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Discovery of four high proper motion L dwarfs, including A 10 pc L dwarf at the L/T transition

  • Philip J. Castro
  • , John E. Gizis
  • , Hugh C. Harris
  • , Gregory N. Mace
  • , J. Davy Kirkpatrick
  • , Ian S. McLean
  • , Petchara Pattarakijwanich
  • , Michael F. Skrutskie
  • University of Delaware
  • Flagstaff Station
  • VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California
  • LIGO-California Institute of Technology
  • Princeton University
  • University of Virginia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We discover four high proper motion L dwarfs by comparing the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to the Two Micron All Sky Survey. WISE J140533.32+835030.5 is an L dwarf at the L/T transition with a proper motion of 0.85 ± 0.″02 yr-1, previously overlooked due to its proximity to a bright star (V ≈ 12 mag). From optical spectroscopy we find a spectral type of L8, and from moderate-resolution J band spectroscopy we find a near-infrared spectral type of L9. We find WISE J140533.32+835030.5 to have a distance of 9.7 ± 1.7 pc, bringing the number of L dwarfs at the L/T transition within 10 pc from six to seven. WISE J040137.21+284951.7, WISE J040418.01+412735.6, and WISE J062442.37+662625.6 are all early L dwarfs within 25 pc, and were classified using optical and low-resolution near-infrared spectra. WISE J040418.01+412735.6 is an L2 pec (red) dwarf, a member of the class of unusually red L dwarfs. We use follow-up optical and low-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy to classify a previously discovered fifth object WISEP J060738.65+242953.4 as an (L8 Opt/L9 NIR), confirming it as an L dwarf at the L/T transition within 10 pc. WISEP J060738.65+242953.4 shows tentative CH4 in the H band, possibly the result of unresolved binarity with an early T dwarf, a scenario not supported by binary spectral template fitting. If WISEP J060738.65+242953.4 is a single object, it represents the earliest onset of CH4 in the H band of an L/T transition dwarf in the SpeX Library. As very late L dwarfs within 10 pc, WISE J140533.32+835030.5 and WISEP J060738.65+242953.4 will play a vital role in resolving outstanding issues at the L/T transition.

Original languageEnglish
Article number126
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume776
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Oct 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • brown dwarfs
  • infrared: stars
  • proper motions
  • stars: distances
  • stars: late-type

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