Retrieving the C and O Abundances of HR 7672~AB: a Solar-Type Primary Star with a Benchmark Brown Dwarf

TL;DR

This study demonstrates atmospheric retrieval of C and O abundances in a benchmark brown dwarf, HR 7672 B, confirming its elemental similarity to its primary star and highlighting systematic considerations in spectral analysis.

Contribution

The paper introduces a practical atmospheric retrieval framework applied to a benchmark brown dwarf, validating its elemental abundances against its primary star using high-resolution spectra.

Findings

Retrieved C/O ratio overestimated in synthetic tests.

HR 7672 B's elemental abundances are consistent with its primary star.

Provides a systematic approach for future atmospheric retrievals.

Abstract

A benchmark brown dwarf (BD) is a BD whose properties (e.g., mass and chemical composition) are precisely and independently measured. Benchmark BDs are valuable in testing theoretical evolutionary tracks, spectral synthesis, and atmospheric retrievals for sub-stellar objects. Here, we report results of atmospheric retrieval on a synthetic spectrum and a benchmark BD -- HR 7672~B -- with \petit. First, we test the retrieval framework on a synthetic PHOENIX BT-Settl spectrum with a solar composition. We show that the retrieved C and O abundances are consistent with solar values, but the retrieved C/O is overestimated by 0.13-0.18, which is $\sim$4 times higher than the formal error bar. Second, we perform retrieval on HR 7672~B using high spectral resolution data (R=35,000) from the Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) and near infrared photometry. We retrieve [C/H], [O/H], and C/O to be $-0.24\pm0.05$, $-0.19\pm0.04$, and $0.52\pm0.02$. These values are consistent with those of HR 7672~A within 1.5-$\sigma$. As such, HR 7672~B is among only a few benchmark BDs (along with Gl 570~D and HD 3651~B) that have been demonstrated to have consistent elemental abundances with their primary stars. Our work provides a practical procedure of testing and performing atmospheric retrieval, and sheds light on potential systematics of future retrievals using high- and low-resolution data.