Unveiling wide-orbit companions to K-type stars in Sco-Cen with Gaia EDR3

TL;DR

This study utilizes Gaia EDR3 data combined with VLT observations to identify and confirm wide-orbit low-mass companions, including brown dwarfs, around young K-type stars in the Sco-Cen association, demonstrating Gaia's capability in this domain.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel method combining Gaia astrometry with high-contrast imaging to discover and verify wide-orbit sub-stellar companions around young stars.

Findings

Identified 110 comoving companions with >95% likelihood.

Discovered a new brown dwarf companion at 570 au with a mass of ~52 M_Jup.

Gaia can detect sub-stellar objects beyond 300 au around K-type stars.

Abstract

Abbreviated. We aim to identify new low-mass companions to young stars using the astrometric measurements provided by the Gaia space mission and complementary VLT/SPHERE data. We identify companion candidates from a sample of K-type, pre-main sequence stars in the Scorpius Centaurus association using the early version of the third data release of the Gaia space mission. Based on the provided positions, proper motions, and magnitudes, we identify all objects within a predefined radius whose differential proper motions are consistent with a gravitationally bound system. We derive companion masses through comparison with evolutionary tracks. For seven identified companion candidates we use additional data collected with VLT/SPHERE and VLT/NACO to assess the accuracy of the properties of the companions based on Gaia photometry alone. We identify 110 comoving companions that have a companionship likelihood of more than $95\,\%$. We identify ten especially intriguing companions that have masses in the brown dwarf regime down to $20\,M_\mathrm{Jup}$. Our high-contrast imaging data confirm both astrometry and photometric masses derived from Gaia alone. We discover a new brown dwarf companion, TYC 8252-533-1 B, with a projected separation of approximately $570\,\mathrm{au}$ from its Sun-like primary. SED modeling provides a companion mass of $52^{+17}_{-11}\,M_\mathrm{Jup}$. We show that the Gaia database can identify low-mass companions at wide separations from their host stars. For K-type Sco-Cen members Gaia can detect sub-stellar objects at projected separations larger than $300\,\mathrm{au}$ and is sensitivity limited beyond $1,000\,\mathrm{au}$ with a lower mass limit down to $20\,M_\mathrm{Jup}$. A similar analysis of other star-forming regions could significantly enlarge the sample size of such objects and test formation and evolution theories of planetary systems.