# A Candidate Substellar Companion to CoD -33∘7795 (TWA 5)

## 1 Introduction

The discovery and study of low mass objects in stellar systems is one of the key goals of contemporary observational astronomy. The substellar mass range from 10 to 80 Jupiter masses (0.01 $``$ 0.08 M), of which no objects were known 10 years ago, is crucial to our understanding of both stellar and planetary formation. Today, a handful of such objects are known. To make further progress, we are conducting an imaging survey of young, main-sequence stars to search for substellar companions using infrared coronagraphic techniques. Substellar objects cool with age because they do not sustain hydrogen fusion and become more difficult to detect with time as they become both fainter and redder (c.f. Burrows et al. 1997). Using independently determined ages and distances for the target stars, the masses of detected secondaries can be ascertained from infrared magnitudes and theoretical evolutionary tracks on the H$``$R diagram.

Over the last few years mounting evidence has suggested that a number of young, active stars in the vicinity of TW Hydrae form a physical association with an age of $``$ 10 Myr (Kastner et al. 1997; Webb et al. 1998a; Soderblom et al. 1998). At an approximate distance of 50 pc, the “TW Hydrae Association” (TWA) is the region of recent star formation nearest to the Sun (Kastner et al 1997). Recently, Webb et al. (1998a) added HR 4796 and identified five new systems (seven members), in which each system is characterized by the presence of X-ray emission, H$`\alpha `$ emission, and strong lithium absorption associated with young stars. The currently identified eleven systems are shown to have similar space motions implying physical association and a possible common origin (Webb et al. 1998b). Webb et al (1998b) identify CoD $``$337795 , a member of this association, as a likely spectroscopic binary, and although chromospheric activity can be enhanced in short-period, tidally-locked binaries (Barrado Y Navascues & Stauffer 1996), they argue it is a member due to the presence of a strong Li line and consistent space motion with other TWA members. In their listing of the members of the TW Hya Association, Webb et al. (1998a) use the provisional designation TWA 5 for CoD $``$337795 , which we also adopt.

In this letter we present observations of TWA 5B, the first substellar object discovered with the coronagraph on the Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We discuss observation and reduction techniques which may prove important to other coronagraphic programs. We then present the measured and inferred properties from HST/NICMOS and Keck/LRIS & NIRC observations of the newly discovered companion. TWA 5B was discovered independently at the IRTF using speckle imaging as reported in a companion paper by Webb et al (1998a).

## 2 Observations

### 2.1 NICMOS

TWA 5 (CoD $``$337795 ; RA=11H 31M 55.3S, DEC=$``$34 36 27$`\mathrm{"}`$ (J2000.0); M1.5V) was observed with NICMOS on 1998 April 25, 07:43 $``$ 08:40 UT. We imaged the star using the coronagraph in Camera 2 (pixel scale = $``$0.076 arcsec pixel<sup>-1</sup>) in combination with a wide-band F160W filter (central wavelength: 1.59 $`\mu `$m, $`\mathrm{\Delta }\lambda `$ = 0.40 $`\mu `$m), which corresponds closely to a Johnson H-band photometric filter. We obtained two multiple-exposure images with the bright primary star TWA 5 behind the coronagraph (radius = 0.3 arc sec) at two orientations differing by 29.9 degrees. While the stellar point-spread-function (PSF), the instrumental scattering function, and detector artifacts rotate with the aperture, any real features in the unocculted area of the detector will be unaffected by a change in the camera orientation. Subtraction of these two images has been shown to further reduce residual PSF background light (Schneider et al. 1998). Three standard NICMOS STEP64 MultiAccum (non-destructive read) integrations (MacKenty et al. 1997) totaling 684 s were executed at each orientation.

The NICMOS coronagraphic images were reduced and processed utilizing calibration darks and flat-fields created by the NICMOS Instrument Design Team (IDT) from on-orbit observations. The raw image data were calibrated in an analog to the pipeline reduction software, CALNICA (Bushouse 1997), which performs a dark subtraction, fits the multiaccum data using linear regression, and flat-fields the images. No explicit background correction was made at this step because the differencing of the two coronagraphic images removed scattered light and any background light. Two additional steps were performed before flat-fielding; one process which used the first reads in the multiaccum sets to estimate the signals in pixels which saturated in later reads, and another which removed an estimate of the residual DC offsets left after subtracting the dark current. Following initial calibration, bad pixel values were replaced by a weighted interpolation with a radius of 5 pixels. The three multiaccums at each orientation were then averaged to create final calibrated images. The images from each of the two spacecraft orientations were then aligned and subtracted from each other leaving lower amplitude residual noise near the coronagraphic hole edge, as well as positive and negative conjugates of any objects in the field of view. The raw data were reduced independently in a similar manner using the NICRED program (McLeod 1997).

### 2.2 Keck

We obtained an I-band ($`\lambda =0.73`$ to $`0.92\mathrm{\mu m}`$) image of TWA 5 on 1998 February 6 UT on the Keck II 10m telescope using the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (LRIS, Oke et al. 1995) in imaging mode. A short (1 sec), direct image was taken, but even in this minimal integration time, the primary star saturated, causing some bleeding. Under the assumption that the LRIS PSF is azimuthally symmetric, the image was rotated by 180 degrees and subtracted from itself to search for possible bright, close secondaries.

TWA 5 was observed on 18 January 1997 UT using the Near Infrared Camera, NIRC, (Matthews & Soifer 1994) on the Keck I 10m telescope. Two short exposure (0.43 sec), direct images using both J ($`\lambda =1.1`$ to $`1.4\mathrm{\mu m}`$) and K ($`\lambda =2.0`$ to $`2.4\mathrm{\mu m}`$) filters were taken, bias subtracted and flat-field corrected. Sky subtraction was accomplished via the standard technique of dithering a few arcseconds and differencing the two frames.

## 3 Results

Subtraction and analysis of the NICMOS coronagraphic images reveal a stellar-like object (TWA 5B) at a separation of 1.96$`\mathrm{}`$ $`\pm `$ 0.01, and a PA of 1.79 $`\pm `$ 0.36 from TWA 5 (TWA 5A) (Figure 1a). This secondary is point-like with a Full-Width-Half-Maximum (FWHM) of 0.$`\mathrm{}`$14, derived from the coronagraphic images, similar to the primary’s FWHM of 0.$`\mathrm{}`$15, derived from the acquisition images. The secondary is also seen in the LRIS (Figure 1b) and NIRC (not shown) direct images at the same position angle and separation. The positions of the primary and secondary in the NICMOS images were found by a least-squares isophotal ellipse fitting process around the PSF core with a radius of 7 pixels to exclude flux from any close objects. Since the target star is occulted in the NICMOS coronagraphic images, its position is ascertained from the target acquisition image, which resulted in independent measurements of each offset and position from both orientations.

### 3.1 NICMOS

In order to measure the flux of the secondary in the NICMOS images, the image conjugates (positive and negative) were separated after subtraction, then shifted (translated, not rotated) with bi-cubic interpolation/resampling to null-out/align the PSF of the companion. The positive and negative images were combined to produce a reconstructed image of the companion with the background suppressed except for residual photon noise (Figure 1a).

The magnitude of TWA 5B was measured using a 15$`\times `$15 pixel square aperture centered on the companion. A correction factor of 13.73$`\%`$, determined from coronagraphic photometric curves-of-growth developed by the NICMOS IDT, was applied to the measured flux to compensate for the flux which fell out of this aperture. With a conversion factor for the F160W filter of 2.20 $`\times 10^6`$ Jy/ADU/s, and 1087 Jy corresponding to an H magnitude of zero (Rieke 1998), the H magnitude of TWA 5B is 12.13 $`\pm `$ 0.05 mag. The photometry of the NICRED reduced images is consistent with these results with a measured H magnitude of 12.16 $`\pm `$ 0.06 mag for TWA 5B. The uncertainty is dominated by NICMOS’s calibration in relation to standard stars. For the remainder of the paper we will use an H magnitude of 12.14 $`\pm `$ 0.06 for TWA 5B (Table 1).

The H-band magnitude of TWA 5A was determined from aperture photometry of the two calibrated target acquisition images (at each of the two spacecraft orientations) processed as described in section 2.1. Both measurements overlapped within the uncertainties and were averaged to yield H $`=`$ 7.2 $`\pm `$ 0.1 mag (Table 1).

### 3.2 Keck

The I-band flux of TWA 5B was measured from the one, direct LRIS image. In the rotated and subtracted image (Figure 1b), a circular aperture with a radius of 3 pixels (0.$`\mathrm{}`$45) was used to minimize the influence of spillover light from the primary. The flux measured in the aperture was corrected relative to an 8 pixel (1.$`\mathrm{}`$2) radius aperture using bright objects in the LRIS field of view. Comparing the measured signal with a white dwarf, HZ4, whose I=14.7 mag (Zuckerman & Becklin 1987), we find I= 15.8 $`\pm `$ 0.2 mag for TWA 5B. The majority of the uncertainty in the measure lies in the aperture correction due to the proximity of the saturated primary.

As in the LRIS images, the primary is also saturated in the NIRC direct images, but circular aperture photometry was performed on the secondary using small apertures to decrease the influence of light from the primary. The measured J and K magnitudes of TWA 5B (Table 1) harbor systematic uncertainties resulting from poorly calibrated curves of growth of both the object and standard stars. We estimate these uncertainties to be $``$ 0.2 mag.

Table 1: Measured Photometry of TWA 5 A&B

| Source | Spec type | I | J | H | K |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 5A | M1.5 | 8.8 $`\pm `$0.4<sup>a</sup><sup>a</sup>from Webb et al 1998 | 7.7$`\pm `$0.1<sup>a</sup><sup>a</sup>from Webb et al 1998 | 7.2 $`\pm `$0.1 | 6.8$`\pm `$0.1<sup>a</sup><sup>a</sup>from Webb et al 1998 |
| 5B | $``$M8.5 | 15.8$`\pm `$0.2 | 12.6$`\pm `$0.2 | 12.14$`\pm `$0.06 | 11.4 $`\pm `$0.2 |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |

<sup>a</sup>from Webb et al. 1998a

## 4 Discussion

### 4.1 Likelihood of Companionship

With our data set it is not possible to prove a physical association of TWA 5A and TWA 5B. However, we can compare the apparent brightness (J=12.6 mag) and red color (I$``$K$`=`$4.4) with objects found in various other infrared surveys. From the Kirkpatrick et al. (1998a) survey of the solar neighborhood, we find $``$ 0.2 stars per square arcminute at J $`<`$ 13 mag at the galactic latitude of TWA 5A (b$`=`$25) (we extrapolate from their completeness limit of J $`<`$ 17 mag using Lilly & Cowie’s (1987) galactic distribution model). Hence the a priori probability of finding an object of this brightness within a 2$`\mathrm{}`$ radius circle (area = 0.0035 sq. arc minutes) of any given point is about 0.06%. In an infrared survey of the Pleiades, Simons & Becklin (1992) found colors for $``$ 500 background objects in 275 square degrees; only 3$`\%`$ had I$``$K $`>`$ 3.5 mag. Most of those red objects were likely background galaxies which would be resolved by HST. Therefore, we estimate the probability that a red background star is separated from TWA 5A by 2 arcsec is the product of these two, or $`<`$ 2 $`\times 10^5`$.

We consider the possibility that TWA 5B could be a foreground, low-mass star. Assuming a spectral type later than M7 from the colors, we find M<sub>H</sub> $`>`$ 10.15 for a dwarf star (Kirkpatrick & McCarthy 1994), so the photometric distance would be 25 parsecs. Henry (1991), in a volume limited infrared survey, finds 6 objects with M<sub>H</sub> $`>`$ 9.5 within 5 parsecs from the sun. Assuming a spherical distribution of low mass stars in the solar neighborhood, we should expect 750 such objects out to 25 parsecs, so the a priori probability of finding one in projection within a 2$`\mathrm{}`$ radius circle is 2 $`\times 10^8`$.

Given these small probabilities, it is unlikely we would find a foreground or background object of this nature in our sample size of less than 50 stars. The combination of a small separation from another low-mass star, an extremely red color, and moderate brightness is rare at a galactic latitude of 25 degrees. Further, as shown below, TWA 5B falls on the same isochrone as TWA 5A on the H-R diagram, implying coevality, and therefore companionship. For the remainder of the paper, we assume TWA 5B is physically associated with TWA 5A.

### 4.2 Effective Temperature and Bolometric Luminosity

The photometric measurements place strong constraints on the nature of the secondary. The colors of TWA 5B are consistent with a spectral type of M8-M8.5. (Kirkpatrick & McCarthy 1994; Luhman et al. 1997). An effective temperature is required to position TWA 5B on an H$``$R diagram, but the temperature scale for late, young M-dwarfs is uncertain (Allard et al. 1997). Kirkpatrick et al (1993) match synthetic spectral fits to observed spectra for late type stars and derive a temperature of 2875K and 2625K for M8 and M9, respectively. Luhman & Rieke (1998) extrapolate from Leggett et al’s (1996) model fits to derive 2505K for this spectral class, which agrees with the newer models used by Leggett et al (1998). Simons et al (1996) present a derived relation between color and effective temperature which gives 2538K for the J$``$K color we measure. Since many young, low-mass stars possess spectral features indicative of both dwarfs and giants (Luhman & Rieke 1998), it has been argued that adopting an intermediate effective temperature for the two luminosity classes, 100K to 150K hotter than the dwarf scale, is appropriate (Luhman et al 1997; White et al 1998). Perrin et al (1998) have found an M8 giant to have an effective temperature of 2806K from their model fits. With the uncertainty in temperature for late M dwarf stars and the added uncertainty from the youth, we plot the range (Figure 2) appropriate to the colors we measure with a horizontal dotted line from 2505K to 2875K, which includes the derived giant temperature. Assuming coevality with TWA 5A, the primary’s isochrone intersects this range at approximately 2600K.

There is no parallactic distance measured to TWA 5, so we adopt the approximate distance of 50 pc to the association. This is based on Hipparcos parallax measures to TW Hydra, HD98800, HR4796 and TWA 9, thought to be members of the same association. With an H-magnitude of 12.14 and a distance modulus of 3.49, we derive the luminosity of TWA 5B to be 0.0021 $`\pm `$ 0.0003 L$``$. In doing so, we adopt a bolometric correction of 2.8 $`\pm `$ 0.1 mag for an M8.5 dwarf, as suggested by Kirkpatrick et al. (1993).

### 4.3 Derived Mass

We place TWA 5A & B on pre-main sequence evolutionary tracks (DAntona & Mazitelli 1997) to infer masses (Figure 2). The range of temperatures plotted places the mass of the secondary in the range of 0.015 to 0.055 M$``$ (15 to 55 M<sub>Jup</sub>) with the primary’s isochrone, assuming coevality, intersecting at $``$ 20 M<sub>Jup</sub>. Evolutionary tracks themselves do differ somewhat due to different models and atmospheres used. The tracks of (Baraffe et al. 1998) place the mass of the secondary in the range 15 to 60 M<sub>Jup</sub>, with the primary’s isochrone intersecting near 25 M<sub>Jup</sub>. Burrows et al’s (1997) models predict a 10 Myr old, 20 M<sub>Jup</sub> brown dwarf will have an effective temperature of 2609K and a luminosity of 0.0022 L$``$, which is in good agreement with our data.

## 5 Implications for Formation of Brown Dwarf Companions

We present spatially resolved, high signal-to-noise optical and near-infrared photometry of the young ($``$ 10Myr) TW Hydrae Association member CoD $``$337795 (= TWA 5) with evidence for a approximately 20 M<sub>Jup</sub> brown dwarf companion at a projected separation of 100 AU from the primary. If indeed the secondary is a true companion, it will be interesting to see if a young brown dwarf exhibits Li absorption as do all known members of the TWA (Webb et al. 1998a). It has been conjectured that brown dwarfs with mass $`1080`$ M<sub>Jup</sub> are rare at separations less than 5 AU (Marcy et al. 1998) and greater than 200 AU (Oppenheimer et al. 1999), but there are now at least four likely substellar companions known at separations from 30 to 200 AU (Kirkpatrick et al. 1998b, Nakajima et al. 1995, White et al. 1998, this paper). Although orbiting diverse primaries (white dwarf, field M star, T Tauri star, young M star) and subject to small number statistics, these results hint that the semi-major axis distribution of brown dwarf and late M dwarf secondaries may differ since the latter are found throughout a wide range of semi-major axes.

This work is supported in part by NASA grants NAG 5-4688 to UCLA and NAG 5-3042 to the University of Arizona NICMOS Instrument Design Team. This Letter is based on observations obtained with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W.M.Keck Observatory. We would like to thank R. White, A. Weinberger, and D. Weintraub for their valuable comments and the anonymous referee for comments which clarified the presentation.