skip to main content


Search for: All records

Creators/Authors contains: "Jaffe, Daniel T."

Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.

  1. Abstract

    We present average magnetic field measurements derived from high-resolution near-infrared IGRINS spectra of a carefully selected sample of 28 M dwarfs. All 28 have reported magnetic field strengths in the literature. The main goal of this work is to investigate the accuracy, precision, and limitations of magnetic field measurements from IGRINS spectra. This investigation is critical to validating the robustness of our methods before we apply them to over 500 IGRINS-observed M dwarfs in the next paper of the series. We used the Zeeman broadening and Zeeman intensification methods to measure average magnetic fields. Our measurements are all consistent with the previous measurements to within ±1 kG, with an average offset of −0.17 kG for the broadening method and +0.19 kG for the intensification method. We find that the detection limit of IGRINS is ∼0.9 kG with the Zeeman broadening method, in accordance with the instrumental broadening limit of the spectrograph. With the Zeeman intensification method, we are able to detect down to ∼0.7 kG with a signal-to-noise ratio of 150 or greater. We find an advantage of using the intensification method over the broadening method, which is the ability to reliably measure the magnetic field strengths of stars that are cooler than 3100 K where the spectrum becomes dominated by molecular lines. Therefore, the intensification method is crucial to study stellar magnetism of late-M and brown dwarfs.

     
    more » « less
  2. Abstract Determining accurate effective temperatures of stars buried in the dust-obscured Galactic regions is extremely difficult from photometry. Fortunately, high-resolution infrared spectroscopy is a powerful tool for determining the temperatures of stars with no dependence on interstellar extinction. It has long been known that the depth ratios of temperature-sensitive and relatively insensitive spectral lines are excellent temperature indices. In this work, we provide the first extensive line depth ratio (LDR) method application in the infrared region that encompasses both the H and K bands (1.48 μ m − 2.48 μ m). We applied the LDR method to high-resolution ( R ≃ 45,000) H- and K -band spectra of 110 stars obtained with the Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrograph. Our sample contained stars with 3200 < T eff (K) < 5500, 0.20 ≤ log g < 4.6, and −1.5 < [M/H] < 0.5. The application of this method in the K band yielded 21 new LDR– T eff relations. We also report five new LDR– T eff relations found in the H -band region, augmenting the relations already published by other groups. The temperatures found from our calibrations provide reliable temperatures within ∼70 K accuracy compared to spectral  T eff values from the literature. 
    more » « less
    Free, publicly-accessible full text available June 1, 2024
  3. Abstract

    We used the Immersion GRating Infrared Spectrometer (IGRINS) to determine fundamental parameters for 61 K- and M-type young stellar objects (YSOs) located in the Ophiuchus and Upper Scorpius star-forming regions. We employed synthetic spectra and a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach to fit specificK-band spectral regions and determine the photospheric temperature (T), surface gravity (logg), magnetic field strength (B), projected rotational velocity (vsini), andK-band veiling (rK). We determinedBfor ∼46% of our sample. Stellar parameters were compared to the results from Taurus-Auriga and the TW Hydrae association presented in Paper I of this series. We classified all the YSOs in the IGRINS survey with infrared spectral indices from Two Micron All Sky Survey and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer photometry between 2 and 24μm. We found that Class II YSOs typically have lowerloggandvsini, similarB, and higherK-band veiling than their Class III counterparts. Additionally, we determined the stellar parameters for a sample of K and M field stars also observed with IGRINS. We have identified intrinsic similarities and differences at different evolutionary stages with our homogeneous determination of stellar parameters in the IGRINS YSO survey. Consideringloggas a proxy for age, we found that the Ophiuchus and Taurus samples have a similar age. We also find that Upper Scorpius and TWA YSOs have similar ages, and are more evolved than Ophiuchus/Taurus YSOs.

     
    more » « less
  4. ABSTRACT

    We present Gemini South/IGRINS observations of the 1060 K T6 dwarf 2MASS J08173001−6155158 with unprecedented resolution ($R\equiv \lambda /\Delta \lambda =45\, 000$) and signal-to-noise ratio (S/N > 200) for a late-type T dwarf. We use this benchmark observation to test the reliability of molecular line lists used up-to-date atmospheric models. We determine which spectroscopic regions should be used to estimate the parameters of cold brown dwarfs and, by extension, exoplanets. We present a detailed spectroscopic atlas with molecular identifications across the H and K bands of the near-infrared. We find that water (H2O) line lists are overall reliable. We find the most discrepancies amongst older methane (CH4) line lists, and that the most up-to-date CH4 line lists correct many of these issues. We identify individual ammonia (NH3) lines, a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) feature at 1.5900 $\mu$m, and a molecular hydrogen (H2) feature at 2.1218 $\mu$m. These are the first unambiguous detections of H2S and H2 absorption features in an extra-solar atmosphere. With the H2 detection, we place an upper limit on the atmospheric dust concentration of this T6 dwarf: at least 500 times less than the interstellar value, implying that the atmosphere is effectively dust-free. We additionally identify several features that do not appear in the model spectra. Our assessment of the line lists is valuable for atmospheric model applications to high-dispersion, low-S/N, high-background spectra, such as an exoplanet around a star. We demonstrate a significant enhancement in the detection of the CH4 absorption signal in this T6 dwarf with the most up-to-date line lists.

     
    more » « less
  5. null (Ed.)