A Chandra Observation of the TW Hydrae Association Brown Dwarf 2MASSW J1139511-315921

TL;DR

This study reports on Chandra X-ray observations of the TW Hydrae brown dwarf 2MASSW J1139511-315921, detecting its X-ray emission and comparing it with similar objects to understand their activity levels.

Contribution

First X-ray detection of the TW Hydrae brown dwarf 2MASSW J1139511-315921 and comparison with similar brown dwarfs to analyze X-ray luminosity variations.

Findings

2M1139 has low X-ray luminosity compared to TWA 5B.

X-ray luminosity spread in brown dwarfs is consistent with other clusters.

Rotation alone cannot explain X-ray luminosity differences.

Abstract

We report on a sequence of Chandra X-ray Observatory observations of the TW Hydrae brown dwarf (BD) 2MASSW J1139511-315921 (2M1139). In the combined 31 ks ACIS-S exposure, 2M1139 is detected at the 3-sigma confidence level. We find an X-ray luminosity of L_X = 1.4^(+2.7)_(-1.0) x 10^26 ergs s^-1 or log(L_X/L_bol) = -4.8 +/- 0.3. This object is similar to another TW Hydrae BD member, CD-33 7795B (TWA 5B): both have H-alpha emission, both show no signatures of accretion, and both have comparable ages and spectral types. TWA 5B was previously detected in X-rays with a luminosity of L_X = 4 x 10^27 ergs s^-1 or log(L_X/L_bol) = -3.4, an order of magnitude more luminous in X-rays than 2M1139. We find that the discrepancy between the X-ray luminosity of 2M1139 and TWA 5B is consistent with the spread in X-ray luminosity in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) for BDs of similar spectral types. Though rotation may play a role in the X-ray activity of ultracool dwarfs like 2M1139 and TWA 5B, the discrepancy cannot be explained by rotation alone. We also examine two X-ray bright objects in the FOV of our Chandra observations and find one to be of spectral type K0IV and identify it as a possible RS Canum Venaticorum (RS CVn), and another X-ray bright object whose light-curve clearly shows the decay phase of an X-ray flare.