2023AJ....166..192A -
Astron. J., 166, 192 (2023/November-0)
Atmospheric Retrieval of L Dwarfs: Benchmarking Results and Characterizing the Young Planetary Mass Companion HD 106906 b in the Near-infrared.
ADAMS A.D., MEYER M.R., HOWE A.R., BURNINGHAM B., DAEMGEN S., FORTNEY J., LINE M., MARLEY M., QUANZ S.P. and TODOROV K.
Abstract (from CDS):
We present model constraints on the atmospheric structure of HD 106906 b, a planetary-mass companion orbiting at a ∼700 au projected separation around a 15 Myr old stellar binary, using the APOLLO retrieval code on spectral data spanning 1.1-2.5 μm. C/O ratios can provide evidence for companion formation pathways, as such pathways are ambiguous both at wide separations and at star-to-companion mass ratios in the overlap between the distributions of planets and brown dwarfs. We benchmark our code against an existing retrieval of the field L dwarf 2MASSW J2224-0158, returning a C/O ratio consistent with previous fits to the same JHKs data, but disagreeing in the thermal structure, cloud properties, and atmospheric scale height. For HD 106906 b, we retrieve C/O $={0.53}_{-0.25}^{+0.15}$, consistent with the C/O ratios expected for HD 106906's stellar association and therefore consistent with a stellar-like formation for the companion. We find abundances of H2O and CO near chemical equilibrium values for a solar metallicity but a surface gravity lower than expected, as well as a thermal profile with sharp transitions in the temperature gradient. Despite high signal-to-noise ratio and spectral resolution, more accurate constraints necessitate data across a broader wavelength range. This work serves as preparation for subsequent retrievals in the era of JWST, as JWST's spectral range provides a promising opportunity to resolve difficulties in fitting low-gravity L dwarfs and also underscores the need for simultaneous comparative retrievals on L-dwarf companions with multiple retrieval codes.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
Journal keyword(s):
Exoplanet astronomy - Extrasolar gaseous planets - Exoplanet atmospheres - Exoplanet atmospheric composition - Planetary atmospheres - Exoplanet structure - L dwarfs - Atmospheric science - Exoplanet formation
Simbad objects:
9
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