Subtle Signatures of Multiplicity in Late-type Dwarf Spectra: The Unresolved M8.5 + T5 Binary 2MASS J03202839-0446358

TL;DR

This paper presents evidence that the late-type dwarf 2MASS J03202839-0446358 is an unresolved binary system composed of an M8.5 dwarf and a T5 dwarf, identified through subtle spectral features in near-infrared data.

Contribution

It introduces a new method of detecting unresolved low-mass binaries using low-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy and binary spectral templates, supported by adaptive optics imaging.

Findings

Spectral feature at 1.6 microns indicates binarity.

Binary templates match the observed spectrum better than single spectra.

Imaging constrains the separation to less than 8.3 AU.

Abstract

Evidence is presented that 2MASS J03202839-0446358, a late-type dwarf with discrepant optical (M8:) and near-infrared (L1) spectral types, is an as-yet unresolved stellar/brown dwarf binary with late-type M dwarf and T dwarf components. This conclusion is based on low-resolution, near-infrared spectroscopy that reveals a subtle but distinctive absorption feature at 1.6 micron. The feature, which is also present in the combined light spectrum of the M8.5 + T6 binary SCR 1845-6357, arises from the combination of FeH absorption from an M8.5 primary and pseudo-continuum flux from a T5+/-1 secondary, as ascertained from binary spectral templates constructed from empirical data. The binary templates provide a far superior match to the overall near-infrared spectral energy distribution of 2MASS J0320-0446 than any single comparison spectra. Laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS AO) imaging observations, including the first application of LGS AO aperture mask interferometry, fail to resolve a faint companion, restricting the projected separation of the system to less than 8.3 AU at the time of observation. 2MASS J0320-0446 is the second very low mass binary to be identified from unresolved, low-resolution, near-infrared spectroscopy, a technique that complements traditional high resolution imaging and spectroscopic methods.