arXiv subjects

Timothy D. Brandt

Publications and source records attributed to Timothy D. Brandt.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Surveying Nearby Brown Dwarfs with HGCA: Direct Imaging Discovery of a Faint, High-Mass Brown Dwarf Orbiting HD 176535 A

Brown dwarfs with well-measured masses, ages and luminosities provide direct benchmark tests of substellar formation and evolutionary models. We report the first results from a direct imaging survey aiming to find and characterize substellar companions to nearby accelerating stars with the assistance of the Hipparcos-Gaia Catalog of Accelerations (HGCA). In this paper, we present a joint high-contrast imaging and astrometric discovery of a substellar companion to HD 176535 A, a K3.5V main-sequence star aged approximately $3.59_{-1.15}^{+0.87}$ Gyrs at a distance of $36.99 \pm 0.03$ pc. In advance of our high-contrast imaging observations, we combined precision HARPS RVs and HGCA astrometry to predict the potential companion's location and mass. We thereafter acquired two nights of KeckAO/NIRC2 direct imaging observations in the $L'$ band, which revealed a companion with a contrast of $ΔL'_p = 9.20\pm0.06$ mag at a projected separation of $\approx$0.$\!\!''35$ ($\approx$13 AU) from the host star. We revise our orbital fit by incorporating our dual-epoch relative astrometry using the open-source MCMC orbit fitting code $\tt orvara$. HD 176535 B is a new benchmark dwarf useful for constraining the evolutionary and atmospheric models of high-mass brown dwarfs. We found a luminosity of $\rm log(L_{bol}/L_{\odot}) = -5.26\pm0.07$ and a model-dependent effective temperature of $980 \pm 35$ K for HD 176535 B. Our dynamical mass suggests that some substellar evolutionary models may be underestimating luminosity for high-mass T dwarfs. Given its angular separation and luminosity, HD 176535 B would make a promising candidate for Aperture Masking Interferometry with JWST and GRAVITY/KPIC, and further spectroscopic characterization with instruments like the CHARIS/SCExAO/Subaru integral field spectrograph.

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arXiv2023

Direct Imaging and Astrometric Detection of a Gas Giant Planet Orbiting an Accelerating Star

Direct imaging of gas giant exoplanets provides key information on planetary atmospheres and the architectures of planetary systems. However, few planets have been detected in blind surveys used to achieve imaging detections. Using Gaia and Hipparcos astrometry we identified dynamical evidence for a gas giant planet around the nearby star HIP 99770 and then confirmed this planet by direct imaging with the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics Project. HIP 99770 b orbits 17 astronomical units from its host star, with an insolation comparable to Jupiter's and a dynamical mass of 13.9--16.1 Jupiter masses. Its planet-to-star mass ratio (7--8$\times$10$^{-3}$) is comparable to that other directly-imaged planets. The planet's atmosphere resembles an older, less-cloudy analogue of the atmospheres of previously-imaged exoplanets around HR 8799.

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arXiv2023

The Masses of a Sample of Radial-Velocity Exoplanets with Astrometric Measurements

Being one of the most fundamental physical parameter of astronomical objects, mass plays a vital role in the study of exoplanets, including their temperature structure, chemical composition, formation, and evolution. However, nearly a quarter of the known confirmed exoplanets lack measurements of their masses. This is particularly severe for those discovered via the radial-velocity (RV) technique, which alone could only yield the minimum mass of planets. In this study, we use published RV data combined with astrometric data from a cross-calibrated Hipparcos-Gaia Catalog of Accelerations (HGCA) to jointly constrain the masses of 115 RV-detected substellar companions, by conducting full orbital fits using the public tool \texttt{orvara}. Among them, 9 exoplanets with $M_{\rm p}\,{\rm sin}\,i<13.5\ M_{\rm Jup}$ are reclassified to the brown dwarf (BD) regime, and 16 BD candidates ($13.5\leqslant M_{\rm p}\,{\rm sin}\,i<80\,M_{\rm Jup}$) turn out to be low-mass M dwarfs. We point out the presence of a transition in the BD regime as seen in the distributions of host star metallicity and orbital eccentricity with respect to planet masses. We confirm the previous findings that companions with masses below $42.5\ M_{\rm Jup}$ might primarily form in the protoplanetary disc through core accretion or disc gravitational instability, while those with masses above $42.5\ M_{\rm Jup}$ formed through the gravitational instability of molecular cloud like stars. Selection effects and detection biases which may affect our analysis to some extent, are discussed.

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arXiv2023

TESS-Gaia Light Curve: a PSF-based TESS FFI light curve product

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is continuing its second extended mission after 55 sectors of observations. TESS publishes full-frame images (FFI) at a cadence of 1800, 600, or 200 seconds, allowing light curves to be extracted for stars beyond a limited number of pre-selected stars. Simulations show that thousands of exoplanets, eclipsing binaries, variable stars, and other astrophysical transients can be found in these FFI light curves. To obtain high-precision light curves, we forward model the FFI with the effective point spread function to remove contamination from nearby stars. We adopt star positions and magnitudes from Gaia DR3 as priors. The resulting light curves, called TESS-Gaia Light Curves (TGLC), show a photometric precision closely tracking the pre-launch prediction of the noise level. TGLC's photometric precision reaches <~2% at 16th TESS magnitude even in crowded fields. We publish TGLC Aperture and PSF light curves for stars down to 16th TESS magnitude through the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) for all available sectors and will continue to deliver future light curves via DOI: 10.17909/610m-9474. The open-source package tglc is publicly available to enable any user to produce customized light curves.

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arXiv2022

Astrometric Accelerations as Dynamical Beacons: Discovery and Characterization of HIP 21152 B, the First T-Dwarf Companion in the Hyades

Benchmark brown dwarf companions with well-determined ages and model-independent masses are powerful tools to test substellar evolutionary models and probe the formation of giant planets and brown dwarfs. Here, we report the independent discovery of HIP~21152~B, the first imaged brown dwarf companion in the Hyades, and conduct a comprehensive orbital and atmospheric characterization of the system. HIP~21152 was targeted in an ongoing high-contrast imaging campaign of stars exhibiting proper motion changes between Hipparcos and Gaia, and was also recently identified by Bonavita et al. (2022) and Kuzuhara et al. (2022). Our Keck/NIRC2 and SCExAO/CHARIS imaging of HIP~21152 revealed a comoving companion at a separation of $0.37^{\prime\prime}$ (16 au). We perform a joint orbit fit of all available relative astrometry and radial velocities together with the Hipparcos-Gaia proper motions, yielding a dynamical mass of $24^{+6}_{-4}\,\mathrm{M_{Jup}}$, which is $1{-}2σ$ lower than evolutionary model predictions. Hybrid grids that include the evolution of cloud properties best reproduce the dynamical mass. We also identify a comoving wide-separation ($1837^{\prime\prime}$ or $7.9 \times 10^4 \, \mathrm{au}$) early-L dwarf with an inferred mass near the hydrogen-burning limit. Finally, we analyze the spectra and photometry of HIP~21152~B using the Saumon & Marley (2008) atmospheric models and a suite of retrievals. The best-fit grid-based models have $f_{\mathrm{sed}}=2$, indicating the presence of clouds, $T_{\mathrm{eff}}=1400 \, \mathrm{K}$, and $\log{g}=4.5 \, \mathrm{dex}$. These results are consistent with the object's spectral type of $\mathrm{T0\pm1}$. As the first benchmark brown dwarf companion in the Hyades, HIP~21152~B joins the small but growing number of substellar companions with well-determined ages and dynamical masses.

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arXiv2022

The McDonald Accelerating Stars Survey (MASS): Architecture of the Ancient Five-Planet Host System Kepler-444

We present the latest and most precise characterization of the architecture for the ancient ($\approx 11$ Gyr) Kepler-444 system, which is composed of a K0 primary star (Kepler-444 A) hosting five transiting planets, and a tight M-type spectroscopic binary (Kepler-444 BC) with an A-BC projected separation of 66 au. We have measured the system's relative astrometry using the adaptive optics imaging from Keck/NIRC2 and Kepler-444 A's radial velocities from the Hobby Eberly Telescope, and re-analyzed relative radial velocities between BC and A from Keck/HIRES. We also include the Hipparcos-Gaia astrometric acceleration and all published astrometry and radial velocities into an updated orbit analysis of BC's barycenter. These data greatly extend the time baseline of the monitoring and lead to significant updates to BC's barycentric orbit compared to previous work, including a larger semi-major axis ($a = 52.2^{+3.3}_{-2.7}$ au), a smaller eccentricity ($e = 0.55 \pm 0.05$), and a more precise inclination ($i =85.4^{+0.3}_{-0.4}$ degrees). We have also derived the first dynamical masses of B and C components. Our results suggest Kepler-444~A's protoplanetary disk was likely truncated by BC to a radius of $\approx 8$ au, which resolves the previously noticed tension between Kepler-444 A's disk mass and planet masses. Kepler-444 BC's barycentric orbit is likely aligned with those of A's five planets, which might be primordial or a consequence of dynamical evolution. The Kepler-444 system demonstrates that compact multi-planet systems residing in hierarchical stellar triples can form at early epochs of the Universe and survive their secular evolution throughout cosmic time.

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arXiv2022

Effects of Rotation on the Spectra of Brown Dwarfs

Measured rotational speeds of giant planets and brown dwarfs frequently constitute appreciable fractions of the breakup limit, resulting in centrifugal expansion of these objects at the equator. According to models of internal energy transport, this expansion ought to make the poles of a rotator significantly hotter than the equator, so that inclination of the rotational axis greatly affects both spectral shape and total flux. In this article, we explore the dependence of a substellar object's observables on its rotational speed and axis inclination. To do so, we combine PICASO (a Planetary Intensity Code for Atmospheric Spectroscopy Observations) with software PARS (Paint the Atmospheres of Rotating Stars). The former computer program models radiative transfer within plane-parallel planetary atmospheres, while the latter computes disk-integrated spectra of centrifugally deformed gaseous masses. We find that the specific flux of a typical fast-rotating brown dwarf can increase by as much as a factor of 1.5 with movement from an equator-on to a pole-on view. On the other hand, the distinctive effect of rotation on spectral shape increases toward the equator-on view. The latter effect also increases with lower effective temperature. The bolometric luminosity estimate for a typical fast rotator at extreme inclinations has to be adjusted by as much as about 20% due to the anisotropy of the object's observed flux. We provide a general formula for the calculation of the corresponding adjustment factor in terms of rotational speed and inclination.

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arXiv2022

Probing Photon Statistics in Adaptive Optics Images with SCExAO/MEC

We present an experimental study of photon statistics for high-contrast imaging with the Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKID) Exoplanet Camera (MEC) located behind the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics System (SCExAO) at the Subaru Telescope. We show that MEC measures the expected distributions for both on-axis companion intensity and off-axis intensity which manifests as quasi-static speckles in the image plane and currently limits high-contrast imaging performance. These statistics can be probed by any MEC observation due to the photon-counting capabilities of MKID detectors. Photon arrival time statistics can also be used to directly distinguish companions from speckles using a post-processing technique called Stochastic Speckle Discrimination (SSD). Here, we we give an overview of the SSD technique and highlight the first demonstration of SSD on an extended source -- the protoplanetary disk AB Aurigae. We then present simulations that provide an in-depth exploration as to the current limitations of an extension of the SSD technique called Photon-Counting SSD (PCSSD) to provide a path forward for transitioning PCSSD from simulations to on-sky results. We end with a discussion of how to further improve the efficacy of such arrival time based post-processing techniques applicable to both MKIDs, as well as other high speed astronomical cameras.

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arXiv2022

SCExAO and Keck Direct Imaging Discovery of a Low-Mass Companion Around the Accelerating F5 Star HIP 5319

We present the direct imaging discovery of a low-mass companion to the nearby accelerating F star, HIP 5319, using SCExAO coupled with the CHARIS, VAMPIRES, and MEC instruments in addition to Keck/NIRC2 imaging. CHARIS $JHK$ (1.1-2.4 $μ$m) spectroscopic data combined with VAMPIRES 750 nm, MEC $Y$, and NIRC2 $L_{\rm p}$ photometry is best matched by an M3--M7 object with an effective temperature of T=3200 K and surface gravity log($g$)=5.5. Using the relative astrometry for HIP 5319 B from CHARIS and NIRC2 and absolute astrometry for the primary from $Gaia$ and $Hipparcos$ and adopting a log-normal prior assumption for the companion mass, we measure a dynamical mass for HIP 5319 B of $31^{+35}_{-11}M_{\rm J}$, a semimajor axis of $18.6^{+10}_{-4.1}$ au, an inclination of $69.4^{+5.6}_{-15}$ degrees, and an eccentricity of $0.42^{+0.39}_{-0.29}$. However, using an alternate prior for our dynamical model yields a much higher mass of 128$^{+127}_{-88}M_{\rm J}$. Using data taken with the LCOGT NRES instrument we also show that the primary HIP 5319 A is a single star in contrast to previous characterizations of the system as a spectroscopic binary. This work underscores the importance of assumed priors in dynamical models for companions detected with imaging and astrometry and the need to have an updated inventory of system measurements.

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arXiv2022

An Optical Spectrum of the Diffuse Galactic Light from BOSS and IRIS

We present a spectrum of the diffuse Galactic light (DGL) between 3700 and 10,000 A, obtained by correlating optical sky intensity with far-infrared dust emission. We use nearly 250,000 blank-sky spectra from BOSS/SDSS-III together with IRIS-reprocessed maps from the IRAS satellite. The larger sample size compared to SDSS-II results in a factor-of-two increase in signal to noise. We combine these data sets with a model for the optical/far-infrared correlation that accounts for self-absorption by dust. The spectral features of the DGL agree remarkably well with features present in stellar spectra. There is evidence for a difference in the DGL continuum between the regions covered by BOSS in the northern and southern Galactic hemisphere. We interpret the difference at red wavelengths as the result of a difference in stellar populations, with mainly old stars in both regions but a higher fraction of young stars in the south. There is also a broad excess in the southern DGL spectrum over the prediction of a simple radiative transfer model, without a clear counterpart in the north. We interpret this excess, centered at ~6500 A, as evidence for luminescence in the form of extended red emission (ERE). The observed strength of the 4000 A break indicates that at most ~7% of the dust-correlated light at 4000 A can be due to blue luminescence. Our DGL spectrum provides constraints on dust scattering and luminescence independent of measurements of extinction.

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arXiv2022

Rotational Variation Allows for Narrow Age Spread in the Extended Main Sequence Turnoff of Massive Cluster NGC 1846

The color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of intermediate-age star clusters (less than ~ 2 Gyr) are much more complex than those predicted by coeval, nonrotating stellar evolution models. Their observed extended main sequence turnoffs (eMSTOs) could result from variations in stellar age, stellar rotation, or both. The physical interpretation of eMSTOs is largely based on the complex mapping between stellar models -- themselves functions of mass, rotation, orientation, and binarity -- and the CMD. In this paper, we compute continuous probability densities in three-dimensional color, magnitude, and vsini space for individual stars in a cluster's eMSTO, based on a rotating stellar evolution model. These densities enable the rigorous inference of cluster properties from a stellar model, or, alternatively, constraints on the stellar model from the cluster's CMD. We use the MIST stellar evolution models to jointly infer the age dispersion, the rotational distribution, and the binary fraction of the Large Magellanic Cloud cluster NGC 1846. We derive an age dispersion of ~ 70-80 Myr, approximately half the earlier estimates due to nonrotating models. This finding agrees with the conjecture that rotational variation is largely responsible for eMSTOs. However, the MIST models do not provide a satisfactory fit to all stars in the cluster and achieve their best agreement at an unrealistically high binary fraction. The lack of agreement near the main-sequence turnoff suggests specific physical changes to the stellar evolution models, including a lower mass for the Kraft break and potentially enhanced main sequence lifespans for rapidly rotating stars.

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arXiv2022

Direct Imaging Discovery and Dynamical Mass of a Substellar Companion Orbiting an Accelerating Hyades Sun-like Star with SCExAO/CHARIS

We present the direct-imaging discovery of a substellar companion in orbit around a Sun-like star member of the Hyades open cluster. So far, no other substellar companions have been unambiguously confirmed via direct imaging around main-sequence stars in Hyades. The star HIP 21152 is an accelerating star as identified by the astrometry from the Gaia and Hipparcos satellites. We have detected the companion, HIP 21152 B, in multi-epoch using the high-contrast imaging from SCExAO/CHARIS and Keck/NIRC2. We have also obtained the stellar radial-velocity data from the Okayama 188cm telescope. The CHARIS spectroscopy reveals that HIP 21152 B's spectrum is consistent with the L/T transition, best fit by an early T dwarf. Our orbit modeling determines the semi-major axis and the dynamical mass of HIP 21152 B to be 17.5$^{+7.2}_{-3.8}$ au and 27.8$^{+8.4}_{-5.4}$ $M_{\rm{Jup}}$, respectively. The mass ratio of HIP 21152 B relative to its host is $\approx$2\%, near the planet/brown dwarf boundary suggested from recent surveys. Mass estimates inferred from luminosity evolution models are slightly higher (33--42 $M_{\rm{Jup}}$). With a dynamical mass and a well-constrained age due to the system's Hyades membership, HIP 21152 B will become a critical benchmark in understanding the formation, evolution, and atmosphere of a substellar object as a function of mass and age. Our discovery is yet another key proof-of-concept for using precision astrometry to select direct imaging targets.

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arXiv2022

wdwarfdate: A Python Package to Derive Bayesian Ages of White Dwarfs

White dwarfs have been successfully used as cosmochronometers in the literature, however their reach has been limited in comparison to their potential. We present wdwarfdate, a publicly available Python package to derive the Bayesian age of a white dwarf, based on its effective temperature (Teff) and surface gravity (logg). We make this software easy to use with the goal of transforming the usage of white dwarfs as cosmochronometers into an accessible tool. The code estimates the mass and cooling age of the white dwarf, as well as the mass and main-sequence age of the progenitor star, allowing for a determination of the total age of the object. We test the reliability of the method by estimating the parameters of white dwarfs from previous studies, and find agreement with the literature within measurement errors. By analyzing the limitation of the code we find a typical uncertainty of 10% on the total age when both input parameters have uncertainties of 1%, and an uncertainty of 25% on the total age when Teff has an uncertainty of 10% and logg of 1%. Furthermore, wdwarfdate assumes single star evolution, and can be applied to calculate the total age of a white dwarf with parameters in the range 1,500<Teff<90,000 K and 7.9<logg<9.3. Finally, the code assumes a uniform mixture of C/O in the core and single star evolution, which is reliable in the range of white dwarf masses 0.45-1.1 Msun (7.73<logg<8.8).

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arXiv2022

A Super-Earth Orbiting Near the Inner Edge of the Habitable Zone around the M4.5-dwarf Ross 508

We report the near-infrared radial-velocity (RV) discovery of a super-Earth planet on a 10.77-day orbit around the M4.5 dwarf Ross 508 ($J_\mathrm{mag}=9.1$). Using precision RVs from the Subaru Telescope IRD (InfraRed Doppler) instrument, we derive a semi-amplitude of $3.92^{+0.60}_{-0.58}$ ${\rm m\,s}^{-1}$, corresponding to a planet with a minimum mass $m \sin i = 4.00^{+0.53}_{-0.55}\ M_{\oplus}$. We find no evidence of significant signals at the detected period in spectroscopic stellar activity indicators or MEarth photometry. The planet, Ross 508 b, has a semimajor-axis of $0.05366^{+0.00056}_{-0.00049}$ au. This gives an orbit-averaged insolation of $\approx$1.4 times the Earth's value, placing Ross 508 b near the inner edge of its star's habitable zone. We have explored the possibility that the planet has a high eccentricity and its host is accompanied by an additional unconfirmed companion on a wide orbit. Our discovery demonstrates that the near-infrared RV search can play a crucial role to find a low-mass planet around cool M dwarfs like Ross 508.

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arXiv2022

Precise Dynamical Masses of Epsilon Indi Ba and Bb: Evidence of Slowed Cooling at the L/T Transition

We report individual dynamical masses of $66.92 \pm 0.36 \; M_{Jup}$ and $53.25 \pm 0.29 \; M_{Jup}$ for the binary brown dwarfs $\varepsilon$ Indi Ba and Bb, measured from long term ($\approx 10$ yr) relative orbit monitoring and absolute astrometry monitoring data on the VLT. Relative astrometry with NACO fully constrains the Keplerian orbit of the binary pair, while absolute astrometry with FORS2 measures the system's parallax and mass ratio. We find a parallax consistent with the Hipparcos and Gaia values for $\varepsilon$ Indi A, and a mass ratio for $\varepsilon$ Indi Ba to Bb precise to better than $0.2\%$. $\varepsilon$ Indi Ba and Bb have spectral types T1-1.5 and T6, respectively. With an age of $3.5^{+0.8}_{-1.0}$ Gyr from $\varepsilon$ Indi A's activity, these brown dwarfs provide some of the most precise benchmarks for substellar cooling models. Assuming coevality, the very different luminosities of the two brown dwarfs and our moderate mass ratio imply a steep mass-luminosity relationship $L \propto M^{5.37 \pm 0.08}$ that can be explained by a slowed cooling rate in the L/T transition, as previously observed for other L/T binaries. Finally, we present a periodogram analysis of the near-infrared photometric data, but find no definitive evidence of periodic signals with a coherent phase.

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arXiv2021

The Gliese 86 Binary System: A Warm Jupiter Formed in a Disk Truncated at $\approx$2 AU

Gliese 86 is a nearby K dwarf hosting a giant planet on a $\approx$16-day orbit and an outer white dwarf companion on a $\approx$century-long orbit. In this study we combine radial velocity data (including new measurements spanning more than a decade) with high angular resolution imaging and absolute astrometry from Hipparcos and Gaia to measure the current orbits and masses of both companions. We then simulate the evolution of the Gl 86 system to constrain its primordial orbit when both stars were on the main sequence; the closest approach between the two stars was then about $9\,$AU. Such a close separation limited the size of the protoplanetary disk of Gl 86 A and dynamically hindered the formation of the giant planet around it. Our measurements of Gl 86 B and Gl 86 Ab's orbits reveal Gl 86 as a system in which giant planet formation took place in a disk truncated at $\approx$2$\,$AU. Such a disk would be just big enough to harbor the dust mass and total mass needed to assemble Gl 86 Ab's core and envelope, assuming a high disk accretion rate and a low viscosity. Inefficient accretion of the disk onto Gl 86 Ab, however, would require a disk massive enough to approach the Toomre stability limit at its outer truncation radius. The orbital architecture of the Gl 86 system shows that giant planets can form even in severely truncated disks and provides an important benchmark for planet formation theory.

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arXiv2021

14 Her: a likely case of planet-planet scattering

In this Letter, we measure the full orbital architecture of the two-planet system around the nearby K0 dwarf 14 Herculis. 14 Her (HD 145675, HIP 79248) is a middle-aged ($4.6^{+3.8}_{-1.3}$ Gyr) K0 star with two eccentric giant planets identified in the literature from radial velocity (RV) variability and long-term trends. Using archival RV data from Keck/HIRES in concert with \textit{Gaia-Hipparcos} acceleration in the proper motion vector for the star, we have disentangled the mass and inclination of the b planet to ${9.1}_{-1.1}^{+1.0}$ $M_\mathrm{Jup}$ and ${32.7}_{-3.2}^{+5.3}$ degrees. Despite only partial phase coverage for the c planet's orbit, we are able to constrain its mass and orbital parameters as well to ${6.9}_{-1.0}^{+1.7}$ $M_\mathrm{Jup}$ and ${101}_{-33}^{+31}$ degrees. We find that coplanarity of the b and c orbits is strongly disfavored. Combined with the age of the system and the comparable masses of its planets, this suggests that planet-planet scattering may be responsible for the current configuration of the system.

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arXiv2021

Multiband imaging of the HD 36546 debris disk: a refined view from SCExAO/CHARIS

We present the first multi-wavelength (near-infrared; $1.1 - 2.4$ $μm$) imaging of HD 36546's debris disk, using the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) system coupled with the Coronagraphic High Angular Resolution Imaging Spectrograph (CHARIS). As a 3-10 Myr old star, HD 36546 presents a rare opportunity to study a debris disk at very early stages. SCExAO/CHARIS imagery resolves the disk over angular separations of $ρ\sim 0.25" - 1.0"$ (projected separations of $\rm{r_{proj}} \sim 25 - 101$ $\rm{au}$) and enables the first spectrophotometric analysis of the disk. The disk's brightness appears symmetric between its eastern and western extents and it exhibits slightly blue near-infrared colors on average (e.g. $J-K =-0.4\pm0.1$) $-$ suggesting copious sub-micron sized or highly porous grains. Through detailed modeling adopting a Hong scattering phase function (SPF), instead of the more common Henyey-Greenstein function, and using the differential evolution optimization algorithm, we provide an updated schematic of HD 36546's disk. The disk has a shallow radial dust density profile ($α_{in} \approx 1.0$ and $α_{out} \approx -1.5$), a fiducial radius of $r_0 \approx 82.7$ au, an inclination of $i \approx 79.1^\circ$, and a position angle of $\rm PA \approx 80.1^\circ$. Through spine tracing, we find a spine that is consistent with our modeling, but also with a "swept-back wing" geometry. Finally, we provide constraints on companions, including limiting a companion responsible for a marginal Hipparcos-Gaia acceleration to a projected separation of $\lesssim 0.2''$ and to a minimum mass of $\lesssim 11$ $\rm M_{Jup}$.

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