A Korea-Japan planet search program: Current status and discovery of a brown dwarf candidate
Abstract
Since 2005, we have been carrying out a precise radial velocity survey of about 190 intermediate-mass (1.5-5 M⊙) G and K giants at Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory (BOAO) in Korea and Okayama Astrophysical Observatory (OAO) in Japan, which aims to reveal statistical properties of planetary systems around intermediate-mass stars. We have finished the first screening of 120 stars so far and have identified 5 candidates with large periodic radial velocity variations. One of the candidates turned out to be orbited by a brown dwarf mass companion with minimum mass of 37.6 MJup and semimajor axis of 1.71 AU. The primary star has a mass of 3.9 M⊙, which ranks among the most massive stars with substellar companions. Our discovery may support the current view obtained from results of planet searches around intermediate-mass stars that massive substellar companions tend to form around massive stars.
- Publication:
-
Exoplanets: Detection, Formation and Dynamics
- Pub Date:
- May 2008
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S1743921308016360
- Bibcode:
- 2008IAUS..249...53O
- Keywords:
-
- stars: low-mass;
- brown dwarfs;
- techniques: radial velocities