A Likely Close-in Low-mass Stellar Companion to the Transitional Disk Star HD 142527
Abstract
With the uniquely high contrast within 0farcs1 (Δmag(L') = 5-6.5 mag) available using Sparse Aperture Masking with NACO at Very Large Telescope, we detected asymmetry in the flux from the Herbig Fe star HD 142527 with a barycenter emission situated at a projected separation of 88 ± 5 mas (12.8 ± 1.5 AU at 145 pc) and flux ratios in H, K, and L' of 0.016 ± 0.007, 0.012 ± 0.008, and 0.0086 ± 0.0011, respectively (3σ errors), relative to the primary star and disk. After extensive closure-phase modeling, we interpret this detection as a close-in, low-mass stellar companion with an estimated mass of ~0.1-0.4 M ⊙. HD 142527 has a complex disk structure, with an inner gap imaged in both the near and mid-IR as well as a spiral feature in the outer disk in the near-IR. This newly detected low-mass stellar companion may provide a critical explanation of the observed disk structure.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- July 2012
- DOI:
- 10.1088/2041-8205/753/2/L38
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1206.2654
- Bibcode:
- 2012ApJ...753L..38B
- Keywords:
-
- brown dwarfs;
- circumstellar matter;
- planetary systems;
- stars: emission-line;
- Be;
- stars: low-mass;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Accepted to ApJ Letters, 7 pages, 3 figures