means that their spectra were typically rather low signal-to-noise in Gaia DR3. This study is intended as a proof-of-concept for future iterations of the Gaia data releases. Based on well studied subdwarfs and young objects, we created a spectral type-specific color ratio, defined using Gaia RP spectra; this ratio is then used to determine which objects are outliers. We then used the objects kinematics and photometry external to Gaia to cut down the list of outliers into a list of 'prime candidates'. We produce a list of 58 Gaia RP spectra outliers, seven of which we deem as prime candidates. Of these, six are likely subdwarfs and one is a known young stellar object. Four of six subdwarf candidates were known as subdwarfs already. The two other subdwarf candidates: 2MASS J03405673+2633447 (sdM8.5) and 2MASS J01204397+6623543 (sdM9), are new classifications.

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arXiv2022

Ultracool dwarfs in Gaia DR3

Aims. In this work we use the Gaia DR3 set of ultracool dwarf candidates and complement the Gaia spectrophotometry with additional photometry in order to characterise its global properties. This includes the inference of the distances, their locus in the Gaia colour-absolute magnitude diagram and the (biased through selection) luminosity function in the faint end of the Main Sequence. We study the overall changes in the Gaia RP spectra as a function of spectral type. We study the UCDs in binary systems, attempt to identify low-mass members of nearby young associations, star forming regions and clusters, and analyse their variability properties. Results. We detect 57 young, kinematically homogeneous groups some of which are identified as well known star forming regions, associations and clusters of different ages. We find that the primary members of 880 binary systems with a UCD belong mainly to the thin and thick disk components of the Milky Way. We identify 1109 variable UCDs using the variability tables in the Gaia archive, 728 of which belong to the star forming regions defined by HMAC. We define two groups of variable UCDs with extreme bright or faint outliers. Conclusions. The set of sources identified as UCDs in the Gaia archive contains a wealth of information that will require focused follow-up studies and observations. It will help to advance our understanding of the nature of the faint end of the Main Sequence and the stellar/substellar transition.

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arXiv2021

High contrast imaging at 10 microns, a search for exoplanets around: Eps Indi A, Eps Eri, Tau Ceti, Sirius A and Sirius B

The direct imaging of rocky exoplanets is one of the major science goals for upcoming large telescopes. The contrast requirement for imaging such planets is challenging. However, the mid-IR (InfraRed) regime provides the optimum contrast to directly detect the thermal signatures of exoplanets in our solar neighbourhood. We aim to exploit novel fast chopping techniques newly developed for astronomy with the aid of adaptive optics to look for thermal signatures of exoplanets around bright stars in the solar neighbourhood. We use the upgraded VISIR (Very Large Telescope Imager and Spectrometer for the mid-InfraRed) instrument with high contrast imaging (HCI) capability optimized for observations at 10~$μ$m to look for exoplanets around five nearby ($d$ < 4 pc) stars. The instrument provides an improved signal-to-noise (S/N) by a factor of $\sim$4 in the N-band compared to standard VISIR for a given S/N and time. In this work we achieve a detection sensitivity of sub-mJy, which is sufficient to detect few Jupiter mass planets in nearby systems. Although no detections are made we achieve most sensitive limits within $<2''$ for all the observed targets compared to previous campaigns. For $ε$ Indi A and $ε$ Eri we achieve detection limits very close to the giant planets discovered by RV, with the limits on $ε$ Indi A being the most sensitive to date. Our non-detection therefore supports an older age for $ε$ Indi A. The results presented here show the promise for high contrast imaging and exoplanet detections in the mid-IR regime.

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arXiv2020

A small actively-controlled high-resolution spectrograph based on off-the-shelf components

We present the design and testing of a prototype in-plane echelle spectrograph based on an actively controlled fibre-fed double-pass design. This system aims to be small and efficient with the minimum number of optical surfaces - currently a collimator/camera lens, cross-dispersing prism, grating and a reflector to send light to the detector. It is built from catalogue optical components and has dimensions of approximately 20x30 cm. It works in the optical regime with a resolution of >70,000. The spectrograph is fed by a bifurcated fibre with one fibre to a telescope and the other used to provide simultaneous Thorium Argon light illumination for wavelength calibration. The positions of the arc lines on the detector are processed in real time and commercial auto-guiding software is used to treat the positions of the arc lines as guide stars. The guiding software sends any required adjustments to mechanical piezo-electric actuators which move the mirror sending light to the camera removing any drift in the position of the arc lines. The current configuration using an sCMOS detector provides a precision of 3.5 milli-pixels equivalent to 4 m/s in a standard laboratory environment.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

A multiple planet system of super-Earths orbiting the brightest red dwarf star GJ887

The nearest exoplanets to the Sun are our best possibilities for detailed characterization. We report the discovery of a compact multi-planet system of super-Earths orbiting the nearby red dwarf GJ 887, using radial velocity measurements. The planets have orbital periods of 9.3 and 21.8~days. Assuming an Earth-like albedo, the equilibrium temperature of the 21.8 day planet is approx 350 K; which is interior, but close to the inner edge, of the liquid-water habitable zone. We also detect a further unconfirmed signal with a period of 50 days which could correspond to a third super-Earth in a more temperate orbit. GJ 887 is an unusually magnetically quiet red dwarf with a photometric variability below 500 parts-per-million, making its planets amenable to phase-resolved photometric characterization.

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arXiv2020

The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Characterization of the nearby ultra-compact multiplanetary system YZ Ceti

The nearby ultra-compact multiplanetary system YZ Ceti consists of at least three planets. The orbital period of each planet is the subject of discussion in the literature due to strong aliasing in the radial velocity data. The stellar activity of this M dwarf also hampers significantly the derivation of the planetary parameters. With an additional 229 radial velocity measurements obtained since the discovery publication, we reanalyze the YZ Ceti system and resolve the alias issues. We use model comparison in the framework of Bayesian statistics and periodogram simulations based on a method by Dawson and Fabrycky to resolve the aliases. We discuss additional signals in the RV data, and derive the planetary parameters by simultaneously modeling the stellar activity with a Gaussian process regression model. To constrain the planetary parameters further we apply a stability analysis on our ensemble of Keplerian fits. We resolve the aliases: the three planets orbit the star with periods of $2.02$ d, $3.06$ d, and $4.66$ d. We also investigate an effect of the stellar rotational signal on the derivation of the planetary parameters, in particular the eccentricity of the innermost planet. Using photometry we determine the stellar rotational period to be close to $68$ d. From the absence of a transit event with TESS, we derive an upper limit of the inclination of $i_\mathrm{max} = 87.43$ deg. YZ Ceti is a prime example of a system where strong aliasing hindered the determination of the orbital periods of exoplanets. Additionally, stellar activity influences the derivation of planetary parameters and modeling them correctly is important for the reliable estimation of the orbital parameters in this specific compact system. Stability considerations then allow additional constraints to be placed on the planetary parameters.

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arXiv2019

Cool Jupiters greatly outnumber their toasty siblings: Occurrence rates from the Anglo-Australian Planet Search

Our understanding of planetary systems different to our own has grown dramatically in the past 30 years. However, our efforts to ascertain the degree to which the Solar system is abnormal or unique have been hindered by the observational biases inherent to the methods that have yielded the greatest exoplanet hauls. On the basis of such surveys, one might consider our planetary system highly unusual - but the reality is that we are only now beginning to uncover the true picture. In this work, we use the full eighteen-year archive of data from the Anglo-Australian Planet Search to examine the abundance of 'Cool Jupiters' - analogs to the Solar system's giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn. We find that such planets are intrinsically far more common through the cosmos than their siblings, the hot Jupiters. We find that the occurrence rate of such 'Cool Jupiters' is $6.73^{+2.09}_{-1.13}$\%, almost an order of magnitude higher than the occurrence of hot Jupiters (at $0.84^{+0.70}_{-0.20}$\%). We also find that the occurrence rate of giant planets is essentially constant beyond orbital distances of $\sim$1\,au. Our results reinforce the importance of legacy radial velocity surveys for the understanding of the Solar system's place in the cosmos.

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arXiv2019

Homogeneously derived transit timings for 17 exoplanets and reassessed TTV trends for WASP-12 and WASP-4

We homogeneously analyse $\sim 3.2\times 10^5$ photometric measurements for $\sim 1100$ transit lightcurves belonging to $17$ exoplanet hosts. The photometric data cover $16$ years 2004--2019 and include amateur and professional observations. Old archival lightcurves were reprocessed using up-to-date exoplanetary parameters and empirically debiased limb-darkening models. We also derive self-consistent transit and radial-velocity fits for $13$ targets. We confirm the nonlinear TTV trend in the WASP-12 data at a high significance, and with a consistent magnitude. However, Doppler data reveal hints of a radial acceleration about $(-7.5\pm 2.2)$~m/s/yr, indicating the presence of unseen distant companions, and suggesting that roughly $10$ per cent of the observed TTV was induced via the light-travel (or Roemer) effect. For WASP-4, a similar TTV trend suspected after the recent TESS observations appears controversial and model-dependent. It is not supported by our homogeneus TTV sample, including $10$ ground-based EXPANSION lightcurves obtained in 2018 simultaneously with TESS. Even if the TTV trend itself does exist in WASP-4, its magnitude and tidal nature are uncertain. Doppler data cannot entirely rule out the Roemer effect induced by possible distant companions.

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arXiv2019

Frequency of planets orbiting M dwarfs in the Solar neighbourhood

The most abundant stars in the Galaxy, M dwarfs, are very commonly hosts to diverse systems of low-mass planets. Their abundancy implies that the general occurrence rate of planets is dominated by their occurrence rate around such M dwarfs. In this article, we combine the M dwarf surveys conducted with the HIRES/Keck, PFS/Magellan, HARPS/ESO, and UVES/VLT instruments supported with data from several other instruments. We analyse the radial velocities of an approximately volume- and brightness-limited sample of 426 nearby M dwarfs in order to search for Doppler signals of cadidate planets. In addition, we analyse spectroscopic activity indicators and ASAS photometry to rule out radial velocity signals corresponding to stellar activity as Doppler signals of planets. We calculate estimates for the occurrence rate of planets around the sample stars and study the properties of this occurrence rate as a function of stellar properties. Our analyses reveal a total of 118 candidate planets orbiting nearby M dwarfs. Based on our results accounting for selection effects and sample detection threshold, we estimate that M dwarfs have on average at least 2.39$^{+4.58}_{-1.36}$ planets per star orbiting them. Accounting for the different sensitivities of radial velocity surveys and Kepler transit photometry implies that there are at least 3.0 planets per star orbiting M dwarfs. We also present evidence for a population of cool mini-Neptunes and Neptunes with indications that they are found an order of magnitude more frequently orbiting the least massive M dwarfs in our sample.

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