High Proper Motion Objects from the UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey

TL;DR

This study used UKIDSS data to identify and verify 617 high proper motion objects in the Galactic plane, including new ultracool dwarf candidates and systems, expanding the catalog of nearby stellar objects.

Contribution

It presents the first large-scale proper motion survey in the Galactic plane using UKIDSS, discovering new ultracool dwarfs and improving proper motion measurements for known objects.

Findings

Verified 617 high proper motion sources, including 153 new discoveries.

Discovered a new T5 dwarf and a T6 dwarf candidate.

Identified 13 new L dwarf candidates and two common proper motion systems.

Abstract

The UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey (GPS) began in 2005 as a 7 year effort to survey ~1800 square degrees of the northern Galactic plane in the J, H, and K passbands. The survey included a second epoch of K band data, with a baseline of 2 to 8 years, for the purpose of investigating variability and measuring proper motions. We have calculated proper motions for 167 Million sources in a 900 square degree area located at l > 60 degrees in order to search for new high proper motion objects. Visual inspection has verified 617 high proper motion sources (> 200 mas/yr) down to K=17, of which 153 are new discoveries. Among these we have a new spectroscopically confirmed T5 dwarf, an additional T dwarf with estimated type T6, 13 new L dwarf candidates, and two new common proper motion systems containing ultracool dwarf candidates. We provide improved proper motions for an additional 12 high proper motion stars that were independently discovered in the WISE dataset during the course of this investigation.