Abstract
We report seven successful observations of the astrometric binary GJ 164 AB system with aperture masking interferometry. The companion, with a near-infrared contrast of 5:1 was detected beyond the formal diffraction limit. Combined with astrometric observations from the literature, these observations fix the parallax of the system, and allow a model-independent mass determination of both components.We find the mass of GJ 164 B to be 0.096±0.008M ⊙. With data taken with the newly commissioned TripleSpec spectrograph, we examine GJ 164's near-infrared spectral features and compare them to a sample of M dwarfs of known metallicity. Models are not consistent with color and mass, requiring a very young age to accommodate a secondary too luminous, a scenario ruled out by the kinematics.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1183-1190 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
Volume | 695 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 20 Apr 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Brown dwarfs
- Stars: low-mass
- Techniques: high angular resolution
- Techniques: spectroscopic