Discovery of a Low-Mass Companion to the Solar-Type Star TYC 2534-698-1

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a low-mass companion, likely a brown dwarf, orbiting a solar-type star in the 'brown dwarf desert', using spectroscopic and photometric observations to characterize its properties.

Contribution

The study presents the serendipitous detection of a low-mass companion in an eccentric orbit around a G2V star, with detailed radial velocity and photometric analysis.

Findings

Minimum mass of 0.037 solar masses for the companion

Orbital period of approximately 103 days

Located within the brown dwarf desert region

Abstract

Brown dwarfs and low-mass stellar companions are interesting objects to study since they occupy the mass region between deuterium and hydrogen burning. We report here the serendipitous discovery of a low-mass companion in an eccentric orbit around a solar-type main sequence star. The stellar primary, TYC 2534-698-1, is a G2V star that was monitored both spectroscopically and photometrically over the course of several months. Radial velocity observations indicate a minimum mass of 0.037 M_solar and an orbital period of ~103 days for the companion. Photometry outside of the transit window shows the star to be stable to within ~6 millimags. The semi-major axis of the orbit places the companion in the 'brown dwarf desert' and we discuss potential follow-up observations that could constrain the mass of the companion.