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  1. ABSTRACT

    We search for additional companions in the GJ 367 exoplanet system and aim to better constrain its age and evolutionary status. We analyse high-contrast direct imaging observations obtained with HST/NICMOS, VLT/NACO, and VLT/SPHERE. We investigate and critically discuss conflicting age indicators based on theoretical isochrones and models for Galactic dynamics. A comparison of GAIA EDR3 parallax and photometric measurements with theoretical isochrones suggests a young age ≤60 Myr for GJ 367. The star’s Galactic kinematics exclude membership to any nearby young moving group or stellar stream. Its highly eccentric Galactic orbit, however, is atypical for a young star. Age estimates considering Galactic dynamical evolution are most consistent with an age of 1–8 Gyr. We find no evidence for a significant mid-infrared excess in the WISE bands, suggesting the absence of warm dust in the GJ 367 system. The direct imaging data provide significantly improved detection limits compared to previous studies. At 530 mas (5 au) separation, the SPHERE data achieve a 5σ contrast of 2.6 × 10−6. The data exclude the presence of a stellar companion at projected separations ≥0.4 au. At projected separations ≥5 au we can exclude substellar companions with a mass ≥1.5 MJup for an age of 50 Myr, and ≥20 MJup for an age of 5 Gyr. By applying the stellar parameters corresponding to the 50 Myr isochrone, we derive a bulk density of ρplanet = 6.2 g cm−3 for GJ 367 b, which is 25 per cent smaller than a previous estimate.

     
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  2. ABSTRACT Stellar ages are a crucial component to studying the evolution of the Milky Way. Using Gaia DR2 distance estimates, it is now possible to estimate stellar ages for a larger volume of evolved stars through isochrone matching. This work presents [M/H]–age and [α/M]–age relations derived for different spatial locations in the Milky Way disc. These relations are derived by hierarchically modelling the star formation history of stars within a given chemical abundance bin. For the first time, we directly observe that significant variation is apparent in the [M/H]–age relation as a function of both Galactocentric radius and distance from the disc mid-plane. The [M/H]–age relations support claims that radial migration has a significant effect in the plane of the disc. Using the [M/H] bin with the youngest mean age at each radial zone in the plane of the disc, the present-day metallicity gradient is measured to be −0.059 ± 0.010 dex kpc−1, in agreement with Cepheids and young field stars. We find a vertically flared distribution of young stars in the outer disc, confirming predictions of models and previous observations. The mean age of the [M/H]–[α/M] distribution of the solar neighbourhood suggests that the high-[M/H] stars are not an evolutionary extension of the low-α sequence. Our observational results are important constraints to Galactic simulations and models of chemical evolution. 
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