Pictoris Moving Group Research Articles

Revisiting the membership, multiplicity, and age of the Beta Pictoris Moving Group in the Gaia era

ABSTRACT Determining the precise ages of young (tens to a few hundred Myr) kinematic (‘moving’) groups is important for placing star, protoplanetary disc, and planet observations on an evolutionary timeline. The nearby ∼25 Myr-old β Pictoris Moving Group (BPMG) is an important benchmark for studying stars and planetary systems at the end of the primordial disc phase. Gaia DR3 astrometry and photometry, combined with ground-based observations and more sophisticated stellar models, permit a systematic re-evaluation of BPMG membership and age. We combined Gaia astrometry with previously published radial velocities to evaluate moving group membership in a Bayesian framework. To minimize the effect of unresolved stellar multiplicity on age estimates, we identified and excluded multistar systems using Gaia astrometry, ground-based adaptive optics imaging, and multi-epoch radial velocities, as well as literature identifications. We estimated age using isochrone and lithium-depletion-boundary fitting with models that account for the effect of magnetic activity and spots on young, rapidly rotating stars. We find that age estimates are highly model-dependent; Dartmouth magnetic models with ages of 23 ± 8 and 33$^{+9}_{-11}$ Myr provide best fits to the lithium depletion boundary and Gaia MG versus BP–RP colour–magnitude diagram, respectively, whereas a Dartmouth standard model with an age of 11$^{+4}_{-3}$ Myr provides a best fit to the 2-Micron All-Sky Survey-Gaia$M_{K_S}$ versus BP–RP colour–magnitude diagram.

ALMA’s view of the M-dwarf GSC 07396-00759’s edge-on debris disc: AU Mic’s coeval twin

ABSTRACT We present new ALMA Band 7 observations of the edge-on debris disc around the M1V star GSC 07396-00759. At ∼20 Myr old and in the β Pictoris Moving Group along with AU Mic, GSC 07396-00759 joins it in the handful of low-mass M-dwarf discs to be resolved in the sub-mm. With previous VLT/SPHERE scattered light observations, we present a multiwavelength view of the dust distribution within the system under the effects of stellar wind forces. We find the mm dust grains to be well described by a Gaussian torus at 70 au with a full width at half-maximum of 48 au and we do not detect the presence of CO in the system. Our ALMA model radius is significantly smaller than the radius derived from polarimetric scattered light observations, implying complex behaviour in the scattering phase function. The brightness asymmetry in the disc observed in scattered light is not recovered in the ALMA observations, implying that the physical mechanism only affects smaller grain sizes. High-resolution follow-up observations of the system would allow investigation into its unique dust features as well as provide a true coeval comparison for its smaller sibling AU Mic, singularly well-observed amongst M-dwarfs systems.

Low-mass members of nearby young stellar moving groups from Gaia EDR3

ABSTRACT Gaia EDR3 offers greatly improved kinematics for nearby objects, including members of nearby young stellar moving groups (NYMGs). In this study, we aim to identify low-mass NYMG members (spectral types of M0 to mid-L) in Gaia EDR3. We calculated spatio-kinematic membership probabilities by utilizing a Bayesian membership probability calculation scheme developed in our previous study. We evaluated stellar youth primarily based on colour–magnitude diagram positions. Combining spatio-kinematic membership assessment and youth evaluation, we identified ∼2900 low-mass NYMG candidate members, including ∼700 previously claimed members. In the set of ∼2200 new candidate members, ∼550 appear to be young based on NUV brightness. Our pilot spectroscopic study with Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS) on the ANU 2.3-m telescope observed 78 candidates, with 79 per cent confirmed as members. Using our new member sample, we estimated an isochronal age of the β Pictoris Moving Group. The mean age (∼10 Myr), which is around half the age of recent estimates, suggests either a truly younger age of the β Pictoris Moving Group or inaccuracies in contemporary isochrones. As the main results of this study, we provide lists of newly confirmed and candidate low-mass NYMG members.

Discovery of an Edge-on Circumstellar Debris Disk around BD+45° 598: A Newly Identified Member of the β Pictoris Moving Group

Abstract We report the discovery of a circumstellar debris disk viewed nearly edge-on and associated with the young, K1 star BD+45° 598 using high-contrast imaging at 2.2 μm obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory. We detect the disk in scattered light with a peak significance of ∼5σ over three epochs, and our best-fit model of the disk is an almost edge-on ∼70 au ring, with inclination angle ∼87°. Using the NOEMA interferometer at the Plateau de Bure Observatory operating at 1.3 mm, we find resolved continuum emission aligned with the ring structure seen in the 2.2 μm images. We estimate a fractional infrared luminosity of L IR/L tot × 10−4, higher than that of the debris disk around AU Mic. Several characteristics of BD+45° 598, such as its galactic space motion, placement in a color–magnitude diagram, and strong presence of lithium, are all consistent with its membership in the β Pictoris Moving Group with an age of 23 ± 3 Myr. However, the galactic position for BD+45° 598 is slightly discrepant from previously known members of the β Pictoris Moving Group, possibly indicating an extension of members of this moving group to distances of at least 70 pc. BD+45° 598 appears to be an example from a population of young circumstellar debris systems associated with newly identified members of young moving groups that can be imaged in scattered light, key objects for mapping out the early evolution of planetary systems from ∼10–100 Myr. This target will also be ideal for northern-hemisphere, high-contrast imaging platforms to search for self-luminous, planetary mass companions residing in this system.

2MASS J04435686+3723033 B: A Young Companion at the Substellar Boundary with Potential Membership in the β Pictoris Moving Group

Abstract We present a detailed characterization of 2MASS J04435750+3723031, a low-mass companion orbiting the young M2 star 2MASS J04435686+3723033 at 7.″6 (550 au) with potential membership in the 23 Myr β Pictoris moving group (βPMG). Using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy of the companion from IRTF/SpeX, we have found a spectral type of M6 ± 1 and indications of youth through age-sensitive absorption lines and a low surface gravity index (VL-G). A young age is supported by Hα emission and lithium absorption in the host. We reevaluate the membership of this system and find that it is a marginally consistent kinematic match to the βPMG using Gaia parallaxes and new radial velocities for the host and companion. If this system does belong to the βPMG, it would be a kinematic outlier and the companion would be overluminous compared to other similar ultracool objects like PZ Tel B; this would suggest that 2M0443+3723 B could be a close binary (≈52+52 M Jup if equal-flux, compared with 99 ± 5 M Jup if single), and would make it the sixth substellar companion in this group. To test this hypothesis, we acquired NIR adaptive optics images with Keck II/NIRC2, but they do not resolve the companion to be a binary down to the diffraction limit of ∼3 au. If 2M0443+3723 AB does not belong to any moving group, then its age is more uncertain. In this case it is still young (≲30 Myr), and the implied mass of the companion would be between ∼30 and 110 M Jup.

Chronostar: a novel Bayesian method for kinematic age determination. I. Derivation and application to the β Pictoris moving group

Abstract Gaia DR2 provides an unprecedented sample of stars with full 6D phase-space measurements, creating the need for a self-consistent means of discovering and characterising the phase-space overdensities known as moving groups or associations. Here we present Chronostar, a new Bayesian analysis tool that meets this need. Chronostar uses the Expectation-Maximisation algorithm to remove the circular dependency between association membership lists and fits to their phase-space distributions, making it possible to discover unknown associations within a kinematic data set. It uses forward-modelling of orbits through the Galactic potential to overcome the problem of tracing backward stars whose kinematics have significant observational errors, thereby providing reliable ages. In tests using synthetic data sets with realistic measurement errors and complex initial distributions, Chronostar successfully recovers membership assignments and kinematic ages up to ≈100 Myr. In tests on real stellar kinematic data in the phase-space vicinity of the β Pictoris Moving Group, Chronostar successfully rediscovers the association without any human intervention, identifies 15 new likely members, corroborates 43 candidate members, and returns a kinematic age of 17.8 ± 1.2 Myr. In the process we also rediscover the Tucana-Horologium Moving Group, for which we obtain a kinematic age of $36.3^{+1.3}_{-1.4}$ Myr.

The Star-grazing Bodies in the HD 172555 System

Abstract Kiefer et al. reported the detection of infalling Ca ii absorption in HD 172555, a member of the β Pictoris Moving Group (βPMG). We obtained HST Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and Cosmic Origins Spectrograph spectroscopy of this star at 2 epochs separated by a week, and we report the discovery of infalling gas in resonant transitions of Si iii and iv, C ii and iv, and neutral atomic oxygen. Variable absorption is seen in the C ii transitions and is optically thick, with covering factors which range between 58% and 68%, similar to features seen in β Pictoris. The O i spectral profile resembles that of C ii, showing a strong low-velocity absorption to +50 km s−1 in the single spectral segment obtained during orbital night, as well as what may be higher-velocity absorption. Studies of the mid-IR spectrum of this system have suggested the presence of silica. The O i absorption differs from that seen in Si iii, suggesting that the neutral atomic oxygen does not originate in SiO dissociation products but in a more volatile parent molecule such as CO.

New disk discovered with VLT/SPHERE around the M star GSC 07396−00759

Debris disks are usually detected through the infrared excess over the photospheric level of their host star. The most favorable stars for disk detection are those with spectral types between A and K, while the statistics for debris disks detected around low-mass M-type stars is very low, either because they are rare or because they are more difficult to detect. Terrestrial planets, on the other hand, may be common around M-type stars. Here, we report on the discovery of an extended (likely) debris disk around the M-dwarf GSC 07396−00759. The star is a wide companion of the close accreting binary V4046 Sgr. The system probably is a member of the β Pictoris Moving Group. We resolve the disk in scattered light, exploiting high-contrast, high-resolution imagery with the two near-infrared subsystems of the VLT/SPHERE instrument, operating in the Y J bands and the H2H3 doublet. The disk is clearly detected up to 1.5′′ (~110 au) from the star and appears as a ring, with an inclination i ~ 83°, and a peak density position at ~70 au. The spatial extension of the disk suggests that the dust dynamics is affected by a strong stellar wind, showing similarities with the AU Mic system that has also been resolved with SPHERE. The images show faint asymmetric structures at the widest separation in the northwest side. We also set an upper limit for the presence of giant planets to 2 MJ. Finally, we note that the 2 resolved disks around M-type stars of 30 such stars observed with SPHERE are viewed close to edge-on, suggesting that a significant population of debris disks around M dwarfs could remain undetected because of an unfavorable orientation.

All-sky Co-moving Recovery Of Nearby Young Members (ACRONYM). II. The β Pictoris Moving Group∗

Abstract We confirm 66 low-mass stellar and brown dwarf systems (K7–M9) plus 19 visual or spectroscopic companions of the β Pictoris moving group (BPMG). Of these, 41 are new discoveries, increasing the known low-mass members by 45%. We also add four objects to the 14 known with masses predicted to be less than . Our efficient photometric + kinematic selection process identified 104 low-mass candidates, which we observed with ground-based spectroscopy. We collected infrared observations of the latest spectral types (>M5) to search for low-gravity objects. These and all <M5 candidates were observed with high-resolution optical spectrographs to measure the radial velocities and youth indicators, such as lithium absorption and Hα emission, needed to confirm BPMG membership, achieving a 63% confirmation rate. We also compiled the most complete census of BPMG membership, with which we tested the efficiency and false-membership assignments using our selection and confirmation criteria. Using the new census, we assess a group age of 22 ± 6 Myr, consistent with past estimates. With the now–densely sampled lithium depletion boundary, we resolve the broadening of the boundary by either an age spread or astrophysical influences on lithium-burning rates. We find that 69% of the now-known members with AFGKM primaries are M stars, nearing the expected value of 75%. However, the new initial mass function for the BPMG shows a deficit of 0.2–0.3 stars by a factor of ∼2. We expect that the AFGK census of the BPMG is also incomplete, probably due to biases of searches toward the nearest stars.

The First 40 Million Years of Circumstellar Disk Evolution: The Signature of Terrestrial Planet Formation

Abstract We characterize the first 40 Myr of evolution of circumstellar disks through a unified study of the infrared properties of members of young clusters and associations with ages from 2 Myr up to ∼40 Myr: NGC 1333, NGC 1960, NGC 2232, NGC 2244, NGC 2362, NGC 2547, IC 348, IC 2395, IC 4665, Chamaeleon I, Orion OB1a and OB1b, Taurus, the β Pictoris Moving Group, ρ Ophiuchi, and the associations of Argus, Carina, Columba, Scorpius–Centaurus, and Tucana–Horologium. Our work features: (1) a filtering technique to flag noisy backgrounds; (2) a method based on the probability distribution of deflections, P(D), to obtain statistically valid photometry for faint sources; and (3) use of the evolutionary trend of transitional disks to constrain the overall behavior of bright disks. We find that the fraction of disks three or more times brighter than the stellar photospheres at 24 μm decays relatively slowly initially and then much more rapidly by ∼10 Myr. However, there is a continuing component until ∼35 Myr, probably due primarily to massive clouds of debris generated in giant impacts during the oligarchic/chaotic growth phases of terrestrial planets. If the contribution from primordial disks is excluded, the evolution of the incidence of these oligarchic/chaotic debris disks can be described empirically by a log-normal function with the peak at 12–20 Myr, including ∼13% of the original population, and with a post-peak mean duration of 10–20 Myr.

NEARBY YOUNG STARS SELECTED BY PROPER MOTION. I. FOUR NEW MEMBERS OF THE β PICTORIS MOVING GROUP FROM THE TYCHO-2 CATALOG

We describe a procedure to identify stars from nearby moving groups and associations out of catalogs of stars with large proper motions. We show that from the mean motion vector of a known or suspected moving group, one can identify additional members of the group based on proper motion data and photometry in the optical and infrared, with minimal contamination from background field stars. We demonstrate this technique by conducting a search for low-mass members of the β Pictoris moving group in the Tycho-2 catalog. All known members of the moving group are easily recovered, and a list of 51 possible candidates is generated. Moving group membership is evaluated for 33 candidates based on X-ray flux from ROSAT ,H α line emission, and radial velocity measurement from high-resolution infrared spectra obtained at Infrared Telescope Facility. We confirm three of the candidates to be new members of the group: TYC 1186-706-1, TYC 7443-1102-1, and TYC 2211-1309-1 which are late-K and early-M dwarfs 45–60 pc from the Sun. We also identify a common proper motion companion to the known β Pictoris Moving Group member TYC 7443-1102-1, at a 26. 3 separation; the new companion is associated with the X-ray source 1RXS J195602.8−320720. We argue that the present technique could be applied to other large proper motion catalogs to identify most of the elusive, low-mass members of known nearby moving groups and associations.

Young Stars Near the Sun

▪ Abstract Until the late 1990s the rich Hyades and the sparse UMa clusters were the only coeval, comoving concentrations of stars known within 60 pc of Earth. Both are hundreds of millions of years old. Then beginning in the late 1990s the TW Hydrae Association, the Tucana/Horologium Association, the β Pictoris Moving Group, and the AB Doradus Moving Group were identified within ∼60 pc of Earth, and the η Chamaeleontis cluster was found at 97 pc. These young groups (ages 8–50 Myr), along with other nearby, young stars, will enable imaging and spectroscopic studies of the origin and early evolution of planetary systems.

New Aspects of the Formation of the β Pictoris Moving Group

In a previous work, we explored the possibility that the β Pictoris moving group (BPMG), consisting of low-mass post-T Tauri stars, was formed near the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association. The cause of the formation could be a Type II supernova exploding either in Lower Centaurus Crux (LCC) or the Upper Centaurus Lupus (UCL), the two older subgroups of that association. Here we present new results for BPMG. A more detailed analysis of the orbit confinement in this group leads to a star distribution pattern at birth that can be considered as a representation of the density distribution in the natal cloud. We also propose a plausible origin for the supernova that could have triggered the star formation in BPMG by finding the past position of the runaway star HIP 46950. We find that this scenario is capable of explaining the origin of all the members of BPMG proposed by Zuckerman and coworkers and by Song and coworkers, with the exception of HIP 79881, which is probably an old main-sequence interloper.

HD 199143 and HD 358623: Two recently identified members of the β Pictoris moving group

HD 199143 and HD 358623 (BD-17°6128) are two sets of binary stars which are physically associated and 48 pc from Earth. We present heliocentric radial velocities and high lithium abundances which establish these stars as members of the ~12 Myr-old β Pictoris Moving Group. We also present mid-IR photometric measurements which show no firm evidence for warm dust around all four stars.

New Members of the TW Hydrae Association, β Pictoris Moving Group, and Tucana/Horologium Association

We have identified five new members of the TW Hydrae association (TWA), 11 new members of the ? Pic moving group, and 11 new Tucana/Horologium association members. These are the three youngest (30 Myr) known kinematic stellar groups near the Earth. Newly identified ? Pic group members are located mostly in the northern hemisphere, and they have a slightly different U-component of Galactic velocity compared to that of previously known members. Tracing the motion of ? Pic members backward in time for 12 Myr indicates that they might have formed in a small region with an initial velocity dispersion of ~8 km s-1. A couple of mid-M spectral type ? Pic members show emission features [He I ?5876+?6678) and Na D ?5890+?5896)] seen among earlier spectral type stars in the TWA and ? Pic groups. To derive the distances of the non-Hipparcos members of these groups, we have constructed a V-K versus MK color-magnitude diagram that is very useful in separating young K/M stars from older main-sequence counterparts and constraining theoretical pre-main-sequence evolutionary tracks. All newly identified K- and M-type members of the three groups show saturated X-ray activity (LX/Lbol ~ 10-3). One newly identified TWA member, SSS 101727-5354, is estimated to be only 22 pc away from Earth. Its extreme youth, late spectral type (~M5), and proximity to Earth make SSS 101727-5354 perhaps the best target for direct imaging detection of cooling planets.