The Astronomical Journal (Jan 2024)
RV Measurements of Directly Imaged Brown Dwarf GQ Lup B to Search for Exosatellites
- Katelyn Horstman,
- Jean-Baptiste Ruffio,
- Konstantin Batygin,
- Dimitri Mawet,
- Ashley Baker,
- Chih-Chun Hsu,
- Jason J. Wang,
- Ji Wang,
- Sarah Blunt,
- Jerry W. Xuan,
- Yinzi Xin,
- Joshua Liberman,
- Shubh Agrawal,
- Quinn M. Konopacky,
- Geoffrey A. Blake,
- Clarissa R. Do Ó,
- Randall Bartos,
- Charlotte Z. Bond,
- Benjamin Calvin,
- Sylvain Cetre,
- Jacques-Robert Delorme,
- Greg Doppmann,
- Daniel Echeverri,
- Luke Finnerty,
- Michael P. Fitzgerald,
- Nemanja Jovanovic,
- Ronald López,
- Emily C. Martin,
- Evan Morris,
- Jacklyn Pezzato,
- Garreth Ruane,
- Ben Sappey,
- Tobias Schofield,
- Andrew Skemer,
- Taylor Venenciano,
- J. Kent Wallace,
- Nicole L. Wallack,
- Peter Wizinowich
Affiliations
- Katelyn Horstman
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]
- Jean-Baptiste Ruffio
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California , San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Konstantin Batygin
- ORCiD
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Dimitri Mawet
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]; Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Ashley Baker
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]
- Chih-Chun Hsu
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University , 1800 Sherman, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Jason J. Wang
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University , 1800 Sherman, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Ji Wang
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University , 100 W 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Sarah Blunt
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University , 1800 Sherman, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Jerry W. Xuan
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]
- Yinzi Xin
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]
- Joshua Liberman
- ORCiD
- James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona , Meinel Building 1630 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Shubh Agrawal
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Quinn M. Konopacky
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California , San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Geoffrey A. Blake
- ORCiD
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Clarissa R. Do Ó
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of California , San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Randall Bartos
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Charlotte Z. Bond
- UK Astronomy Technology Centre , Royal Observatory, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
- Benjamin Calvin
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]; Department of Physics & Astronomy, 430 Portola Plaza, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Sylvain Cetre
- W. M. Keck Observatory, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI, USA
- Jacques-Robert Delorme
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]; W. M. Keck Observatory, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI, USA
- Greg Doppmann
- W. M. Keck Observatory, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI, USA
- Daniel Echeverri
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]
- Luke Finnerty
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, 430 Portola Plaza, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Michael P. Fitzgerald
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, 430 Portola Plaza, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Nemanja Jovanovic
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]
- Ronald López
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, 430 Portola Plaza, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Emily C. Martin
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Evan Morris
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Jacklyn Pezzato
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]
- Garreth Ruane
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]; Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Ben Sappey
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California , San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Tobias Schofield
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 16; [email protected]
- Andrew Skemer
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Taylor Venenciano
- ORCiD
- Physics and Astronomy Department, Pomona College , 333 N. College Way, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
- J. Kent Wallace
- ORCiD
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Nicole L. Wallack
- ORCiD
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science , Washington, DC 20015, USA
- Peter Wizinowich
- ORCiD
- W. M. Keck Observatory, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad73d8
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 168,
no. 4
p. 175
Abstract
GQ Lup B is one of the few substellar companions with a detected cicumplanetary disk (CPD). Observations of the CPD suggest the presence of a cavity, possibly formed by an exosatellite. Using the Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC), a high-contrast imaging suite that feeds a high-resolution spectrograph (1.9–2.5 µ m, R ∼35,000), we present the first dedicated radial velocity (RV) observations around a high-contrast, directly imaged substellar companion, GQ Lup B, to search for exosatellites. Over 11 epochs, we find a best and median RV error of 400–1000 m s ^−1 , most likely limited by systematic fringing in the spectra due to transmissive optics within KPIC. With this RV precision, KPIC is sensitive to exomoons 0.6%–2.8% the mass of GQ Lup B (∼30 M _Jup ) at separations between the Roche limit and 65 R _Jup , or the extent of the cavity inferred within the CPD detected around GQ Lup B. Using simulations of HISPEC, a high resolution infrared spectrograph planned to debut at W.M. Keck Observatory in 2026, we estimate future exomoon sensitivity to increase by over an order of magnitude, providing sensitivity to less massive satellites potentially formed within the CPD itself. Additionally, we run simulations to estimate the amount of material that different masses of satellites could clear in a CPD to create the observed cavity. We find satellite-to-planet mass ratios of q > 2 × 10 ^−4 can create observable cavities and report a maximum cavity size of ∼51 R _Jup carved from a satellite.
Keywords
