Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

J. -B. Le Bouquin

Publications and source records attributed to J. -B. Le Bouquin.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The GRAVITY young stellar object survey XIV : Investigating the magnetospheric accretion-ejection processes in S CrA N

The dust- and gas-rich protoplanetary disks around young stellar systems play a key role in star and planet formation. While considerable progress has recently been made in probing these disks on large scales of a few tens of astronomical units (au), the central au needs to be more investigated. We aim at unveiling the physical processes at play in the innermost regions of the strongly accreting T Tauri Star S CrA N by means of near-infrared interferometric observations. The K-band continuum emission is well reproduced with an azimuthally-modulated dusty ring. As the star alone cannot explain the size of this sublimation front, we propose that magnetospheric accretion is an important dust-heating mechanism leading to this continuum emission. The differential analysis of the Hydrogen Br$γ$ line is in agreement with radiative transfer models combining magnetospheric accretion and disk winds. Our observations support an origin of the Br$γ$ line from a combination of (variable) accretion-ejection processes in the inner disk region.

astro-ph.SR↗

Four-of-a-kind? Comprehensive atmospheric characterisation of the HR 8799 planets with VLTI/GRAVITY

With four companions at separations from 16 to 71 au, HR 8799 is a unique target for direct imaging, presenting an opportunity for the comparative study of exoplanets with a shared formation history. Combining new VLTI/GRAVITY observations obtained within the ExoGRAVITY program with archival data, we perform a systematic atmospheric characterisation of all four planets. We explore different levels of model flexibility to understand the temperature structure, chemistry and clouds of each planet using both petitRADTRANS atmospheric retrievals and fits to self-consistent radiative-convective equilibrium models. Using Bayesian Model Averaging to combine multiple retrievals, we find that the HR 8799 planets are highly enriched in metals, with [M/H] $\gtrsim$1, and have stellar to super-stellar C/O ratios. The C/O ratio increases with increasing separation from $0.55^{+0.12}_{-0.10}$ for d to $0.78^{+0.03}_{-0.04}$ for b, with the exception of the innermost planet which has a C/O ratio of $0.87\pm0.03$. By retrieving a quench pressure and using a disequilibrium chemistry model we derive vertical mixing strengths compatible with predictions for high-metallicity, self-luminous atmospheres. Bayesian evidence comparisons strongly favour the presence of HCN in HR 8799 c and e, as well as CH$_{4}$ in HR 8799 c, with detections at $>5σ$ confidence. All of the planets are cloudy, with no evidence for patchiness. The clouds of c, d and e are best fit by silicate clouds lying above a deep iron cloud layer, while the clouds of the cooler HR 8799 b are more likely composed of Na$_{2}$S. With well defined atmospheric properties, future exploration of this system is well positioned to unveil further detail in these planets, extending our understanding of the composition, structure, and formation history of these siblings.

astro-ph.EP↗

Estimation of the lateral mis-registrations of the GRAVITY + adaptive optics system

Context. The GRAVITY+ upgrade implies a complete renewal of its adaptive optics (AO) systems. Its complex design, featuring moving components between the deformable mirrors and the wavefront sensors, requires the monitoring and auto-calibrating of the lateral mis-registrations of the system while in operation. Aims. For preset and target acquisition, large lateral registration errors must be assessed in open loop to bring the system to a state where the AO loop closes. In closed loop, these errors must be monitored and corrected, without impacting the science. Methods. With respect to the first requirement, our method is perturbative, with two-dimensional modes intentionally applied to the system and correlated to a reference interaction matrix. For the second requirement, we applied a non-perturbative approach that searches for specific patterns in temporal correlations in the closed loop telemetry. This signal is produced by the noise propagation through the AO loop. Results. Our methods were validated through simulations and on the GRAVITY+ development bench. The first method robustly estimates the lateral mis-registrations, in a single fit and with a sub-subaperture resolution while in an open loop. The second method is not absolute, but it does successfully bring the system towards a negligible mis-registration error, with a limited turbulence bias. Both methods proved to robustly work on a system still under development and not fully characterised. Conclusions. Tested with Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors, the proposed methods are versatile and easily adaptable to other AO instruments, such as the pyramid, which stands as a baseline for all future AO systems. The non-perturbative method, not relying on an interaction matrix model and being sparse in the Fourier domain, is particularly suitable to the next generation of AO systems for extremely large telescopes that will present an unprecedented level of complexity and numbers of actuators.

eess.SP↗

Combining Gaia and GRAVITY: Characterising five new Directly Detected Substellar Companions

Precise mass constraints are vital for the characterisation of brown dwarfs and exoplanets. Here we present how the combination of data obtained by Gaia and GRAVITY can help enlarge the sample of substellar companions with measured dynamical masses. We show how the Non-Single-Star (NSS) two-body orbit catalogue contained in Gaia DR3 can be used to inform high-angular-resolution follow-up observations with GRAVITY. Applying the method presented in this work to eight Gaia candidate systems, we detect all eight predicted companions, seven of which were previously unknown and five are of a substellar nature. Among the sample is Gaia DR3 2728129004119806464 B, which - detected at an angular separation of (34.01 $\pm$ 0.15) mas from the host - is the closest substellar companion ever imaged. This translates to a semi-major axis of (0.938 $\pm$ 0.023) AU. WT 766 B, detected at a greater angular separation, was confirmed to be on an orbit exhibiting an even smaller semi-major axis of (0.676 $\pm$ 0.008) AU. The GRAVITY data were then used to break the host-companion mass degeneracy inherent to the Gaia NSS orbit solutions as well as to constrain the orbital solutions of the respective target systems. Knowledge of the companion masses enabled us to further characterise them in terms of their ages, effective temperatures, and radii via the application of evolutionary models. The inferred ages exhibit a distinct bias towards values younger than what is to be expected based on the literature. The results serve as an independent validation of the orbital solutions published in the NSS two-body orbit catalogue and show that the combination of astrometric survey missions and high-angular-resolution direct imaging holds great promise for efficiently increasing the sample of directly imaged companions in the future, especially in the light of Gaia's upcoming DR4 and the advent of GRAVITY+.

astro-ph.EP↗

High contrast at short separation with VLTI/GRAVITY: Bringing Gaia companions to light

Since 2019, GRAVITY has provided direct observations of giant planets and brown dwarfs at separations of down to 95 mas from the host star. Some of these observations have provided the first direct confirmation of companions previously detected by indirect techniques (astrometry and radial velocities). We want to improve the observing strategy and data reduction in order to lower the inner working angle of GRAVITY in dual-field on-axis mode. We also want to determine the current limitations of the instrument when observing faint companions with separations in the 30-150 mas range. To improve the inner working angle, we propose a fiber off-pointing strategy during the observations to maximize the ratio of companion-light-to-star-light coupling in the science fiber. We also tested a lower-order model for speckles to decouple the companion light from the star light. We then evaluated the detection limits of GRAVITY using planet injection and retrieval in representative archival data. We compare our results to theoretical expectations. We validate our observing and data-reduction strategy with on-sky observations; first in the context of brown dwarf follow-up on the auxiliary telescopes with HD 984 B, and second with the first confirmation of a substellar candidate around the star Gaia DR3 2728129004119806464. With synthetic companion injection, we demonstrate that the instrument can detect companions down to a contrast of $8\times 10^{-4}$ ($Δ\mathrm{K}= 7.7$ mag) at a separation of 35 mas, and a contrast of $3\times 10^{-5}$ ($Δ\mathrm{K}= 11$ mag) at 100 mas from a bright primary (K<6.5), for 30 min exposure time. With its inner working angle and astrometric precision, GRAVITY has a unique reach in direct observation parameter space. This study demonstrates the promising synergies between GRAVITY and Gaia for the confirmation and characterization of substellar companions.

astro-ph.IM↗

A new dimension in the variability of AGB stars: convection patterns size changes with pulsation

Stellar convection plays an important role in atmospheric dynamics, wind formation and the mass-loss processes in Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars. However, a direct characterization of convective surface structures in terms of size, contrast, and life-span is quite challenging. Spatially resolving these features requires the highest angular resolution. In this work, we aim at characterizing the size of convective structures on the surface of the O-rich AGB star R Car to test different theoretical predictions, based on mixing-length theory from solar models. We used infrared low-spectral resolution (R~35) interferometric data in the H-band (~1.76 $μ$m) with the instrument PIONIER at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) to image the star's surface at two epochs separated by ~6 years. Using a power spectrum analysis, we estimate the horizontal size of the structures on the surface of R Car. The sizes of the stellar disk, at different phases of a pulsation cycle, were obtained using parametric model-fitting in the Fourier domain. Our analysis supports that the sizes of the structures in R Car are correlated with variations of the pressure scale height in the atmosphere of the target, as predicted by theoretical models based on solar convective processes. We observe that these structures grow in size when the star expands within a pulsation cycle. While the information is still scarce, this observational finding highlights the role of convection in the dynamics of those objects. New interferometric imaging campaigns with the renewed capabilities of the VLTI are envisioned to expand our analysis to a larger sample of objects.

astro-ph.SR↗

A magnetic massive star has experienced a stellar merger

Massive stars (those larger than 8 solar masses at formation) have radiative envelopes that cannot sustain a dynamo, the mechanism that produces magnetic fields in lower-mass stars. Despite this, approximately 7\% of massive stars have observed magnetic fields, the origin of which is debated. We used multi-epoch interferometric and spectroscopic observations to characterize HD 148937, a binary system of two massive stars. We found that only one star is magnetic and that it appears younger than its companion. The system properties and a surrounding bipolar nebula can be reproduced with a model in which two stars merged (in a previous triple system) to produce the magnetic massive star. Our results provide observational evidence that magnetic fields form in at least some massive stars through stellar mergers.

astro-ph.SR↗

Using the motion of S2 to constrain vector clouds around SgrA*

The dark compact object at the centre of the Milky Way is well established to be a supermassive black hole with mass $M_{\bullet} \sim 4.3 \cdot 10^6 \, M_{\odot}$, but the nature of its environment is still under debate. In this work, we used astrometric and spectroscopic measurements of the motion of the star S2, one of the closest stars to the massive black hole, to determine an upper limit on an extended mass composed of a massive vector field around Sagittarius A*. For a vector with effective mass $10^{-19} \, \rm eV \lesssim m_s \lesssim 10^{-18} \, \rm eV$, our Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis shows no evidence for such a cloud, placing an upper bound $M_{\rm cloud} \lesssim 0.1\% M_{\bullet}$ at $3σ$ confidence level. We show that dynamical friction exerted by the medium on S2 motion plays no role in the analysis performed in this and previous works, and can be neglected thus.

astro-ph.GA↗

A catalogue of dual-field interferometric binary calibrators

Dual-field interferometric observations with VLTI/GRAVITY sometimes require the use of a "binary calibrator", a binary star whose individual components remain unresolved by the interferometer, with a separation between 400 and 2000 mas for observations with the Units Telescopes (UTs), or 1200 to 3000 mas for the Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs). The separation vector also needs to be predictable to within 10 mas for proper pointing of the instrument. Up until now, no list of properly vetted calibrators was available for dual-field observations with VLTI/GRAVITY on the UTs. Our objective is to compile such a list, and make it available to the community. We identify a list of candidates from the Washington Double Star (WDS) catalogue, all with appropriate separations and brightness, scattered over the Southern sky. We observe them as part of a dedicated calibration programme, and determine whether these objects are true binaries (excluding higher multiplicities resolved interferometrically but unseen by imaging), and extract measurements of the separation vectors. We combine these new measurements with those available in the WDS to determine updated orbital parameters for all our vetted calibrators. We compile a list of 13 vetted binary calibrators for observations with VLTI/GRAVITY on the UTs, and provide orbital estimates and astrometric predictions for each of them. We show that our list guarantees that there are always at least two binary calibrators at airmass < 2 in the sky over the Paranal observatory, at any point in time. Any Principal Investigator wishing to use the dual-field mode of VLTI/GRAVITY with the UTs can now refer to this list to select an appropriate calibrator. We encourage the use of "whereistheplanet" to predict the astrometry of these calibrators, which seamlessly integrates with "p2Gravity" for VLTI/GRAVITY dual-field observing material preparation.

astro-ph.IM↗

The GRAVITY young stellar object survey XIII. Tracing the time-variable asymmetric disk structure in the inner AU of the Herbig star HD98922

Temporal variability in the photometric and spectroscopic properties of protoplanetary disks is common in YSO. However, evidence pointing toward changes in their morphology over short timescales has only been found for a few sources, mainly due to a lack of high cadence observations at mas resolution. We combine GRAVITY multi-epoch observations of HD98922 at mas resolution with PIONIER archival data covering a total time span of 11 years. We interpret the interferometric visibilities and spectral energy distribution with geometrical models and through radiative transfer techniques. We investigated high-spectral-resolution quantities to obtain information on the properties of the HI BrG-line-emitting region. The observations are best fitted by a model of a crescent-like asymmetric dust feature located at 1 au and accounting for 70% of the NIR emission. The feature has an almost constant magnitude and orbits the central star with a possible sub-Keplerian period of 12 months, although a 9 month period is another, albeit less probable, solution. The radiative transfer models show that the emission originates from a small amount of carbon-rich (25%) silicates, or quantum-heated particles located in a low-density region. Among different possible scenarios, we favor hydrodynamical instabilities in the inner disk that can create a large vortex. The high spectral resolution differential phases in the BrG-line show that the hot-gas component is offset from the star and in some cases is located between the star and the crescent feature. The scale of the emission does not favor magnetospheric accretion as a driving mechanism. The scenario of an asymmetric disk wind or a massive accreting substellar or planetary companion is discussed. With this unique observational data set for HD98922, we reveal morphological variability in the innermost 2 au of its disk region.

astro-ph.SR↗

A dynamical measure of the black hole mass in a quasar 11 billion years ago

Tight relationships exist in the local universe between the central stellar properties of galaxies and the mass of their supermassive black hole. These suggest galaxies and black holes co-evolve, with the main regulation mechanism being energetic feedback from accretion onto the black hole during its quasar phase. A crucial question is how the relationship between black holes and galaxies evolves with time; a key epoch to probe this relationship is at the peaks of star formation and black hole growth 8-12 billion years ago (redshifts 1-3). Here we report a dynamical measurement of the mass of the black hole in a luminous quasar at a redshift of 2, with a look back time of 11 billion years, by spatially resolving the broad line region. We detect a 40 micro-arcsecond (0.31 pc) spatial offset between the red and blue photocenters of the H$α$ line that traces the velocity gradient of a rotating broad line region. The flux and differential phase spectra are well reproduced by a thick, moderately inclined disk of gas clouds within the sphere of influence of a central black hole with a mass of 3.2x10$^{8}$ solar masses. Molecular gas data reveal a dynamical mass for the host galaxy of 6x10$^{11}$ solar masses, which indicates an under-massive black hole accreting at a super-Eddington rate. This suggests a host galaxy that grew faster than the supermassive black hole, indicating a delay between galaxy and black hole formation for some systems.

astro-ph.GA↗

The GRAVITY young stellar object survey XII. The hot gas disk component in Herbig Ae/Be stars

The region of protoplanetary disks closest to a star (within 1-2\,au) is shaped by a number of different processes, from accretion of the disk material onto the central star to ejection in the form of winds and jets. Optical and near-IR emission lines are potentially good tracers of inner disk processes if very high spatial and/or spectral resolution are achieved. In this paper, we exploit the capabilities of the VLTI-GRAVITY near-IR interferometer to determine the location and kinematics of the hydrogen emission line Bracket gamma. We present VLTI-GRAVITY observations of the Bracket gamma line for a sample of 26 stars of intermediate mass (HAEBE), the largest sample so far analysed with near-IR interferometry. The Bracket gamma line was detected in 17 objects. The emission is very compact (in most cases only marginally resolved), with a size of 10-30R* (1-5 mas). About half of the total flux comes from even smaller regions, which are unresolved in our data. For eight objects, it was possible to determine the position angle (PA) of the line-emitting region, which is generally in agreement with that of the inner-dusty disk emitting the K-band continuum. The position-velocity pattern of the Bracket gamma line-emitting region of the sampled objects is roughly consistent with Keplerian rotation. The exception is HD~45677, which shows more extended emission and more complex kinematics. The most likely scenario for the Bracket gamma origin is that the emission comes from an MHD wind launched very close to the central star, in a region well within the dust sublimation radius. An origin in the bound gas layer at the disk surface cannot be ruled out, while accreting matter provides only a minor fraction of the total flux. These results show the potential of near-IR spectro-interferometry to study line emission in young stellar objects.

astro-ph.SR↗

The GRAVITY young stellar object survey: XI. Imaging the hot gas emission around the Herbig Ae star HD 58647

We aim to investigate the origin of the HI Br$γ$ emission in young stars by using GRAVITY to image the innermost region of circumstellar disks, where important physical processes such as accretion and winds occur. With high spectral and angular resolution, we focus on studying the continuum and the HI Br$γ$-emitting area of the Herbig star HD58647. Using VLTI-GRAVITY, we conducted observations of HD58647 with both high spectral and high angular resolution. Thanks to the extensive $uv$ coverage, we were able to obtain detailed images of the circumstellar environment at a sub-au scale, specifically capturing the continuum and the Br$γ$-emitting region. Through the analysis of velocity-dispersed images and photocentre shifts, we were able to investigate the kinematics of the HI Br$γ$-emitting region. The recovered continuum images show extended emission where the disk major axis is oriented along a position angle of 14\degr. The size of the continuum emission at 5-sigma levels is $\sim$ 1.5 times more extended than the sizes reported from geometrical fitting (3.69 mas $\pm$ 0.02 mas). This result supports the existence of dust particles close to the stellar surface, screened from the stellar radiation by an optically thick gaseous disk. Moreover, for the first time with GRAVITY, the hot gas component of HD58647 traced by the Br$γ$ ,has been imaged. This allowed us to constrain the size of the Br$γ$-emitting region and study the kinematics of the hot gas; we find its velocity field to be roughly consistent with gas that obeys Keplerian motion. The velocity-dispersed images show that the size of the hot gas emission is from a more compact region than the continuum (2.3 mas $\pm$ 0.2 mas). Finally, the line phases show that the emission is not entirely consistent with Keplerian rotation, hinting at a more complex structure in the hot gaseous disk.

astro-ph.EP↗

VLTI/GRAVITY Provides Evidence the Young, Substellar Companion HD 136164 Ab formed like a "Failed Star"

Young, low-mass Brown Dwarfs orbiting early-type stars, with low mass ratios ($q\lesssim0.01$), appear intrinsically rare and present a formation dilemma: could a handful of these objects be the highest mass outcomes of ``planetary" formation channels (bottom up within a protoplanetary disk), or are they more representative of the lowest mass ``failed binaries" (formed via disk fragmentation, or core fragmentation)? Additionally, their orbits can yield model-independent dynamical masses, and when paired with wide wavelength coverage and accurate system age estimates, can constrain evolutionary models in a regime where the models have a wide dispersion depending on initial conditions. We present new interferometric observations of the $16\,\mathrm{Myr}$ substellar companion HD~136164~Ab (HIP~75056~Ab) with VLTI/GRAVITY and an updated orbit fit including proper motion measurements from the Hipparcos-Gaia Catalogue of Accelerations. We estimate a dynamical mass of $35\pm10\,\mathrm{M_J}$ ($q\sim0.02$), making HD~136164~Ab the youngest substellar companion with a dynamical mass estimate. The new mass and newly constrained orbital eccentricity ($e=0.44\pm0.03$) and separation ($22.5\pm1\,\mathrm{au}$) could indicate that the companion formed via the low-mass tail of the Initial Mass Function. Our atmospheric fit to the \texttt{SPHINX} M-dwarf model grid suggests a sub-solar C/O ratio of $0.45$, and $3\times$ solar metallicity, which could indicate formation in the circumstellar disk via disk fragmentation. Either way, the revised mass estimate likely excludes ``bottom-up" formation via core accretion in the circumstellar disk. HD~136164~Ab joins a select group of young substellar objects with dynamical mass estimates; epoch astrometry from future \textit{Gaia} data releases will constrain the dynamical mass of this crucial object further.

astro-ph.SR↗

The large-scale magnetic field of the M dwarf double-line spectroscopic binary FK Aqr

This work is part of the BinaMIcS project, the aim of which is to understand the interaction between binarity and magnetism in close binary systems. All the studied spectroscopic binaries targeted by the BinaMIcS project encompass hot massive and intermediate-mass stars on the main sequence, as well as cool stars over a wide range of evolutionary stages. The present paper focuses on the binary system FK Aqr, which is composed of two early M dwarfs. Both stars are already known to be magnetically active based on their light curves and detected flare activity. In addition, the two components have large convective envelopes with masses just above the fully convective limit, making the system an ideal target for studying effect of binarity on stellar dynamos. We use spectropolarimetric observations obtained with ESPaDOnS at CFHT in September 2014. Mean Stokes I and V line profiles are extracted using the least-squares deconvolution (LSD) method. The radial velocities of the two components are measured from the LSD Stokes I profiles and are combined with interferometric measurements in order to constrain the orbital parameters of the system. The longitudinal magnetic fields Bl and chromospheric activity indicators are measured from the LSD mean line profiles. The rotational modulation of the Stokes V profiles is used to reconstruct the surface magnetic field structures of both stars via the Zeeman Doppler imaging (ZDI) inversion technique. Maps of the surface magnetic field structures of both components of FK Aqr are presented for the first time. Our study shows that both components host similar large-scale magnetic fields of moderate intensity (Bmean ~ 0.25 kG); both are predominantly poloidal and feature a strong axisymmetric dipolar component. (abridged)

astro-ph.SR↗

Polarization analysis of the VLTI and GRAVITY

The goal of this work is to characterize the polarization effects of the VLTI and GRAVITY. This is needed to calibrate polarimetric observations with GRAVITY for instrumental effects and to understand the systematic error introduced to the astrometry due to birefringence when observing targets with a significant intrinsic polarization. By combining a model of the VLTI light path and its mirrors and dedicated experimental data, we construct a full polarization model of the VLTI UTs and the GRAVITY instrument. We first characterize all telescopes together to construct a UT calibration model for polarized targets. We then expand the model to include the differential birefringence. With this, we can constrain the systematic errors for highly polarized targets. Together with this paper, we publish a standalone Python package to calibrate the instrumental effects on polarimetric observations. This enables the community to use GRAVITY to observe targets in a polarimetric observing mode. We demonstrate the calibration model with the galactic center star IRS 16C. For this source, we can constrain the polarization degree to within 0.4 % and the polarization angle within 5 deg while being consistent with the literature. Furthermore, we show that there is no significant contrast loss, even if the science and fringe-tracker targets have significantly different polarization, and we determine that the phase error in such an observation is smaller than 1 deg, corresponding to an astrometric error of 10 μas. With this work, we enable the use of the polarimetric mode with GRAVITY/UTs and outline the steps necessary to observe and calibrate polarized targets. We demonstrate that it is possible to measure the intrinsic polarization of astrophysical sources with high precision and that polarization effects do not limit astrometric observations of polarized targets.

astro-ph.IM↗

First VLTI/GRAVITY Observations of HIP 65426 b: Evidence for a Low or Moderate Orbital Eccentricity

Giant exoplanets have been directly imaged over orders of magnitude of orbital separations, prompting theoretical and observational investigations of their formation pathways. In this paper, we present new VLTI/GRAVITY astrometric data of HIP 65426 b, a cold, giant exoplanet which is a particular challenge for most formation theories at a projected separation of 92 au from its primary. Leveraging GRAVITY's astrometric precision, we present an updated eccentricity posterior that disfavors large eccentricities. The eccentricity posterior is still prior-dependent, and we extensively interpret and discuss the limits of the posterior constraints presented here. We also perform updated spectral comparisons with self-consistent forward-modeled spectra, finding a best fit ExoREM model with solar metallicity and C/O=0.6. An important caveat is that it is difficult to estimate robust errors on these values, which are subject to interpolation errors as well as potentially missing model physics. Taken together, the orbital and atmospheric constraints paint a preliminary picture of formation inconsistent with scattering after disk dispersal. Further work is needed to validate this interpretation. Analysis code used to perform this work is available at https://github.com/sblunt/hip65426.

astro-ph.EP↗

VLTI/GRAVITY Observations and Characterization of the Brown Dwarf Companion HD 72946 B

Tension remains between the observed and modeled properties of substellar objects, but objects in binary orbits, with known dynamical masses can provide a way forward. HD 72946 B is a recently imaged brown dwarf companion to the nearby, solar type star. We achieve $\sim100~μ\mathrm{as}$ relative astrometry of HD 72946 B in the K-band using VLTI/GRAVITY, unprecedented for a benchmark brown dwarf. We fit an ensemble of measurements of the orbit using orbitize! and derive a strong dynamical mass constraint $\mathrm{M_B}=69.5\pm0.5~\mathrm{M_{Jup}}$ assuming a strong prior on the host star mass $\mathrm{M_A}=0.97\pm0.01~\mathrm{M_\odot}$ from an updated stellar analysis. We fit the spectrum of the companion to a grid of self-consistent BT-Settl-CIFIST model atmospheres, and perform atmospheric retrievals using petitRADTRANS. A dynamical mass prior only marginally influences the sampled distribution on effective temperature, but has a large influence on the surface gravity and radius, as expected. The dynamical mass alone does not strongly influence retrieved pressure-temperature or cloud parameters within our current retrieval setup. Independent of cloud prescription and prior assumptions, we find agreement within $\pm2\,σ$ between the C/O ratio of the host ($0.52\pm0.05)$ and brown dwarf ($0.43$ to $0.63$), as expected from a molecular cloud collapse formation scenario, but our retrieved metallicities are implausibly high ($0.6-0.8$) in light of an excellent agreement of the data with the solar abundance model grid. Future work on our retrieval framework will seek to resolve this tension. Additional study of low surface-gravity objects is necessary to assess the influence of a dynamical mass prior on atmospheric analysis.

astro-ph.SR↗