Investigating Possible Binarity for GJ 229B

Abstract

GJ 229B, the first type-T brown dwarf to be discovered, has presented a tension between comparisons with evolutionary models and the larger-than-expected mass and radius values derived from spectroscopic and astrometric observations. We examine the hypothesis that GJ 229B is actually a binary substellar object by using two grid-based fits using evolutionary models to explore the range of mass ratios of the possible binary components. We find that the best-fit component values are most consistent with a roughly 2:1 binary mass ratio and an age range of 2–6 Gyr. The observed temperatures, masses, and apparent radii match expected values from evolutionary models for a binary much better than a single-object model, but more detailed observations and modeling are needed to definitively confirm the binary hypothesis.

Keywords

• Brown dwarfs
• T dwarfs
• Binary stars
• Stellar atmospheres