Identification of a Wide, Low-Mass Multiple System Containing the Brown Dwarf 2MASS J0850359+105716

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a wide, low-mass quadruple system including a brown dwarf and a binary M dwarf, providing insights into the formation and characteristics of such low-binding-energy systems.

Contribution

The study identifies a rare wide, low-mass quadruple system with detailed age and mass estimates, and discusses its implications for formation models of brown dwarf systems.

Findings

System is a wide, low-mass quadruple with ~7700 AU separation.

Age estimates suggest the system is between 0.25-1.5 Gyr.

System's formation aligns with gravitational fragmentation models.

Abstract

We report our discovery of NLTT 20346 as an M5+M6 companion system to the tight binary (or triple) L dwarf 2MASS J0850359+105716. This nearby (~31 pc), widely separated (~7700 AU) quadruple system was identified through a cross-match of proper motion catalogs. Follow-up imaging and spectroscopy of NLTT 20346 revealed it to be a magnetically active M5+M6 binary with components separated by ~2" (50-80 AU). Optical spectroscopy of the components show only moderate Halpha emission corresponding to a statistical age of ~5 - 7 Gyr for both M dwarfs. However NLTT 20346 is associated with the XMM-Newton source J085018.9+105644, and based on X-ray activity the age of NLTT 20346 is between 250-450 Myr. Strong Li absorption in the optical spectrum of 2MASS J0850+1057 indicates an upper age limit of 0.8 - 1.5 Gyr favoring the younger age for the primary. Using evolutionary models in combination with an adopted system age of 0.25-1.5 Gyr indicates a total mass for 2MASS J0850+1057 of 0.07+/-0.02 Msun if it is a binary. NLTT 20346/2MASS J0850+1057 joins a growing list of hierarchical systems containing brown dwarf binaries and is among the lowest binding energy associations found in the field. Formation simulations via gravitational fragmentation of massive extended disks have successfully produced a specific analog to this system.