Subaru/CHARIS High-Resolution Mode Spectroscopy of the Brown Dwarf Companion HD 33632 Ab

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution spectroscopy of the brown dwarf companion HD 33632 Ab to test and compare spectral and evolutionary models, revealing discrepancies that highlight the need for more complex atmospheric modeling.

Contribution

It provides new Subaru/CHARIS observations and a reanalysis of the brown dwarf's properties, emphasizing the importance of considering clouds and disequilibrium chemistry in models.

Findings

Spectral models do not perfectly match evolutionary track predictions.

The brown dwarf appears younger than the host star's age.

Photometry aligns with evolutionary luminosity predictions.

Abstract

Brown dwarfs (BD) are model degenerate in age and mass. High-contrast imaging and spectroscopy of BD companions to host stars where the mass and age can be independently constrained by dynamics and stellar age indicators respectively provide valuable tests of BD evolution models. In this paper, we present a new epoch of Subaru/CHARIS H- and K-band observations of one such previously discovered system, HD 33632 Ab. We reanalyze the mass and orbit using our new epoch of extracted relative astrometry, and fit extracted spectra to the newest generation of equilibrium, disequilibrium, and cloudy spectral and evolution models for BDs. No spectral model perfectly agrees with evolutionary tracks and the derived mass and age, instead favoring a somewhat younger BD than the host star's inferred age. This tension can potentially be resolved using atmosphere and evolution models that consider both clouds and disequilibrium chemistry simultaneously, or by additional future spectra at higher resolution or in other band passes. Photometric measurements alone remain consistent with the luminosity predicted by evolutionary tracks. Our work highlights the importance of considering complexities like clouds, disequilibrium chemistry, and composition when comparing spectral models to evolutionary tracks.