Chemical and Isotopic Homogeneity Between the L Dwarf CD-35 2722 B and its Early M Host Star

TL;DR

This study analyzes the chemical and isotopic composition of the L dwarf CD-35 2722 B and its M dwarf host star, finding their compositions are consistent within uncertainties, supporting a gravitational instability formation scenario.

Contribution

First detailed high-resolution spectroscopic comparison of an L dwarf and its host star's chemical and isotopic properties, supporting formation via gravitational instability.

Findings

Chemical compositions are consistent within 1.5 sigma.

No evidence of clouds on CD-35 2722 B despite its redness.

Temperature structure more isothermal than models.

Abstract

CD-35 2722 B is an L dwarf companion to the nearby, $\sim 50-200$ Myr old M1 dwarf CD-35 2722 A. We present a detailed analysis of both objects using high-resolution ($R \sim 35,000$) $K$ band spectroscopy from the Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) combined with archival photometry. With a mass of $30^{+5}_{-4} M_{\mathrm{Jup}}$ (planet-to-host mass ratio 0.05) and projected separation of $67\pm4$ AU from its host, CD-35 2722 B likely formed via gravitational instability. We explore whether the chemical composition of the system tells a similar story. Accounting for systematic uncertainties, we find $\mathrm{[M/H]}=-0.16^{+0.03}_{-0.02} \mathrm{(stat)} \pm 0.25 \mathrm{(sys)}$ dex and $^{12}\mathrm{C}/^{13}\mathrm{C}=132^{+20}_{-14}$ for the host, and $\mathrm{[M/H]}=0.27^{+0.07}_{-0.06} (\mathrm{stat}) \pm 0.12 (\mathrm{sys})$ dex, $^{12}\mathrm{CO}/^{13}\mathrm{CO}=159^{+33}_{-24} \mathrm{(stat)}^{+40}_{-33} \mathrm{(sys)}$, and $\mathrm{C/O} = 0.55 \pm 0.01 (\mathrm{stat}) \pm 0.04 (\mathrm{sys})$ for the companion. The chemical compositions for the brown dwarf and host star agree within the $1.5\sigma$ level, supporting a scenario where CD-35 2722 B formed via gravitational instability. We do not find evidence for clouds on CD-35 2722 B despite it being a photometrically red mid-L dwarf and thus expected to be quite cloudy. We retrieve a temperature structure which is more isothermal than models and investigate its impact on our measurements, finding that constraining the temperature structure to self-consistent models does not significantly impact our retrieved chemical properties. Our observations highlight the need for data from complementary wavelength ranges to verify the presence of aerosols in likely cloudy L dwarfs.