Exoplanet accretion monitoring spectroscopic survey (ENTROPY) I. Evidence for magnetospheric accretion in the young isolated planetary-mass object 2MASS J11151597+1937266

TL;DR

This study presents the first high-resolution spectroscopic evidence of magnetospheric accretion in a young, isolated planetary-mass object, revealing detailed accretion processes through emission line analysis.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed spectroscopic analysis of accretion in a planetary-mass object, confirming magnetospheric accretion signatures and deriving key physical parameters.

Findings

Confirmed ongoing accretion via emission lines.

Derived accretion rate of approximately 1.4x10^-8 Mj/yr.

Estimated planetary mass around 6 Mj based on line profiles.

Abstract

Accretion among planets is a poorly understood phenomenon, due to lack of both observational and theoretical studies. Detection of emission lines from accreting gas giants facilitate detailed investigations into this process. This work presents a detailed analysis of Balmer lines from one of the few known young, planetary-mass objects with observed emission, the isolated L2 dwarf 2MASS J11151597+1937266 with a mass 7-21 Mj and age 5-45 Myr, located at 45+-2 pc. We obtained the first high-resolution (R~50,000) spectrum of the target with VLT/UVES, a spectrograph in the near-UV to visible wavelengths (3200-6800 AA). We report resolved H3-H6 and He I (5875.6 AA) emission in the spectrum. Based on the asymmetric line profiles of H3 and H4, 10% width of H3 (199+-1 km/s), tentative He I 6678 AA emission and indications of a disk from MIR excess, we confirm ongoing accretion at this object. Using the Gaia update of the parallax, we revise its temperature to 1816+-63 K and radius to 1.5+-0.1 Rj. Analysis of observed H I profiles using 1D planet-surface shock model implies a pre-shock gas velocity of v0=120(+80,-40) km/s and a pre-shock density of log(n0/cm^-3)=14(+0,-5). Pre-shock velocity points to a mass of 6(+8,-4) Mj for the target. Combining the H I line luminosities and planetary Lline-Lacc scaling relations, we derive a mass accretion rate of 1.4(+2.8,-0.9)x10^-8 Mj/yr.