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P. Rabou

Publications and source records attributed to P. Rabou.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The SPHERE infrared survey for exoplanets (SHINE) V. Full sample characterization

Unbiased surveys of large stellar samples are the prime means through which the prevalence of exoplanets can be derived, and crucial constraints to planet formation models can be set. Direct imaging (DI) is ideally positioned to probe the outer regions (5-300au) of planetary systems, providing complementary information to techniques such as transits and radial velocities. We present the full sample of the SpHere INfrared survey for Exoplanets (SHINE), the second largest DI campaign to date. SHINE observed 460 stars between 2015 and 2023 thanks to the guaranteed time observations (GTO) allocated by ESO to the SPHERE consortium at VLT. The goal of this paper is to homogeneously derive the stellar properties of the targets and to define a subsample of young single hosts to be used as a starting point for the final statistical analysis of the survey. Stellar ages were determined based on kinematic indicators (such as the membership to young moving groups), age diagnostics (lithium abundance, rotation, activity), and isochrone fitting. A thorough vetting for binarity was undertaken combining astrometric, spectroscopic, and imaging data. A subsample of 333 stars, covering a large extent of stellar ages and masses, was constructed. Selection criteria, global features, as well as the properties of individual stars are reported and discussed.

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Characterization of debris disks observed with SPHERE

This study aims to characterize debris disks observed with SPHERE across multiple programs, with the goal of identifying systematic trends in disk morphology, dust mass, and grain properties as a function of stellar parameters. We analyzed a sample of 161 young stars using SPHERE observations at optical and near-IR wavelengths. Disk geometries were derived from ellipse fitting and model grids, while dust mass and properties were constrained by modified blackbody (MBB) and size distribution (SD) modeling of SEDs. The dynamical modeling was performed to assess whether the observed disk structures can be explained by the presence of unseen planets. We resolved 51 debris disks, including four new detections: HD 36968, BD-20 951, and the inner belts of HR 8799 and HD 36546. In addition, we found a second transiting giant planet in the HD 114082 system, with a radius of 1.29 $R_{\rm Jup}$ and an orbital distance of ~1 au. We identified nine multi-belt systems, with outer-to-inner belt radius ratios of $1.5-2$, and found close agreement between scattered-light and millimeter-continuum belt radii. They scale weakly with stellar luminosity ($R_{\rm belt} \propto L_{\star}^{0.11}$), but show steeper dependencies when separated by CO and CO$_2$ freeze-out regimes. Disk fractional luminosities follow collisional decay trends, declining as $t_{\rm age}^{-1.18}$ for A and $t_{\rm age}^{-0.81}$ for F stars. The inferred dust masses span $10^{-5}-1\,M_\oplus$ from MBB and $0.01-1\,M_\oplus$ from SD modeling. These masses scale as $R_{\rm belt}^n$ with $n>2$ in belt radius and super-linearly with stellar mass, consistent with trends seen in protoplanetary disks. Analysing correlation between disk polarized flux and IR excess, we found an offset of ~1 dex between total-intensity (HST) and polarized fluxes. A new parametric approach to estimate dust albedo and maximum polarization fraction is introduced.

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The high-albedo, low polarization disk around HD 114082 harbouring a Jupiter-sized transiting planet

We present new optical and near-IR images of debris disk around the F-type star HD 114082. We obtained direct imaging observations and analysed the TESS photometric time series data of this target with a goal to search for planetary companions and to characterise the morphology of the debris disk and the scattering properties of dust particles. HD 114082 was observed with the VLT/SPHERE instrument: the IRDIS camera in the K band together with the IFS in the Y, J and H band using the ADI technique as well as IRDIS in the H band and ZIMPOL in the I_PRIME band using the PDI technique. The scattered light images were fitted with a 3D model for single scattering in an optically thin dust disk. We performed aperture photometry in order to derive the scattering and polarized phase functions, polarization fraction and spectral scattering albedo for the dust particles in the disk. This method was also used to obtain the reflectance spectrum of the disk to retrieve the disk color and study the dust reflectivity in comparison to the debris disk HD 117214. We also performed the modeling of the HD 114082 light curve measured by TESS using the models for planet transit and stellar activity to put constraints on radius of the detected planet and its orbit. The debris disk appears as an axisymmetric debris belt with a radius of ~0.37$"$ (35 au), inclination of ~83$^\circ$ and a wide inner cavity. Dust particles in HD 114082 have a maximum polarization fraction of ~17% and a high reflectivity which results in a spectral scattering albedo of 0.65. The analysis of TESS photometric data reveals a transiting planetary companion to HD 114082 with a radius of $\sim$1~$\rm R_{J}$ on an orbit with a semi-major axis of $0.7 \pm 0.4$ au. Combining different data, we reach deep sensitivity limits in terms of companion masses down to ~5$M_{\rm Jup}$ at 50 au, and ~10 $M_{\rm Jup}$ at 30 au from the central star.

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Upgrading the high contrast imaging facility SPHERE: science drivers and instrument choices

SPHERE+ is a proposed upgrade of the SPHERE instrument at the VLT, which is intended to boost the current performances of detection and characterization for exoplanets and disks. SPHERE+ will also serve as a demonstrator for the future planet finder (PCS) of the European ELT. The main science drivers for SPHERE+ are 1/ to access the bulk of the young giant planet population down to the snow line ($3-10$ au), to bridge the gap with complementary techniques (radial velocity, astrometry); 2/ to observe fainter and redder targets in the youngest ($1-10$\,Myr) associations compared to those observed with SPHERE to directly study the formation of giant planets in their birth environment; 3/ to improve the level of characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres by increasing the spectral resolution in order to break degeneracies in giant planet atmosphere models. Achieving these objectives requires to increase the bandwidth of the xAO system (from $\sim$1 to 3\,kHz) as well as the sensitivity in the infrared (2 to 3\,mag). These features will be brought by a second stage AO system optimized in the infrared with a pyramid wavefront sensor. As a new science instrument, a medium resolution integral field spectrograph will provide a spectral resolution from 1000 to 5000 in the J and H bands. This paper gives an overview of the science drivers, requirements and key instrumental trade-off that were done for SPHERE+ to reach the final selected baseline concept.

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TOI-269 b: An eccentric sub-Neptune transiting a M2 dwarf revisited with ExTrA

We present the confirmation of a new sub-Neptune close to the transition between super-Earths and sub-Neptunes transiting the M2 dwarf TOI- 269 (TIC 220479565, V = 14.4 mag, J = 10.9 mag, Rstar = 0.40 Rsun, Mstar = 0.39 Msun, d = 57 pc). The exoplanet candidate has been identified in multiple TESS sectors, and validated with high-precision spectroscopy from HARPS and ground-based photometric follow-up from ExTrA and LCO-CTIO. We determined mass, radius, and bulk density of the exoplanet by jointly modeling both photometry and radial velocities with juliet. The transiting exoplanet has an orbital period of P = 3.6977104 +- 0.0000037 days, a radius of 2.77 +- 0.12 Rearth, and a mass of 8.8 +- 1.4 Mearth. Since TOI-269 b lies among the best targets of its category for atmospheric characterization, it would be interesting to probe the atmosphere of this exoplanet with transmission spectroscopy in order to compare it to other sub-Neptunes. With an eccentricity e = 0.425+0.082-0.086, TOI-269 b has one of the highest eccentricities of the exoplanets with periods less than 10 days. The star being likely a few Gyr old, this system does not appear to be dynamically young. We surmise TOI-269 b may have acquired its high eccentricity as it migrated inward through planet-planet interactions.

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The SPHERE infrared survey for exoplanets (SHINE)- I Sample definition and target characterization

Large surveys with new-generation high-contrast imaging instruments are needed to derive the frequency and properties of exoplanet populations with separations from $\sim$5 to 300 AU. A careful assessment of the stellar properties is crucial for a proper understanding of when, where, and how frequently planets form, and how they evolve. The sensitivity of detection limits to stellar age makes this a key parameter for direct imaging surveys. We describe the SpHere INfrared survey for Exoplanets (SHINE), the largest direct imaging planet-search campaign initiated at the VLT in 2015 in the context of the SPHERE Guaranteed Time Observations of the SPHERE consortium. In this first paper we present the selection and the properties of the complete sample of stars surveyed with SHINE, focusing on the targets observed during the first phase of the survey (from February 2015 to February 2017). This early sample composed of 150 stars is used to perform a preliminary statistical analysis of the SHINE data, deferred to two companion papers presenting the survey performance, main discoveries, and the preliminary statistical constraints set by SHINE. Based on a large database collecting the stellar properties of all young nearby stars in the solar vicinity (including kinematics, membership to moving groups, isochrones, lithium abundance, rotation, and activity), we selected the original sample of 800 stars that were ranked in order of priority according to their sensitivity for planet detection in direct imaging with SPHERE. The properties of the stars that are part of the early statistical sample were revisited, including for instance measurements from the GAIA Data Release 2.

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SPIRou: nIR velocimetry & spectropolarimetry at the CFHT

This paper presents an overview of SPIRou, the new-generation near-infrared spectropolarimeter / precision velocimeter recently installed on the 3.6-m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). Starting from the two main science goals, namely the quest for planetary systems around nearby M dwarfs and the study of magnetized star / planet formation, we outline the instrument concept that was designed to efficiently address these forefront topics, and detail the in-lab and on-sky instrument performances measured throughout the intensive testing phase that SPIRou was submitted to before passing the final acceptance review in early 2019 and initiating science observations. With a central position among the newly started programmes, the SPIRou Legacy Survey (SLS) Large Programme was allocated 300 CFHT nights until at least mid 2022. We also briefly describe a few of the first results obtained in the various science topics that SPIRou started investigating, focusing in particular on planetary systems of nearby M dwarfs, transiting exoplanets and their atmospheres, magnetic fields of young stars, but also on alternate science goals like the atmospheres of M dwarfs and the Earth's atmosphere. We finally conclude on the essential role that SPIRou and the CFHT can play in coordination with forthcoming major facilities like the JWST, the ELTs, PLATO and ARIEL over the decade.

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The SPHERE infrared survey for exoplanets (SHINE). III. The demographics of young giant exoplanets below 300 au with SPHERE

The SHINE project is a 500-star survey performed with SPHERE on the VLT for the purpose of directly detecting new substellar companions and understanding their formation and early evolution. Here we present an initial statistical analysis for a subsample of 150 stars that are representative of the full SHINE sample. Our goal is to constrain the frequency of substellar companions with masses between 1 and 75 MJup and semimajor axes between 5 and 300 au. We adopt detection limits as a function of angular separation from the survey data for all stars converted into mass and projected orbital separation using the BEX-COND-hot evolutionary tracks and known distance to each system. Based on the results obtained for each star and on the 13 detections in the sample, we use a MCMC tool to compare our observations to two different types of models. The first is a parametric model based on observational constraints, and the second type are numerical models that combine advanced core accretion and gravitational instability planet population synthesis. Using the parametric model, we show that the frequencies of systems with at least one substellar companion are $23.0_{-9.7}^{+13.5}\%$, $5.8_{-2.8}^{+4.7}\%$, and $12.6_{-7.1}^{+12.9}\%$ for BA, FGK, and M stars, respectively. We also demonstrate that a planet-like formation pathway probably dominates the mass range from 1-75 MJup for companions around BA stars, while for M dwarfs, brown dwarf binaries dominate detections. In contrast, a combination of binary star-like and planet-like formation is required to best fit the observations for FGK stars. Using our population model and restricting our sample to FGK stars, we derive a frequency of $5.7_{-2.8}^{+3.8}\%$, consistent with predictions from the parametric model. More generally, the frequency values that we derive are in excellent agreement with values obtained in previous studies.

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Gap, shadows, spirals, streamers: SPHERE observations of binary-disk interactions in GG Tau A

A large fraction of stars is found to be part of binary or higher-order multiple systems. The ubiquity of planets found around single stars raises the question if and how planets in binary systems may form. Protoplanetary disks are the birthplaces of planets, and their characterization is crucial in order to understand the planet formation process. Our aim is to characterize the morphology of the GG Tau A disk, one of the largest and most massive circumbinary disks, and trace evidence for binary-disk interactions. We obtained observations in polarized scattered light of GG Tau A using the SPHERE/IRDIS instrument in the H-band filter. We analyze the observed disk morphology and substructures. We run 2D hydrodynamical models simulating the evolution of the circumbinary ring over the lifetime of the disk. The disk, as well as the cavity and the inner region are highly structured with several shadowed regions, spiral structures, and streamer-like filaments, some of them detected for the first time. The streamer-like filaments appear to connect the outer ring with the northern arc. Their azimuthal spacing suggests that they may be generated by periodic perturbations by the binary, tearing off material from the inner edge of the outer disk once during each orbit. By comparing observations to hydrodynamical simulations we find that the main features, in particular the gap size, as well as the spiral and streamer filaments, can be qualitatively explained by the gravitational interactions of a binary with semi-major axis of $\sim$35 au on an orbit coplanar with the circumbinary ring.

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Spirals inside the millimeter cavity of transition disk SR 21

Hydrodynamical simulations of planet-disk interactions suggest that planets may be responsible for a number of the sub-structures frequently observed in disks in both scattered light and dust thermal emission. Despite the ubiquity of these features, direct evidence of planets embedded in disks and of the specific interaction features like spiral arms within planetary gaps still remain rare. In this study we discuss recent observational results in the context of hydrodynamical simulations in order to infer the properties of a putative embedded planet in the cavity of a transition disk. We imaged the transition disk SR 21 in H-band in scattered light with SPHERE/IRDIS and in thermal dust emission with ALMA band 3 (3mm) observations at a spatial resolution of 0.1". We combine these datasets with existing band 9 (430um) and band 7 (870um) ALMA continuum data. The Band 3 continuum data reveals a large cavity and a bright ring peaking at 53 au strongly suggestive of dust trapping.The ring shows a pronounced azimuthal asymmetry, with a bright region in the north-west that we interpret as a dust over-density. A similarly-asymmetric ring is revealed at the same location in polarized scattered light, in addition to a set of bright spirals inside the mm cavity and a fainter spiral bridging the gap to the outer ring. These features are consistent with a number of previous hydrodynamical models of planet-disk interactions, and suggest the presence of a ~1 MJup planet at 44 au and PA=11°. This makes SR21 the first disk showing spiral arms inside the mm cavity, as well as one for which the location of a putative planet can be precisely inferred. With the location of a possible planet being well-constrained by observations, it is an ideal candidate for follow-up observations to search for direct evidence of a planetary companion still embedded in its disk.

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SHADOWS: a spectro-gonio radiometer for bidirectional reflectance studies of dark meteorites and terrestrial analogs: design, calibrations, and performances on challenging surfaces

We have developed a new spectro-gonio radiometer, SHADOWS, to study in the laboratory the bidirectional reflectance distribution function of dark and precious samples. The instrument operates over a wide spectral range from the visible to the near-infrared and is installed in a cold room. This paper presents the scientific and technical constraints of the spectro-gonio radiometer, its design and additional capabilities, as well as the performances and limitations of the instrument.

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SPHERE: the exoplanet imager for the Very Large Telescope

Observations of circumstellar environments to look for the direct signal of exoplanets and the scattered light from disks has significant instrumental implications. In the past 15 years, major developments in adaptive optics, coronagraphy, optical manufacturing, wavefront sensing and data processing, together with a consistent global system analysis have enabled a new generation of high-contrast imagers and spectrographs on large ground-based telescopes with much better performance. One of the most productive is the Spectro-Polarimetic High contrast imager for Exoplanets REsearch (SPHERE) designed and built for the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. SPHERE includes an extreme adaptive optics system, a highly stable common path interface, several types of coronagraphs and three science instruments. Two of them, the Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS) and the Infra-Red Dual-band Imager and Spectrograph (IRDIS), are designed to efficiently cover the near-infrared (NIR) range in a single observation for efficient young planet search. The third one, ZIMPOL, is designed for visible (VIR) polarimetric observation to look for the reflected light of exoplanets and the light scattered by debris disks. This suite of three science instruments enables to study circumstellar environments at unprecedented angular resolution both in the visible and the near-infrared. In this work, we present the complete instrument and its on-sky performance after 4 years of operations at the VLT.

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The polarimetric imaging mode of VLT/SPHERE/IRDIS I: Description, data reduction and observing strategy

Context. Polarimetric imaging is one of the most effective techniques for high-contrast imaging and characterization of protoplanetary disks, and has the potential to be instrumental in characterizing exoplanets. VLT/SPHERE contains the InfraRed Dual-band Imager and Spectrograph (IRDIS) with a dual-beam polarimetric imaging (DPI) mode, which offers the capability to obtain linear polarization images at high contrast and resolution. Aims. We aim to provide an overview of IRDIS/DPI and study its optical design to improve observing strategies and data reduction. Methods. For H-band observations of TW Hya, we compare two data reduction methods that correct for instrumental polarization effects in different ways: a minimization of the noise image, and a polarimetric-model-based correction method that we present in Paper II of this study. Results. We use observations of TW Hya to illustrate the data reduction. In the images of the protoplanetary disk around this star we detect variability in the polarized intensity and angle of linear polarization with pointing-dependent instrument configuration. We explain these variations as instrumental polarization effects and correct for these effects using our model-based correction method. Conclusions. IRDIS/DPI has proven to be a very successful and productive high-contrast polarimetric imaging system. However, the instrument performance depends on the specific instrument configuration. We suggest adjustments to future observing strategies to optimize polarimetric efficiency in field tracking mode by avoiding unfavourable derotator angles. We recommend reducing on-sky data with the pipeline called IRDAP that includes the model-based correction method (described in Paper II) to optimally account for the remaining telescope and instrumental polarization effects and to retrieve the true polarization state of the incident light.

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Dust production in the debris disk around HR 4796 A

Debris disks are the natural by-products of the planet formation process. Scattered or polarized light observations are mostly sensitive to small dust grains that are released from the grinding down of bigger planetesimals. High angular resolution observations at optical wavelengths can provide key constraints on the radial and azimuthal distribution of the small dust grains. These constraints can help us better understand where most of the dust grains are released upon collisions. We present SPHERE/ZIMPOL observations of the debris disk around HR 4796 A, and model the radial profiles along several azimuthal angles of the disk with a code that accounts for the effect of stellar radiation pressure. This enables us to derive an appropriate description for the radial and azimuthal distribution of the small dust grains. Even though we only model the radial profiles along (or close to) the semi-major axis of the disk, our best-fit model is not only in good agreement with our observations but also with previously published datasets (from near-IR to sub-mm wavelengths). We find that the reference radius is located at $76.4\pm0.4$ au, and the disk has an eccentricity of $0.076_{-0.010}^{+0.016}$, with the pericenter located on the front side of the disk (north of the star). We find that small dust grains must be preferentially released near the pericenter to explain the observed brightness asymmetry. Even though parent bodies spend more time near the apocenter, the brightness asymmetry implies that collisions happen more frequently near the pericenter of the disk. Our model can successfully reproduce the shape of the outer edge of the disk, without having to invoke an outer planet shepherding the debris disk. With a simple treatment of the effect of the radiation pressure, we conclude that the parent planetesimals are located in a narrow ring of about $3.6$ au in width.

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Mapping of shadows cast on a protoplanetary disk by a close binary system

For a comprehensive understanding of planetary formation and evolution, we need to investigate the environment in which planets form: circumstellar disks. Here we present high-contrast imaging observations of V4046 Sagittarii, a 20-Myr-old close binary known to host a circumbinary disk. We have discovered the presence of rotating shadows in the disk, caused by mutual occultations of the central binary. Shadow-like features are often observed in disks\cite{garufi,marino15}, but those found thus far have not been due to eclipsing phenomena. We have used the phase difference due to light travel time to measure the flaring of the disk and the geometrical distance of the system. We calculate a distance that is in very good agreement with the value obtained from the Gaia mission's Data Release 2 (DR2), and flaring angles of $α= 6.2 \pm 0.6 $ deg and $α= 8.5 \pm 1.0 $ deg for the inner and outer disk rings, respectively. Our technique opens up a path to explore other binary systems, providing an independent estimate of distance and the flaring angle, a crucial parameter for disk modelling.

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The GJ 504 system revisited. Combining interferometric, radial velocity, and high contrast imaging data

The G-type star GJ504A is known to host a 3 to 35 MJup companion whose temperature, mass, and projected separation all contribute to make it a test case for the planet formation theories and for atmospheric models of giant planets and light brown dwarfs. We collected data from the CHARA interferometer, SOPHIE spectrograph, and VLT/SPHERE high contrast imager to revisit the properties of the system. We measure a radius of 1.35+/- 0.04Rsun for GJ504A which yields isochronal ages of 21+/-2Myr or 4.0+/-1.8Gyr for the system and line-of-sight stellar rotation axis inclination of $162.4_{-4.3}^{+3.8}$ degrees or $18.6_{-3.8}^{+4.3}$ degrees. We re-detect the companion in the Y2, Y3, J3, H2, and K1 dual band SPHERE images. The complete 1-4 $μ$m SED shape of GJ504b is best reproduced by T8-T9.5 objects with intermediate ages ($\leq1.5$Gyr), and/or unusual dusty atmospheres and/or super-solar metallicities. All six atmospheric models used yield $\mathrm{T_{eff}=550 \pm 50}$K for GJ504b and point toward a low surface gravity (3.5-4.0 dex). The accuracy on the metallicity value is limited by model-to-model systematics. It is not degenerate with the C/O ratio. We derive $\mathrm{log\:L/L_{\odot}=-6.15\pm0.15}$ dex for the companion compatible with masses of $\mathrm{M=1.3^{+0.6}_{-0.3}M_{Jup}}$ and $\mathrm{M=23^{+10}_{-9} M_{Jup}}$ for the young and old age ranges, respectively. The semi-major axis (sma) is above 27.8 au and the eccentricity lower than 0.55. The posterior on GJ~504b's orbital inclination suggests a misalignment with GJ~504A rotation axis. We combine the radial velocity and multi-epoch imaging data to exclude additional objects (90\% prob.) more massive than 2.5 and 30 $\mathrm{M_{Jup}}$ with sma in the range 0.01-80 au for the young and old system ages, respectively. The companion is in the envelope of the population of planets synthetized with our core-accretion model.

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Orbital and spectral analysis of the benchmark brown dwarf HD 4747B

The study of high contrast imaged brown dwarfs and exoplanets depends strongly on evolutionary models. To estimate the mass of a directly imaged substellar object, its extracted photometry or spectrum is used and adjusted with model spectra together with the estimated age of the system. These models still need to be properly tested and constrained. HD 4747B is a brown dwarf close to the H burning mass limit, orbiting a nearby, solar-type star and has been observed with the radial velocity method over almost two decades now. Its companion was also recently detected by direct imaging, allowing a complete study of this particular object. We aim to fully characterize HD 4747B by combining a well constrained dynamical mass and a study of its observed spectral features in order to test evolutionary models for substellar objects and characterize its atmosphere. We combine the radial velocity measurements of HIRES and CORALIE taken over two decades and high contrast imaging of several epochs from NACO, NIRC2 and SPHERE to obtain a dynamical mass. From the SPHERE data we obtain a low resolution spectrum of the companion from Y to H band, as well as two narrow band-width photometric measurements in the K band. A study of the primary star allows in addition to constrain the age of the system as well as its distance. Thanks to the new SPHERE epoch and NACO archival data combined with previous imaging data and high precision radial velocity measurements, we have been able to derive a well constrained orbit. We derive a dynamical mass of mB=70.0$\pm$1.6 MJup which is higher than a previous study, but in better agreement with the models. By comparing the object with known brown dwarfs spectra, we derive a spectral type of L9 and an effective temperature of 1350$\pm$50 K. With a retrieval analysis we constrain the oxygen and carbon abundances and compare them with the ones from the HR 8799 planets.

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Resolving faint structures in the debris disk around TWA7

Debris disks are the intrinsic by-products of the star and planet formation processes. Most likely due to instrumental limitations and their natural faintness, little is known about debris disks around low-mass stars, especially when it comes to spatially resolved observations. We present new VLT/SPHERE IRDIS Dual-Polarization Imaging (DPI) observations in which we detect the dust ring around the M2 spectral type star TWA\,7. Combined with additional Angular Differential Imaging observations we aim at a fine characterization of the debris disk and setting constraints on the presence of low-mass planets. We model the SPHERE DPI observations and constrain the location of the small dust grains, as well as the spectral energy distribution of the debris disk, using the results inferred from the observations, and perform simple N-body simulations. We find that the dust density distribution peaks at 25 au, with a very shallow outer power-law slope, and that the disk has an inclination of 13 degrees with a position angle of 90 degrees East of North. We also report low signal-to-noise detections of an outer belt at a distance of ~52 au from the star, of a spiral arm in the Southern side of the star, and of a possible dusty clump at 3.9 au. These findings seem to persist over timescales of at least a year. Using the intensity images, we do not detect any planets in the close vicinity of the star, but the sensitivity reaches Jovian planet mass upper limits. We find that the SED is best reproduced with an inner disk at 7 au and another belt at 25 au. We report the detections of several unexpected features in the disk around TWA\,7. A yet undetected 100 M$_\oplus$ planet with a semi-major axis at 20-30 au could possibly explain the outer belt as well as the spiral arm. We conclude that stellar winds are unlikely to be responsible for the spiral arm.

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