Bibcode
Costado, M. T.; Béjar, V. J. S.; Caballero, J. A.; Rebolo, R.; Acosta-Pulido, J.; Manchado, A.
Bibliographical reference
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 443, Issue 3, December I 2005, pp.1021-1024
Advertised on:
12
2005
Journal
Citations
4
Refereed citations
3
Description
We report the results of a deep photometric search for planets and brown
dwarfs in the nearby young OB Upper Scorpius association. We obtained
optical (I) and near-infrared (JK_s) images around nine very low-mass
stars and brown dwarf member candidates of the association, covering a
total area of 113 arcmin^2. Using a point spread function subtraction
technique, we have searched for planetary-mass companions (0.002 M_&sun;
< M < 0.013 M_&sun;) at separations as close as 3´´
from the targets. We have not found any brown dwarfs more massive than
0.030 M_&sun; at projected distances larger than 70 AU, or planets more
massive than 0.007 M_&sun; at projected distances larger than 600 AU. We
set an upper limit of 20% (confidence level 68.3%) to the fraction of
very low-mass stars and massive brown dwarfs with planetary mass
companions (M > 0.007 M_&sun;) at physical distances larger than 600
AU. From the J, I-J colour-magnitude diagrams and follow-up K_s-band
photometry, we identify four very red objects (I-J > 2.5) in the area
of the survey. According to their positions in the diagram, below the
expected theoretical sequence of the cluster, three are probable late
M-dwarfs in the field. The faintest and reddest object (J-Ks
= 2.39 ± 0.06) may be either a field intermediate L-dwarf with
anomalously red J-Ks colour at a distance of ~135 pc, an
extremely red distant galaxy, or a reddened planetary-mass object in the
Upper Scorpius association.