English

The Second Discovery from the COol Companions ON Ultrawide orbiTS (COCONUTS) Program: A Cold Wide-Orbit Exoplanet around a Young Field M Dwarf at 10.9 pc

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics 2021-08-04 v1 Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

Abstract

We present the identification of the COCONUTS-2 system, composed of the M3 dwarf L 34-26 and the T9 dwarf WISEPA J075108.79-763449.6. Given their common proper motions and parallaxes, these two field objects constitute a physically bound pair with a projected separation of 594"" (6471 au). The primary star COCONUTS-2A has strong stellar activity (Hα\alpha, X-ray, and UV emission) and is rapidly rotating (Prot=2.83P_{\rm rot} = 2.83 days), from which we estimate an age of 150-800 Myr. Comparing equatorial rotational velocity derived from the TESS light curve to spectroscopic vsiniv\sin{i}, we find COCONUTS-2A has a nearly edge-on inclination. The wide exoplanet COCONUTS-2b has an effective temperature of Teff=434±9T_{\rm eff}=434 \pm 9 K, a surface gravity of logg=4.110.18+0.11\log{g} = 4.11^{+0.11}_{-0.18} dex, and a mass of M=6.31.9+1.5M=6.3^{+1.5}_{-1.9} MJupM_{\rm Jup} based on hot-start evolutionary models, leading to a 0.0160.005+0.0040.016^{+0.004}_{-0.005} mass ratio for the COCONUTS-2 system. COCONUTS-2b is the second coldest (after WD 0806-661B) and the second widest (after TYC 9486-927-1 b) exoplanet imaged to date. Comparison of COCONUTS-2b's infrared photometry with ultracool model atmospheres suggests the presence of both condensate clouds and non-equilibrium chemistry in its photosphere. Similar to 51 Eri b, COCONUTS-2b has a sufficiently low luminosity (log(Lbol/L)=6.384±0.028\log{(L_{\rm bol}/L_{\odot})} = -6.384 \pm 0.028 dex) to be consistent with the cold-start process that may form gas-giant (exo)planets, though its large separation means such formation would not have occurred in situ. Finally, at a distance of 10.9 pc, COCONUTS-2b is the nearest imaged exoplanet to Earth known to date.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2107.02805,
  title  = {The Second Discovery from the COol Companions ON Ultrawide orbiTS (COCONUTS) Program: A Cold Wide-Orbit Exoplanet around a Young Field M Dwarf at 10.9 pc},
  author = {Zhoujian Zhang and Michael C. Liu and Zachary R. Claytor and William M. J. Best and Trent J. Dupuy and Robert J. Siverd},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2107.02805},
  year   = {2021}
}

Comments

Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters