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# Boundary lubrication properties of materials with expansive freezing

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## Abstract

We have performed molecular dynamics simulations of solid-solid contacts lubricated by a model fluid displaying many of the properties of water, particularly its expansive freezing. Near the region where expansive freezing occurs, the lubricating film remains fluid, and the friction force decreases linearly as the shear velocity is reduced. No sign of stick-slip motion is observed even at the lowest velocities. We give a simple interpretation of these results, and suggest that in general good boundary lubrication properties will be found in the family of materials with expansive freezing.

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The understanding from a microscopic point of view of the tribological properties of materials in the boundary lubrication regime is of great importance for the technological development of new lubricants for new applications. Micro-mechanical devices and high density magnetic storage media are just two examples where the detailed properties of the lubricants may affect in an important way the performance of the system. To attain low friction coefficients with lubricating films a few molecular layers thick is just the most obvious goal of lubricant design.

Fluid lubrication is a widespread strategy to reduce friction. However it suffers of some limitations in the boundary regime , where the fluid is only a few molecular layers thick. Fluids have a general tendency to attain a solid-like structure when squeezed between two solid surfaces. This confinement-induced solidification is responsible for microscopic stick-slip motion (SSM) when the confining surfaces are sheared past each other. SSM in turn generates a finite friction force in the limit of low velocities, and then a non-zero friction coefficient. In fact, mechanisms that prevent SSM have been seen to reduce dramatically the friction force between the lubricated surfaces.

In the boundary regime a lubricant composed of complex, branch chain molecules usually performs better than one formed by spherical, or single chain molecules, as the former does not readily arrange in a solid-like structure, and allows for a smooth shearing of the surfaces, in a state of very low friction. In addition, fluids with branch chain molecules have typically higher bulk viscosity than those with spherical, or single chain molecules. This justifies the experimentally observed (see Table 1 in Ref. ) negative correlation existing between bulk viscosity and friction coefficient under boundary lubrication conditions.

Water is a noteworthy exception to this rule . The water molecule is a small, almost spherical particle, and the viscosity of water is very low. However, carefully controlled experiments using the surface force apparatus show that water is an excellent boundary lubricant at a microscopic scale. In fact, the friction coefficient between two water lubricated, atomically flat mica surfaces was found to be around 0.01, in the range of the lowest values obtained with other fluids in the boundary regime. The reason for the anomalously good lubrication properties of water has not been addressed in detail. In this paper we show by studying a model system, that the good lubrication properties of water can be associated to its expansive freezing, and that good boundary lubricants can be fetched in general within the class of materials having this property.

Many of the anomalous properties of water (and tetrahedrally coordinated liquids in general) have been recently systematized by the use of a model system of spherical particles interacting through a soft-core potential . Its main characteristic is the existence of two stable relative distances between particles, as a function of the applied pressure. It has been suggested that these two distances are realized in water owing to two distinct arrangements of hydrogen bonds. We use one such model to simulate a lubricant film. The interaction potential as a function of the interparticle distance $`r`$ has a strict hard core at a distance $`r=\sigma `$ and a repulsive ramp extending from $`\sigma `$ to $`\alpha \sigma `$ ($`\alpha >1`$, $`\alpha =1.5`$ hereafter), in which the potential energy changes linearly from $`\epsilon `$ to zero. Natural units for this problem are the length $`\sigma `$, the energy $`\epsilon `$, and the mass of the particles $`m`$, from which a time scale $`\tau \sqrt{m\sigma ^2/\epsilon }`$ is defined.

The bulk system freezes into a closed packed lattice with lattice parameter $`\alpha \sigma `$ at low temperatures and low pressures. The melting curve of this crystalline structure was determined previously by Monte Carlo simulations, and is reproduced in Fig. 1(a) for completeness. The melting temperature increases as a function of pressure at the lowest values of $`P`$ and $`T`$, consistent with the fact that in this region particles behave as hard spheres of radius $`\alpha \sigma /2`$. At higher pressures, the melting line reenters toward lower temperatures as neighbor particles can get closer than $`\alpha \sigma `$. Other crystalline structures exist at higher pressures.

The geometrical arrangement we use for the simulations is similar to that used in Refs.  and , and is sketched in Fig. 1(b). It qualitatively models the configuration used in the surface force apparatus . Two opposing pieces of crystalline fcc solids exposing (111) faces are lubricated by our model system. Particles within the solids are assumed to be fixed to their lattice positions, and the interactions between particles of the fluid and those of the solids are taken equal to the intra-fluid interactions. The lattice parameter of the solid blocks $`a_0`$ is chosen for each pressure as that of the bulk solid at the melting temperature. This is not a crucial choice, and is made only to avoid introducing a bias between the different simulated points. The lubricant particles within the gap between the solids are at dynamic equilibrium with lubricant particles outside the gap. For the static (no shear) simulations, periodic boundary conditions are applied in the three directions. The solid blocks are of finite size $`l_x`$ in the $`x`$-direction, and extend over the whole length of the simulation cell $`l_y`$ in the $`y`$-direction. The size of the simulation box in the $`x`$-direction $`\stackrel{~}{l_x}`$ is substantially larger than $`l_x`$, allowing to reach a dynamical equilibrium between the lubricant inside the gap, and the bulk fluid outside it. $`\stackrel{~}{l_x}`$ is allowed to change according to the value of a hydrostatic external pressure $`P`$. Real fluids always possess some attraction between particles, that we have not included. It is known however that the attraction between particles (both fluid-fluid and fluid-solid) in the van der Waals limit can be readily included in the results obtained without attraction by the renormalization of the external pressure $`P`$ . Our hydrostatic pressure $`P`$ accounts for the attraction between particles in the van der Waals limit, this attraction being of the same strength between fluid-fluid particles, and fluid-solid ones. Other cases remain to be studied.

We have chosen $`l_x\times l_y`$ equal to $`15\times 15\sigma ^2`$. Each lubricant monolayer within the gap has about 110 particles, and the total number of fluid particles simulated is 800. We have performed checks with systems of up to 3500 fluid particles and $`l_x\times l_y`$ equal to $`30\times 30\sigma ^2`$, to assure that size effects do not spoil the results. We simulated systems at points A and B, indicated in Fig. 1 ($`P_A=0.1\epsilon /\sigma ^3`$, $`T_A=0.035\epsilon /k_B`$, $`P_B=0.9\epsilon /\sigma ^3`$, $`T_B=0.13\epsilon /k_B`$). We calculated the normal force exerted by the lubricant –the solvation force– and studied the structure of the film as a function of the distance $`d`$ between the two solid surfaces. In Fig. 2 we show results at point A, where the system behaves basically as a hard sphere system. When $`d`$ is only a few molecular radii, the solvation force per unit area $`F_s`$ shows a well known oscillatory behavior (centered at the value of the hydrostatic pressure $`P`$) associated to the layering of the fluid. The number of particles inside the gap $`n_p`$ (which is normalized to one for a full layer of particles) has a staircase-like structure, remaining approximately constant as $`F_s`$ increases (we describe the process as $`d`$ is reduced), and jumping down coincidentally with the reduction of $`F_s`$, when a layer of lubricant is squeezed out of the gap. Gray regions in Fig. 2 indicate precisely these squeezing-out regions, where the number of layers is changing. We measure the horizontal order within the lubricant through the structure factor $`f`$ of the layers adjacent to the solids (calculated at $`|k|=4\pi /a_0`$), and the two dimensional (horizontal) diffusivity of particles in the gap $`D`$. Within a plateau of $`n_p`$, $`f`$ increases and $`D`$ decreases as the film is compressed, indicating that the film becomes more structured as $`F_s`$ increases. In the squeezing-out regions (the gray regions) $`f`$ drops and $`D`$ maximizes, indicating that the film becomes less structured and more fluid. This whole picture is consistent with previous studies, and it can also be given a straightforward interpretation: if we assimilate $`F_s`$ to a sort of local pressure in the film, the increasing of order as $`F_s`$ increases is consistent with the fact that for the bulk material positional order increases and diffusivity decreases with the applied pressure. When a layer is being squeezed out, more space is available to the remaining particles that then attain a more fluid configuration.

Results are shown in Fig. 3 near the region where expansive freezing occurs (point B in Fig. 1). $`F_s`$ shows the same oscillating behavior as before. However, the structure of the film is now qualitatively different. The film remains in a liquid-like state as $`F_s`$ increases (as seen from the values of $`f`$ and $`D`$). This occurs because particles, being at distance $`1.5\sigma `$ from their neighbors, can go closer (up to distance $`\sigma `$) upon a reduction of $`d`$, without generating a higher degree of order in the system. Only after $`F_s`$ decreases the film becomes more solid-like (with higher $`f`$ and lower $`D`$). This is also consistent with the fact that this kind of model (as well as real water) is known to have a range of pressure in which diffusivity increases as pressure increases. Close to this region (which occurs near the maximum of the $`P(T)`$ melting line), a positive correlation between the values of $`F_s`$ and $`D`$ can be expected.

The inverted alternate at point B of liquid-like and solid-like structure of the film upon compression represents a crucial difference from an experimental point of view, since typically a condition of constant load is applied to the contact. For stability reasons, this external load will be sustained by a lubricating film at a point with negative derivative of $`F_s`$ with respect to $`d`$, namely, it will be a solid-like film at point A, and a liquid-like film at point B. As we will see, this difference has profound consequences in the lubricating properties of the system.

Shearing simulations were performed in the same geometry than that used for the previous calculations, but now the upper solid block (which is now allowed to move in the $`y`$ direction) is given a mass $`M`$ ($`M=450m`$), and is attached to a horizontal spring (spring constant $`k=0.45\epsilon /\sigma ^2`$) whose free end is moved in the $`y`$ direction at a constant velocity $`v`$ (see also ). An external load per unit area $`L`$ of $`0.05\epsilon /\sigma ^3`$ in excess of the hydrostatic pressure $`P`$ within the lubricant is applied to the block along the $`z`$ direction, and the distance $`d`$ is allowed to change dynamically during the simulation.

Both at points $`𝐀`$ and $`𝐁`$ a two-layer thick film was first stabilized (corresponding approximately to points labeled 1 in Figs. 2 and 3, we will refer to these conditions as $`𝐀_\mathrm{𝟏}`$ and $`𝐁_\mathrm{𝟏}`$ respectively). The friction force $`F_f`$ as a function of time was calculated for different shear velocities, and the results are shown in the main panel of Fig. 4. We show the time dependence of $`F_f`$ for the points of lowest velocities in the bottom part of Fig. 4. At $`𝐀_\mathrm{𝟏}`$ the mean friction force goes to a constant when $`v`$ is reduced, as SSM sets in, around $`v0.05\sigma /\tau `$, which reproduces previous results in related models. The limiting value of the friction force corresponds in our case to a friction coefficient $`\mu 0.2`$. At $`𝐁_\mathrm{𝟏}`$ the friction force decreases linearly as $`v`$ is reduced. No SSM is observed in this case. This is consistent with the fluidity of the lubricant even in this highly confined geometry, a fact recently observed in water. The linear dependence the friction force $`F_f(v)`$ on $`v`$ can be used to estimate an effective viscosity $`\eta ^{\mathrm{eff}}`$ for the film as $`\eta ^{\mathrm{eff}}F_f(v)d/v0.7\epsilon \tau /\sigma ^3`$, that is within three times the bulk value obtained by an independent measurement of the bulk single particle diffusivity ($`D_B^{\mathrm{bulk}}0.022\sigma ^2/\tau `$) and use of the Stokes-Einstein relation. This remarkable fact is to be compared with the finding that viscosity of water confined to molecular thicknesses has been shown to be no more than a few times the bulk value, and it can also be traced back to the high value of diffusivity obtained in the static calculation at point 1 in Fig. 3, which is close to the bulk value.

Since temperature and pressure are different at points A and B, an additional check of the proposed scenario is desirable. Therefore, we did additional simulations in which the behavior is expected to be reversed: we performed fixed $`d`$ simulations at values $`d=4.8\sigma `$ at A, and $`d=3.7\sigma `$ at B (labeled 2 in Figs 2 and 3, we will refer to these conditions as $`𝐀_\mathrm{𝟐}`$ and $`𝐁_\mathrm{𝟐}`$ respectively. Note that constant load simulations at these values of $`d`$ would be unstable). We have obtained in fact a big reduction of the friction force at $`𝐀_\mathrm{𝟐}`$ with respect to $`𝐀_\mathrm{𝟏}`$, with no SSM detectable even at the lowest velocities (see bottom of Fig. 4), and an increase of the friction force at $`𝐁_\mathrm{𝟐}`$ with respect to $`𝐁_\mathrm{𝟏}`$, where now SSM becomes observable at the lowest velocities.

Summarizing, we have shown that materials with expansive freezing are expected to have good boundary lubrication capabilities, essentially due to the fact that they do not show a strong tendency to solidify as they are squeezed. This finding provides a novel strategy in the design of materials for boundary lubrication. At the same time our results give a qualitative explanation for the good lubrication properties and low viscosity of very thin films of water. They also predict that experiments performed at constant $`d`$, at the squeeze-out points (such as $`𝐁_\mathrm{𝟐}`$) will produce larger friction forces than constant load experiments, contrary to what is expected in normal fluids. Similar results are likely obtained in other materials with expansive freezing.

I thank C. A. Balseiro and E. Tosatti for critical reading of the manuscript, and A. Borsinger for technical assistance. This work was financially supported by CONICET, Argentina. Partial support by Fundación Antorchas (Argentina) and Italian contracts INFM/PRA NANORUB, and MIUR/COFIN is also acknowledged.


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# Crossing the Brown Dwarf Desert Using Adaptive Optics: A Very Close L-Dwarf Companion to the Nearby Solar Analog HR 7672

## 1 Introduction

Radial velocity surveys find that about 6% of solar-type FGK stars harbor planets within 4 AU, with $`M\mathrm{sin}i`$ spanning 0.25–15 $`M_{Jup}`$. In contrast, the same surveys find the incidence of more massive substellar companions (15–80 $`M_{Jup}`$) at these radii is $``$1%, even though such objects are much easier to detect. The evidence for this “brown dwarf desert” first emerged from radial-velocity surveys in the late 1980’s and early 90’s (Campbell et al., 1988; Marcy & Benitz, 1989; Walker et al., 1995). Their modest precisions ($``$300 m/s) were sufficient to detect brown dwarfs inside 3 AU, but only a single candidate was found.111This object was the companion to HD 114762 with $`M\mathrm{sin}i=11M_{Jup}`$ (Latham et al., 1989). The primary star is likely seen pole-on so its companion was believed to be stellar (Cochran et al., 1991). Recent AO imaging has resolved a third component, a late-type dwarf at 91 AU (Lloyd et al., 2000b). This raises the possibility of dynamical interactions causing the stellar rotation axis to be mis-aligned with the companion orbital axis (Patience et al., 2001). Hence, HD 114762B may in fact be a substellar companion. Current high-precision ($``$10 m/s) radial velocity programs have identified about a dozen close companions with $`M\mathrm{sin}i=1560M_{Jup}`$ (Mayor et al., 1997). However, the majority of these have been found by Hipparcos to be unresolved astrometric binaries with M-dwarf companions, and the remainder are unlikely to be brown dwarfs (Halbwachs et al., 2000; Zucker & Mazeh, 2001; Pourbaix & Arenou, 2001). This paucity of objects stands in stark contrast to the abundance of free-floating brown dwarfs in the field (e.g. Reid et al., 1999; Kirkpatrick et al., 2000) and in young clusters down to very low masses (e.g. Bouvier et al., 1998; Luhman et al., 2000; Najita et al., 2000; Liu, 2001).

An unanswered observational question is whether the brown dwarf desert exists at $``$4 AU, outside the region of current radial velocity surveys. A few L and T-dwarf companions have been found around FGK dwarfs from the 2MASS imaging survey at very wide separations (250–2500 AU) (Burgasser et al., 2000; Kirkpatrick et al., 2001; Wilson et al., 2001). The statistics are currently small, but this suggests the brown dwarf desert does not exists at very large separations (Gizis et al., 2001). These companions might have formed during the fragmentation of the same natal molecular core as the primary. Given their mass and large separation, it is unlikely that they formed in a circumstellar disk, as planets are believed to form.

Little is known about the frequency of substellar companions at $``$4–50 AU. In our solar system, this is the domain of giant planets and the Kuiper Belt. Hence, probing these separations around other stars can test our understanding of formation processes in the outer regions of planetary systems. There are clues that massive planets and/or brown dwarfs do exist at these radii: half of stars with planets have systematic long-term trends in their radial velocities due to unseen companions (Fischer et al., 2001). The orbital periods are much longer than the observing baselines, and hence the masses are poorly constrained. Because the periods are many years and/or decades, relying on radial velocities alone will require a long time to determine the companion masses. However, adaptive optics (AO) imaging with large ground-based telescopes can probe the physical nature of these companions and lend insight into the mass distribution of substellar and planetary companions.

Thus, ground-based AO imaging provides a key capability for finding substellar companions to main sequence stars, providing sensitivity at radii outside radial velocity searches but closer than ordinary imaging surveys. Recently, Els et al. (2001) have found a common proper motion companion to the extrasolar planet star GL 86. Their coronagraphic AO imaging finds a companion at a separation of 1$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$7 (19 AU). The companion is among the coolest known, probably at the transition between L and T-type objects based on IR photometry.

Aside from implications for understanding the planetary formation process, brown dwarf companions to main sequence stars are interesting in their own right. Since a brown dwarf does not have a stable source of internal energy, its age and mass are degenerate for a given spectral type — young lower mass BDs can have same temperature as older higher mass BDs. By finding brown dwarf companions to main sequence stars, we can break this degeneracy by measuring the age of the primary and assuming the components are coeval. Combined with theoretical models for the cooling history of substellar objects, we can determine masses for brown dwarfs.

Here we report the discovery and characterization of a common proper motion companion to HR 7672 (HD 190406, 15 Sge, GJ 779) using the AO systems at the Gemini-North and Keck II Telescopes. The star lies at a distance of 17.7 pc and has a spectral type of G1V. Cayrel de Strobel (1996) classified it as a solar analog, and its higher level of activity than the Sun suggests a young age. Our observations and astrometry of HR 7672B appear in § 2. We present temperature and mass determinations for the companion based on near-IR AO photometry, spectroscopy, and radial velocity data in § 3. In § 4, we summarize our results and offer some implications for the formation of substellar objects around solar-type stars.

## 2 Observations and Astrometry

### 2.1 Imaging

We first imaged HR 7672 on 24 June 2001 UT using the Gemini-North 8.1-m telescope with the Hokupa’a AO system (Graves et al., 1998). The associated imaging camera QUIRC has a scale of $`19.98\pm 0.08`$ mas pixel-1. Conditions were non-photometric with variable transmission due to patchy cloud cover. We obtained data in the $`K^{}`$-band filter (1.9–2.3 µm; Wainscoat & Cowie, 1992), taking both short and long exposure images to cover a large dynamic range. In the latter, the primary is saturated. The AO images have a 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$10 FWHM core, with much of the light in a broader seeing-limited halo, typical for images with only modest AO correction. We identified a faint point source close to the primary.222We also detected three faint sources farther away. We had previously observed this field using the AO system on the Shane 3-m telescope at Lick Observatory (Bauman et al., 1999). $`K`$-band images taken with the science camera IRCAL (Lloyd et al., 2000a) on 02 August 1999 UT showed sources at ($`d`$, PA) = (10$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$0, 142), (7$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$9, 178), and (5$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$6, 256), all around 8–10 mags fainter than the primary. All three are detected in the Gemini AO image and are found to be background objects.

To check for common proper motion, we obtained second and third epoch imaging using the AO system (Wizinowich et al., 2000) on the Keck II 10-m Telescope on 22 Aug and 10 Dec 2001 UT. We used the slit-viewing camera of the facility near-IR spectrograph NIRSPEC (McLean et al., 1998) and a narrow-band Br$`\gamma `$ filter (2.155–2.175 µm). The camera has a pixel scale of $`16.74\pm 0.05`$ mas pixel-1. Conditions were photometric, and the AO-corrected images have a 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$05 FWHM. The companion was easily seen in individual images.

The imaging data were reduced in a standard fashion. We subtracted an average bias from the images. We constructed flat fields either from images of the lamp-illuminated interior of the dome (for the Gemini data) or from images of twilight sky (for the Keck data). Then we created a master sky frame from the median average of the bias-subtracted, flat-fielded images and subtracted it from the individual images. Images were registered and stacked to form a final mosaic, though the astrometric measurements are actually done on the individual images. Figure 1 shows the Gemini AO discovery image.

To determine the separation and position angle for the companion, we measured the individual reduced images and averaged the results, with the uncertainties determined from the standard errors. These errors were then added in quadrature to the errors in the calibration of the cameras’ pixel scales and orientations. For the Keck AO data, the astrometry was straightforward given the high quality of the data: the companion was well-separated from the primary so we simply computed the centroid of the two components. We also used the Aug 2001 data to measure a 2.16 µm flux ratio of $`8.62\pm 0.07`$ mags.

For the lower quality Gemini AO data, more care was required. In the short exposure images, where the primary was unsaturated, the companion was detected only the final stacked mosaic and only at low S/N. Hence the resulting astrometry would have had a large uncertainty, and we would not have been able to directly gauge the errors. Instead, we derived astrometry from the deep images, where the core of the primary was saturated inside of 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$1–0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$2 radius but the rest of the primary was detected at very high S/N. To measure the primary’s position, we cross-correlated the individual saturated images with an unsaturated short exposure image. We then removed the primary by subtracting its azimuthally averaged radial profile and measured the companion’s centroid. We then averaged the results to get the separation and PA. We verified that these results are robust by (1) doing the measurements with several different PSFs and (2) generating artificial data sets of saturated images from the short exposure images. Both of these confirm our quoted measurement accuracy.

Table 1 presents our astrometry for the companion. HR 7672 has a high proper motion, ($``$394.07, $``$406.42) $`\pm `$ (0.63, 0.64) mas/yr, allowing us to confirm if the companion is physically associated relatively quickly. Nearly half a year passed between the first and third epochs of imaging, and Table 1 shows that if the object were a background object, its separation and PA would have changed significantly. The observed separation and PA are 7$`\sigma `$ and 26$`\sigma `$ discrepant from being a background object, respectively. In fact the first two epochs of imaging, spaced only 2 months apart, would have sufficed. Moreover, the second and third epoch data by themselves indicate the companion is not a background object; since these both came from the same instrument and filter, this eliminates any concern about systematic error due to using different instruments. Hence we conclude HR 7672B is physically associated with HR 7672.

### 2.2 Spectroscopy

We obtained a spectrum at Keck using NIRSPEC with the AO system via service observing. We obtained two 300 s exposures on 31 Aug 2001 UT in low resolution mode with the NIRSPEC-7 blocking filter and the 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$072 slit. The slit was oriented at the parallactic angle. (In contrast to seeing-limited near-IR observations, atmospheric dispersion with these nearly diffraction-limited images was not negligible.) The object was dithered on the slit between exposures. Conditions appeared to be photometric, and the AO-produced images had 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$06 FWHM as measured from the acquisition images taken with the slit-viewing camera. A nearby A0V star was observed immediately afterward to calibrate the telluric and instrumental absorption profile. Images of an internal flat-field and arc lamps were obtained when finished with the calibrator star. For comparison with the Gemini AO image, Figure 2 shows the $`K`$-band image of the system obtained from the NIRSPEC slit-viewing camera.

The spectra were reduced using custom IDL scripts. In NIRSPEC, the raw images on the detector are curved in both the spectral and spatial direction. After subtracting a dark frame and dividing by a flat field, the individual images were rectified using traces of the arc lamp lines and the object spectra. Since the primary is very bright, the light from the PSF halo and diffraction features fill much of the slit. We removed the telluric emission by fitting blank regions at the edges of the slit and subtracting the result from the entire image. To extract the companion spectrum, we then used a 3-pixel wide region. To remove the remaining primary light, at each wavelength we fit for the contamination using pixels above and below the companion spectrum. This amounted to $`30`$% of the light in the extraction aperture.

To calibrate for the relative throughput of the atmosphere and instrument, we divided the extracted spectra by the spectra of the A0V calibrator star and then multiplied by a 9720 K blackbody to restore the true shape of the continuum. For this, we interpolated over the intrinsic Br$`\gamma `$ absorption in the calibrator star. Wavelength calibration was done with spectra of argon and neon lamps. The spectral resolution ($`\lambda /\mathrm{\Delta }\lambda `$) of the final spectra was 1400, as measured from the FWHM of the arc lines. The final spectrum is plotted in Figure 3, with the 1$`\sigma `$ uncertainties determined from the standard error of the two individual spectra.

## 3 Results

### 3.1 Temperature of HR 7672B

In order to determine the spectral type of HR 7672B, we compare its $`K`$-band spectrum with that of other very cool M and L-type objects. We use published spectra for (non-subdwarf) M dwarfs from Leggett et al. (2000) and spectra from L dwarfs from Geballe et al. (2001), Leggett et al. (2001), and Reid et al. (2001a); hereinafter, we refer to this compilation as the “calibration sample.” For the L dwarfs, we use the spectral types assigned by Geballe et al. (2001), which are based on several optical and near-IR spectral indices; for most objects, their spectral types agree well with previous typing based on optical spectroscopy alone. Qualitatively, the spectrum of HR 7672B shows strong blueward absorption indicative of H2O and a strong CO 2.3 µm break. These are characteristic of very late-type M dwarfs and L dwarfs. In addition, no absorption is seen in 2.2 µm from Na I; this feature is seen in late M dwarfs (Jones et al., 1994; Leggett et al., 2000) but disappears in L dwarfs. These properties suggest HR 7672B is an L dwarf.

Among L dwarfs, there are noticeable variations in the published $`K`$-band spectra for a given subtype. The origins of these variations are unknown, but could be due to heterogeneity in time variability, photospheric dust properties, and/or surface gravities. Hence, a qualitative (eyeball) comparison between HR 7672B and the published spectra does not yield a clear and unique match. To quantitatively assign a spectral type, we compute several spectral indices: two indices which measure H2O absorption on the blue side of the bandpass (H2O-C from Burgasser et al., and H2O(2.0) from Geballe et al.), an index which tracks the slope of the 2.1–2.3 µm continuum (CH4(2.2) from Geballe et al.)333This index is primarily designed to track the depth of 2.2 µm absorption in T dwarfs due to CH4. However, it is also a reasonable diagnostic for L dwarfs, as discussed by Geballe et al., and a CO bandhead index of our own construction ($`R_{CO}`$ = the ratio of 2.30–2.32 µm flux to 2.26–2.28 µm flux). We degrade our NIRSPEC spectra to a spectral resolution comparable to the published spectra before measuring the indices. To estimate our measurement errors, especially given the possibility that there is some residual contamination in our spectra from the light of the primary, we measure the two extracted spectra individually and plot the resulting range.

The results are shown in Figure 4. The strength of the H2O absorption suggests a spectral type later than L2, while the continuum CH4 indices point to a type no cooler than L6. The CO index is discrepant; the strength of the absorption is weaker than most L dwarfs, and is more typical of mid/late M dwarfs. To disentangle this uncertainty, we also use the absolute $`K`$-band magnitude of HR 7672B to estimate the spectral type. Kirkpatrick et al. (2000) have compiled a sample of 24 nearby late M and L dwarfs with measured parallaxes to generate a calibration for spectral type with $`K_S`$-band (2.0–2.3 µm) absolute magnitude:

$$M_{K_S}=10.450+0.127(subclass)+0.023(subclass)^2$$
(1)
where $`subclass=1`$ for M9V, 0 for L0V, 1 for L1V, etc. The scatter about the fit is $``$1 subtype. HR 7672 has a $`V`$-band magnitude of 5.80 mag, a distance of 17.7 pc, and a spectral type of G1V. Using $`VK`$ colors for dwarfs from Bessell & Brett (1988), this means the primary has $`M_K=3.1`$ mag. For G stars, we use synthetic photometry of spectra from Pickles (1998) to determine that there is a negligible difference between the $`K`$ and $`K_S`$-band magnitudes. For HR 7672B, we measure a 2.16 µm flux ratio of 8.6 mags. We use synthetic photometry of the calibration sample to find that ($`K_S`$–\[Br$`\gamma `$\]) $`0.050.10`$ mags for L dwarfs, so the companion has $`M_{K_S}=11.8\pm 0.1`$ mags, which gives a spectral type of L5.5. Given the relatively small L dwarf sample and the scatter about the fit, spectral types between L4 and L6 could be accommodated.

We adopt a final spectral type of L4.5$`\pm `$1.5. This is based on the intersection of the results from the spectral indices, which suggest L2 to L6, and the $`K`$-band absolute magnitude, which points to L4 to L6. The spectral typing (and hence the mass estimate) could be improved in the future by obtaining spectra in the $`H`$-band and $`J`$-band; the latter would require good seeing conditions given the currently available AO systems on $`>`$8-m telescopes. To convert to effective temperature, we use the scale produced by Burgasser et al. (2001), which is intermediate between those proposed by Kirkpatrick et al. (1999b, 2000) and Basri et al. (2000). This choice gives $`T_{eff}=15101850`$ K for HR 7672B.

### 3.2 Mass of HR 7672B

#### 3.2.1 From Spectroscopy

Not all L dwarfs are brown dwarfs (i.e. substellar). Current evidence suggests that the substellar boundary occurs around spectral types of L2–L4 (Kirkpatrick et al., 1999b; Basri, 2000). With a spectral type of L4.5$`\pm `$1.5, HR 7672B lies at or below this boundary. A useful point of comparison is GD 165B, which has a spectral type L4 and an age estimate of 1.2–5.5 Gyr from its primary star. A detailed analysis by Kirkpatrick et al. (1999a) finds that GD 165B is probably a brown dwarf. Detecting lithium absorption in HR 7672B would be an unambiguous sign that the companion is substellar. However, given its small separation and large brightness difference ($`\mathrm{\Delta }I13.5`$ mag), this is unlikely to be feasible any time soon.

#### 3.2.2 From Radial Velocities

HR 7672 was included in the original Lick radial velocity survey and was found to have a long-term radial velocity trend (acceleration). We can use this data to determine the minimum possible companion mass strictly from dynamics. The primary’s radial acceleration is related to the companion mass by

$$M_{comp}=5.34\times 10^6M_{\mathrm{}}\left(\frac{d}{\mathrm{pc}}\frac{\rho }{\mathrm{arcsec}}\right)^2\left|\frac{\dot{v_r}}{\text{m s}\text{-1}\text{ yr}\text{-1}}\right|F(i,e,\omega ,\varphi )$$
(2)
where $`d`$ is the distance to the primary from Earth, $`\rho `$ is the observed angular separation of the companion, and $`\dot{v_r}`$ is the radial acceleration (Torres, 1999). $`F(i,e,\omega ,\varphi )`$ is a function which depends on the orbital parameters (inclination $`i`$, eccentricity $`e`$, longitude of periastron $`\omega `$, and orbital phase $`\varphi `$) and has a minimum value of $`\sqrt{27}/2`$. From the original Lick radial velocity survey, Cumming et al. (1999) reported a long-term radial velocity trend (acceleration) of $`24\pm 0.6`$ m s-1 yr-1 over 11.4 yrs. This gives a minimum companion mass of $`66\pm 2`$ $`M_{Jup}`$ (but see below).

As discussed by Torres (1999), it is possible to evaluate the companion mass in a statistical fashion given the observed acceleration and angular separation at a single epoch. Basically, the approach is to generate a Monte Carlo realization of $`F(i,e,\omega ,\varphi )`$ by choosing randomly distributed values for the orbital parameters. The resulting probability distribution function (PDF) can be used to set statistical upper limits on the companion mass. (Note that the PDF has a long tail at high masses which arises from highly improbable orbits. We adopt an upper mass cutoff of 1 $`M_{\mathrm{}}`$ based on physical plausibility and then re-normalize the PDF.) Applying this technique to HR 7672B, we find a maximum companion mass of 0.11 $`M_{\mathrm{}}`$ at the 68% confidence limit (1$`\sigma `$), a relatively weak constraint. Note that the most probable companion mass from this approach is the same as the minimum possible mass based on the observed $`\dot{v_r}`$ and $`\rho `$, namely 66 $`M_{Jup}`$.

The approach of Torres (Eqn. 2) makes use of the instantaneous radial velocity slope, $`\dot{v_r}`$. However we have radial velocity measurements from the last 13 years. This duration places a better constraint on the orbit, given the difficulty of accurately measuring the instantaneous slope. In particular, the velocity slope at the current epoch may be slightly different than the average slope during the entire monitoring, which is what is listed in Cumming et al. (1999).

To find the most accurate minimum companion mass, we constructed a family of orbits that fit both the radial velocity data and the observed separation of 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$79. Note that with only two observables, namely the separation and velocity slope, no unique orbit can be established. Nonetheless, we searched the orbital parameters for the lowest possible companion mass consistent with the data. For these minimum-mass orbits, the instantaneous slope in the radial velocities was typically 25% less than the average during the past 13 years. Such orbits imply a 25% lower mass for the companion, as given by Eqn. 2. This difference can be seen in the plotted velocities (Figure 5), as the most recent data indicate a slight flattening in the velocities.

One such minimum-mass orbit is shown in Figure 5. The companion has mass of 48 $`M_{Jup}`$ with a 100 yr orbital period, a semi-major axis of 21 AU, an eccentricity of 0.3, and an inclination of 51. This hypothetical orbit fits the measured radial velocities of the primary within errors, and it would place the companion at a separation of 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$79 at the current epoch, as observed. No orbits are consistent with a companion mass less than 48 $`M_{Jup}`$. Therefore we conclude that HR 7672B has a mass of at least 48 $`M_{Jup}`$.

#### 3.2.3 From Age of the Primary

We can also estimate the companion mass by determining the age of the primary. Assuming the system is coeval, we can then use the measured temperature of HR 7672B with theoretical models to estimate its mass. Main sequence G stars can be age dated using a variety of indicators, many of which are based on the anti-correlation of stellar activity with age. None of these indicators are perfectly correlated with the age of the star (for reasons which remain to be understood), but all follow general trends.

1. Absolute $`V`$-band magnitude: with $`M_V=4.56`$, the primary is on the main sequence, which sets an age greater than the zero-age main sequence, $``$100 Myr.
2. Rotation period: The rotation of solar-type stars is believed to increase as they age in a power-law fashion, $`P_{rot}t^\alpha `$. The value for $`\alpha `$ has been suggested to be 0.5 (Skumanich, 1972) or $`1/e`$ (Walter & Berry, 1991). Messina et al. (2001) measure a photometric period of 13.95 d for HR 7672, which we adopt as the stellar rotation period. Taking the Sun as a reference point ($`P_{rot}=26`$ days and $`t=4.6`$ Gyr) gives an age of 0.9–1.4 Gyr. Lachaume et al. (1999) also have provided a calibration of this relation using a sample from the Hipparcos catalog:

$$\mathrm{log}(t)=2.667\mathrm{log}(P)0.944(BV)0.309[\mathrm{Fe}/\mathrm{H}]+6.530.$$
(3)
where $`t`$ is the age in Gyr and $`P`$ is the period in days. For HR 7672, $`BV=0.60`$ (Baliunas et al., 1995) and \[Fe/H\]=–0.07 (Gorgas et al., 1999) so we find an age of 1.1 Gyr.
3. X-ray emission: Related to the decline in stellar rotation, the X-ray emission of solar analogs declines with age. Hempelmann et al. (1995) measured $`\mathrm{log}(L_X/L_{bol})=5.54`$ from ROSAT data. Gaidos (1998) provides an age calibration based on scaling relations for stellar activity:

$$\mathrm{log}(L_X/L_{bol})=6.382.6\alpha \mathrm{log}(t/4.6)+\mathrm{log}[1+0.4(1t/4.6)]$$
(4)
where $`t`$ is the age in Gyr and $`\alpha `$ is the same as given above. We have adopted the zeropoint of $``$6.38 from Maggio et al. (1987). This gives an age of 0.8–1.3 Gyr.
4. Ca H+K emission: Chromospheric activity also decreases with age. From Keck spectroscopy in 1997, we measured $`\mathrm{log}(R\mathrm{}_{HK})=4.79`$ for the primary. As cited by Kirkpatrick et al. (2001), Donahue (1993, 1998) provide an age calibration for this index

$$\mathrm{log}(t)=10.7251.334R_5+0.4085R_5^20.0522R_5^3$$
(5)
where $`R_5=10^5R\mathrm{}_{HK}`$. This gives an age of 2.6 Gyr.
5. Kinematics: Older stars tend to have higher space velocities due to an accumulated history of dynamical interactions. The Gliese & Jahreiss (1991) catalog lists $`U=+40,V=19,W=+9`$ km s-1 for HR 7672. This lies just outside the young disk population defined by Leggett (1992).444Note that the Gliese & Jahreiss catalog and Leggett use the opposite sign conventions for $`U`$. Eggen (1989) has approximated the division between old and young disk at $``$1.5 Gyr.
6. Lithium absorption: Li is steadily burned in main sequence stars with convective envelopes. Soderblom (1985) measured a lithium abundance of $`N`$(Li)=2.15. This is weaker than Hyades stars of the same spectral type (Thorburn et al., 1993; Soderblom et al., 1993), which sets a lower limit of $``$600 Myr on the age of the primary. Also, the abundance is more than early-type G stars in the $``$4.5 Gyr open cluster M67 (Jones et al., 1999).

To summarize, HR 7672 exhibits a higher level of chromospheric activity than the Sun, pointing to a younger age. The primary’s kinematics suggest it is an old disk star, while the lithium abundance points to an age greater than Hyades stars. The star’s rotation period, Ca H+K emission, and X-ray emission suggest ages of 1–3 Gyr, which we adopt as a conservative age range for the primary.

Assuming the system is coeval, we estimate the mass of HR 7672B using theoretical models (Figure 6). With an implied range of 55–78 $`M_{Jup}`$, the companion most likely lies below the minimum H-burning mass. (Note that we can also reverse the comparison and use the radial velocity limit of 48 $`M_{Jup}`$ with the models to find a lower limit of $``$0.3–0.7 Gyr on the age of the primary, consistent with the observational properties described above.) This mass estimate could be improved in the future by obtaining multi-band near-IR spectra to improve the spectral typing.

## 4 Conclusions

We have found a common proper motion companion to the nearby solar analog HR 7672 using AO imaging from the Gemini and Keck Telescopes. IR spectra from Keck AO+NIRSPEC find the companion has a very cool atmosphere, and its faint $`K`$-band magnitude also points to a very late-type object: we estimate a spectral type of L4.5$`\pm `$1.5. This alone suggests the companion is sustellar, or right at the substellar boundary. A variety of data indicate the primary star is younger than the Sun but older than the Hyades, with a likely age around 1–3 Gyr. Using theoretical models for cooling of very low mass objects, the inferred companion mass ranges from 55–78 $`M_{Jup}`$, under the assumption that the two components are coeval. The primary has a long-term radial velocity acceleration, and we combine the radial velocity and AO data to set a lower limit of 48 $`M_{Jup}`$ on the companion mass strictly from dynamical considerations. At a separation of only 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$79 (14 AU), this is the closest ultracool (L or T-dwarf) companion to a main sequence star found to date by direct imaging, in both angular and physical separation (see compilation in Reid et al., 2001b).

For a random distribution of orbital eccentricities, $``$85% of orbits have a true semi-major axis which is 0.5–2 times that of the observed separation. Hence the semi-major axis of HR 7672B is likely to be 7–28 AU, meaning an orbital period of 20–150 yrs. Orbital motion could be detectable in a few years. This raises the possibility of determining its orbital eccentricity, perhaps a important clue into its formation history. Furthermore, the combination of AO imaging with continued radial velocity monitoring can be used to better constrain the companion mass in advance of observing a full orbital period.

The formation and presence of close brown dwarf companions might inhibit the formation of circumstellar disks, and hence planets. Using radial velocity data, Cumming et al. (1999) set upper limits on any planetary companion of 0.1–10 $`M_{Jup}`$ at separations of 0.1–4 AU, respectively. Hence, we know the HR 7672 system does not have any Jovian mass planets in its inner regions. However, we know from the case of GL 86 that at least one brown dwarf co-exists with an extrasolar planet (Els et al., 2001). The existence of HR 7672B and GL 86B indicates that brown dwarfs can form at separations comparable to circumstellar disks. (These objects are most likely substellar, or right at the substellar boundary. In the discussion which follows, we assume for the sake of arugment that these are brown dwarfs.) A third possible example is the brown dwarf companion orbiting HD 168443 (Marcy et al., 2001), at a semi-major axis of 3 AU and with a mass between 17.2 $`M_{Jup}`$ (from the radial velocities) and 42 $`M_{Jup}`$ (from limits on any astrometric wobble). This system also illustrates the gradual convergence of radial velocities and AO imaging, closing the mass gap for discovery of planets and brown dwarfs by indirect and direct means.

Formation scenarios for HR 7672B, and their connection with ones for extrasolar planets, remain an open question. Current semantic convention designates planets as object below $``$15 $`M_{Jup}`$, with this border motivated either by the deuterium-burning limit for substellar objects or simply by the observed steep decline in frequency of such objects in radial velocity surveys (Marcy et al., 2001); more massive objects are considered brown dwarfs. HR 7672B would certainly be considered in the brown dwarf regime based on its estimated mass. Reipurth & Clarke (2001) have suggested brown dwarfs form as stellar embryos in small newborn multiple systems: they grow in mass by accretion of infalling gas, but their growth is prematurely truncated by ejection due to dynamical interactions. The discovery of HR 7672B is at variance with this scenario, since the ejection model discounts the existence of close separation brown dwarfs around solar-type stars.

An additional criterion to distinguish planets from brown dwarfs under consideration is whether the object forms “as planets do,” presumably in a circumstellar disk, or instead as an isolated object. In this regard, objects like HR 7672B and GL 86B are interesting in that they resides in the zone of giant planet formation, i.e., $``$ 5–30 AU where we know giant planets exist in our own solar system and theoretical models can most easily form them. Giant planets are thought to form at these radii via gas accretion onto a rocky core. Subsequent dynamical processes may cause them to migrate to smaller radii (Lin et al., 1996; Ward, 1997; Trilling et al., 1998), since the $``$4 AU planets found by radial velocity surveys are not thought to have formed in situ.

However, brown dwarfs are believed to be too massive to form by the same core accretion scenario as giant planets. Instead, they may have originated, e.g., by fragmentation during initial cloud collapse (Bodenheimer, 1998), by instabilities in a very massive disk (Boss, 1998; Bryden et al., 2000; Pickett et al., 2000), or by collisions between protoplanetary disks (Lin et al., 1998). Furthermore, brown dwarf companions are not found at small separations, but we now have strong evidence that they exist at $``$15 AU. This suggest they are immune to the migration process(es) which affect massive planets. The discovery of brown dwarfs in the zone of giant planet formation implies that a diversity of physical processes act to populate the outer regions of exoplanetary systems.

It is a pleasure to thank Bruce Macintosh and Randy Campbell for beneficial discussions regarding Keck AO data. We thank Mike Brown and Antonin Bouchez for acquiring the third epoch imaging of HR 7672. We are grateful for support from the staffs of Gemini and Keck Observatories and the University of Hawai’i AO group which made these observations possible, including Simon Chan, Mark Chun, Pierre Baudoz, Olivier Guyon, Randy Campbell, David LeMignant, Barbara Schaefer, and Bob Goodrich. Gemini Observatory is operated by AURA, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership. Keck Observatory is operated as a partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation. This paper is based in part on observations obtained with Hokupa’a/QUIRC, developed and operated by the University of Hawaii AO Group, with support from the National Science Foundation. We thank Sungsoo Kim, Lisa Prato, and Ian McLean for making the REDSPEC reduction package and documentation available. We also thank Aaron Barth, Wayne Landsman, and Ray Sterner for useful IDL code. This research has made use of the SIMBAD database and the VizieR Service (Ochsenbein et al., 2000) at Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg, and NASA’s Astrophysics Data System Abstract Service. This work has been supported by NASA grant NAG5-8299, NSF grants AST95-20443 and AST-9988087, and SUN Microsystems. M. Liu is grateful for research support from the Beatrice Watson Parrent Fellowship at the University of Hawai‘i. The authors wish to extend special thanks to those of Hawaiian ancestry on whose sacred mountain of Mauna Kea we are privileged to be guests. Without their generous hospitality, none of the observations presented herein would have been possible.


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# Resolved Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Mysterious Pre-Main Sequence Binary System T Tau S

## 1 Introduction

T Tau has long been identified as one of the brightest low-mass pre-main sequence objects and, as such, has been considered as the prototype for the T Tauri class of objects (Joy, 1945). Its notable properties include a significant infrared continuum excess thought to be related to the presence of an accretion disk around this million year-old object (Bertout et al., 1988), a bright nebulosity caused by photon scattering on the inner wall of a cavity emptied by a strong polar outflow (Stapelfeldt et al., 1998), a substantial circumstellar disk resolved through interferometric imaging at radio wavelengths (Akeson et al., 1998) and a limited interstellar extinction ($`A_V1.5`$mag, Ghez et al., 1991). Early near-infrared high-angular resolution observations revealed a close (0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$7, or 100 AU at $`d=140`$pc, Elias, 1978) companion in this system (Dyck et al., 1982), which raised the possibility that T Tau is not so prototypical of its class. From subsequent various high-angular resolution surveys (Ghez et al., 1993; Leinert et al., 1993; Simon et al., 1995) however, it rapidly became clear that binarity is not a rare property, re-establishing T Tau as a prototype of pre-main sequence solar-type stars once again.

The companion to T Tau, known as T Tau S, is a very peculiar one. While it is undetected in visible images obtained first by speckle interferometry (Gorham et al., 1992) and more recently by HST/WFPC2 (Stapelfeldt et al., 1998), implying a huge flux ratio at those wavelengths ($`\mathrm{\Delta }V>9.5`$), its bolometric luminosity is about twice as large as that of T Tau N. Indeed, T Tau S dominates the system flux at wavelengths $`2\mu `$m and its spectral energy distribution peaks around 3 $`\mu `$m, a significantly longer wavelength than normal for T Tauri stars (Ghez et al., 1991). Near- to mid-infrared monitoring has further revealed that T Tau S is strongly variable, up to 2 mag over timescales of a few months (Ghez et al., 1991). Finally, its near-infrared spectrum is featureless around 2 $`\mu `$m at a resolution of $`R760`$, with the exception of a large Br$`\gamma `$ emission line and a much weaker H2 line (Beck et al., 2001). Together with a handful of other companions to T Tauri stars, T Tau S has been classified as an “infrared companion” (IRC). As reviewed by Koresko et al. (1997), the peculiar properties of these companions has generated a wide range of theories regarding their nature, which include an embedded intermediate- to high-mass protostar, a planetary object embedded in the disk surrounding their optical companion or a strongly accreting FU Ori-like object among others possibilities. The very nature of T Tau S and other IRCs is still debated as none of these explanations fit all the observational data.

Increasing the complexity of the T Tau system, Koresko (2000) identified a very close companion to T Tau S through speckle holography. In the discovery images, the companion was projected a mere 7 AU (0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$05) away from the IRC. Such a small separation raised new questions about the T Tau S system: are both components classifiable as IRCs? If embedded, are they inside the same cocoon of material? Can the additional companion be used to clarify the nature of IRCs? While previous high-angular resolution observations of this system never resolved the IRC (e.g., Simon et al., 1996), follow-up observations by Köhler et al. (2000) confirmed the presence of a close companion. However, they noted significant changes in the binary separation and position angle, which cannot be accounted for by measurement uncertainties, but rather suggests that the two objects are bound with an orbital period on the order of 10–20 yrs.

In this paper, we present adaptive optics images obtained with the Keck telescope as well as the first spatially resolved $`K`$-band spectra of the T Tau S system. Our observations and data reduction procedures are described in § 2 and our main results are presented in § 3. Implications on the nature of the IRC and its companion are presented in § 4. Finally, § 5 summarizes our findings.

## 2 Observations

The observations presented in this paper were obtained on 2000 November 19 on the 10 m Keck II telescope with the facility near-infrared spectrometer NIRSPEC (McLean et al., 2000) installed behind the adaptive optics system (Wizinowich et al., 2000). T Tau N ($`R=9.2`$) was used as a natural guide star for the adaptive optics system and images of the whole T Tau system, including T Tau N, were obtained using SCAM, the slit-viewing camera, with both $`H`$111The filter we used, “NIRSPEC-3”, is a customized filter specific to the instrument. Its central wavelength ($`\lambda _c=1.625\mu `$m) and bandwith ($`\mathrm{\Delta }\lambda =0.36\mu `$m) are close enough to the standard broadband $`H`$ filter ($`\lambda _c=1.630\mu `$m, $`\mathrm{\Delta }\lambda =0.31\mu `$m) that we do not expect magnitudes differences larger than a few hundredths. Throughout our paper, we therefore refer to this filter as the $`H`$ filter. and $`K`$ broad-band filters at four dithered positions over the detector to correct for bad pixels and flat-field variations. Total integration times were 40 seconds with both $`H`$ and $`K`$ filters and we achieved Strehl ratios of 24 % at $`H`$ and 30 % at $`K`$. The resolution of the images, measured as the FWHM of a gaussian fit to the radial profile of the unresolved star T Tau N, are respectively 40 and 50 mas at $`H`$ and $`K`$. Both components of T Tau S appear unresolved at these resolutions in our images.

Long slit $`K`$-band medium-resolution spectra of the T Tau S components were obtained by aligning the 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$036-wide slit along the binary position angle; four spectra were obtained at various locations behind the slit, amounting to a total exposure time of 8 minutes. The spectra extend from 2.0$`\mu `$m to 2.4$`\mu `$m with a 4.3 Å/pixel scale and have a spectral resolution of $`R3500`$ as measured from the FWHM of various unresolved arc lines. Arc lamps were observed for wavelength calibration and a halogen lamp image was used for estimating the pixel-to-pixel response of the detector. A spectrum of HR 1388, an A7 dwarf, was obtained with the same set-up immediately before T Tau S at a comparable airmass to correct for the numerous atmospheric absorption lines and bands. To remove the strong Br$`\gamma `$ absorption line for this A-type star, we also observed HD 1520, an F8 star, whose spectra can be compared to the well-known solar spectra (G2 spectral type) to isolate telluric absorption lines in the vicinity of the hydrogen line, using the method described by Hanson et al. (1996). We also observed a few late-type stars of known spectral type with the same set-up to be used as templates. These objects are 61 Cyg A, Gl 123 and HD 1326, whose spectral types are K5, M0, and M2 respectively.

All data reduction procedures were performed using IRAF222IRAF is distributed by the National Optical Astronomy Observatories, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract to the National Science Foundation for both imaging and spectroscopic data. Accurate astrometry and relative photometry were extracted by point spread function fitting, using T Tau N as an unresolved source, and the standard deviations between the four dithered positions gave us an estimate of the uncertainties for both filters. The astrometry was then combined with the absolute orientation of the detector on the sky, known to $`\pm 0\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}1`$ or so, and its known plate scale (17.2$`\pm `$0.1 mas/pixel, D. Le Mignant, priv. comm.). The sharper images at shorter wavelenghs, together with the variation of flux ratio with wavelength in the T Tau S system, are such that the binary is more easily resolved in the $`H`$-band images and, although both filters yielded compatible measurements, the astrometric binary parameters given in this paper were extracted from the $`H`$-band image only.

The pipeline developed to reduce the spectroscopic data performs the following usual reduction steps: sky subtraction, distortion corrections, flat-fielding, bad pixels and cosmic rays removal. To extract the spectra of both components, a gaussian profile, which represents the core of the stellar profiles very well, was fit to both stars along the spatial direction for each of the 1024 spectral slices of the reduced spectrum; the width of the gaussian was forced to be the same for both stars in that process. A Lorentzian profile, which provides a better fit of the wings of the point spread function, was also used in a separate analysis of the same reduced spectra, but resulted in noiser, though similar, spectra; this is due to the relatively high Strehl ratios in our images, which ensure that most of the flux is contained in the stellar cores. In the following, we thus adopt the spectra extracted using a gaussian profile. We estimate that contamination introduced by the wing of the primary’s point spread function on the spectrum of the secondary amounts to less than 10 % of the latter at any wavelength based on the observed radial profile.

The dominant sources of noise in the final spectra are the gaussian fitting process and the atmospheric absorption correction. Estimates for the signal-to-noise ratios can be obtained by studying line-free sections of the stellar spectra; the signal-to-noise ratio in the final spectra is about 60–80 per pixel333The spectral resolution element is about 50 % larger than the pixel size. for both stars in the spectral range 2.08–2.38 $`\mu `$m. Outside this range, the quality of the spectra drops sharply because of strong atmospheric absorption features, poor filter transmission, and detector response.

## 3 Results

### 3.1 Astrometry and relative photometry

Our final $`H`$\- and $`K`$-band images are presented in Fig. 1, while the astrometry and relative photometry extracted through point spread function fitting are summarized in Table 1. T Tau S is clearly resolved at both wavelengths. To confirm the detection of the two components and to confirm our astrometric and photometric measurements, we applied a light deconvolution process with the Richardson-Lucy algorithm implemented in IRAF. T Tau N was used as an unresolved point spread function and we ran 10 iterations after having resampled the images by a factor of two in each direction. The deconvolved images are also shown in Fig. 1. The two components are nicely recovered and the quantitative information presented in Table 1 agree very well with the deconvolved images. The location of T Tau Sb with respect to T Tau Sa, which is significantly different from previous measurements, confirms the relative motion of the two stars reported by Köhler et al. (2000). At the time of our observations, the projected separation of the binary was $`12.9\pm 0.4`$ AU. The nature of the observed motion is discussed in § 4.

The flux ratio between the two components of T Tau S has also changed over the last few years. Koresko (2000) measured $`\mathrm{\Delta }K_{Sab}=2.61\pm 0.24`$ in December 1997 and Köhler et al. (2000) found $`\mathrm{\Delta }H_{Sab}=1.47\pm 0.05`$ in February 2000, which both differ from our observations by $`3\sigma `$. In spite of the lack of absolute photometry, the variable source can be deduced from the $`K`$-band datasets. The $`K`$-band flux ratio between T Tau N and T Tau Sa is identical, to within statistical uncertainties, and the $`K`$-band flux of T Tau N has been almost constant over the last ten years (Kobayashi et al., 1994; Beck & Simon, 2001). Therefore, we conclude that T Tau Sb is itself variable and brightened between the two epochs while T Tau Sa remained constant. Our measurements also show that T Tau S as a whole was close to its bright state at the time of our observations, since the magnitude difference between T Tau N and the unresolved T Tau S system appears to vary from $`0.5`$ to $`2.5`$mag (Ghez et al., 1991; Roddier et al., 2000). Furthermore, if T Tau Sa always dominates its companion at $`K`$, the known variability of the unresolved T Tau S system indicates that both components are variable.

### 3.2 T Tau Sa spectrum

The spectrum of T Tau Sa is in general featureless apart from a prominent Br$`\gamma `$ emission line which has an equivalent width of 3.8$`\pm `$0.2 Å (see Fig. 2 and Table 2). Similar equivalent widths for that line were reported by Herbst et al. (1996) and Beck et al. (2001), although we failed to detect the 2.12 $`\mu `$m H2 emission line that was detected with an equivalent width of 3.1$`\pm `$1.4 Å by the latter group; our $`3\sigma `$ upper limit on its equivalent width is 0.5 Å. A likely explanation for that discrepancy is that the emission could arise from the gas surrounding the star, as already suggested by Beck et al. (2001); their observations were performed through a 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$8-slit which is much wider than ours, and the surrounding nebulosity has already been detected in this H2 line (van Langevelde, van Dishoeck, van der Werf, & Blake, 1994). Otherwise, this line could be strongly variable in T Tau Sa or the previous detection, which is only marginally significant, is spurious.

### 3.3 T Tau Sb spectrum

Several features, including the 12CO ($`\mathrm{\Delta }\nu =2`$) bands at $`2.3\mu `$m and beyond and the Na doublet at 2.2$`\mu `$m, can be detected in the spectrum of T Tau Sb when using HR 1388 as the atmospheric calibrator. However, a slight mismatch in airmass (by about 0.08) between this calibrator and T Tau S and the time dependence of the atmosphere impede a perfect correction. To more accurately remove the telluric features from the spectrum of T Tau Sb, we used the spectrum of T Tau Sa, which was observed simultaneously and was found to be featureless with the exception of Br$`\gamma `$ (see § 3.2). The Br$`\gamma `$ line appears “in emission” in the spectrum of T Tau Sb shown in Fig. 2 because the equivalent width of this line is larger in the spectrum of the secondary, but its actual strength cannot be directly measured from this plot. Therefore, the equivalent width of the hydrogen line of T Tau Sb was extracted from the spectrum using HR 1388 as a calibrator, while the discussion of all other parts of the spectrum refers to that obtained using T Tau Sa as a calibrator. No emission is detected at the wavelength of the 2.12 $`\mu `$m H2 line, with a $`3\sigma `$ upper limit of 0.5 Å for its equivalent width.

The spectrum of T Tau Sb contains a number of significant features that appear in all four individual spectra. Among these, sixteen atomic and molecular features are confidently identified (and labelled in Fig. 2), whose relative strength allow us to estimate the spectral type of T Tau Sb. This can be done by comparing the spectrum we obtained to spectral atlases found in the literature or to the standard stars observed during the same run, which is preferred since the instrumental set-up matches perfectly that used for T Tau S. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the spectrum of T Tau Sb seems very similar to those of the two early-M stars Gl 123 and HD 1326. The K5 star (61 Cyg A) we also observed shows more and stronger Si and Ti features with comparison to the other spectral lines and does not match well the spectrum of T Tau Sb. The latter shows stronger Al and Mg features at $`2.11\mu `$m than HD 1326 (M2), but a much weaker Mg line at 2.28$`\mu `$m than Gl 123 (M0). On the other hand, the ratio of the two lines of the Na doublet at 2.2$`\mu `$m appears very similar in T Tau Sb and Gl 123 while that of HD 1326 is significantly different. Although a very accurate estimate of the spectral type would require a higher signal-to-noise spectrum as well as more spectral type standards, we conclude that T Tau Sb has a spectral type M1 with an uncertainty of about one subclass. A similar comparison of the spectrum of T Tau Sb to spectral atlases in the literature (Kleinman & Hall, 1986; Ali et al., 1995; Wallace & Hinkle, 1997) suggests a spectral type later than K6 and earlier than M2–M3, consistent with the result presented above.

It is interesting to note that all the features detected in the spectrum of T Tau Sb appear much weaker than in the early-M spectral standards observed at the same resolution. The equivalent width of the strongest features (CO bands, Na doublet, Ca triplet at 2.26$`\mu `$m, Al line at 2.117$`\mu `$m) across the whole $`K`$-band are indeed $`3`$ times smaller than that of the spectral standards. This is quite unlikely to be the cause of a mismatch in luminosity class, since Kleinman & Hall (1986) have shown that only the CO bands are very sensitive to this parameter. Furthermore, although T Tauri stars are frequently thought of as subgiants, the latter have stronger, and not weaker, CO bands. It thus seems that the spectrum of T Tau Sb contains, in addition to its M1 photospheric component, a roughly flat continuum throughout the 2.1–2.35$`\mu `$m range. This $`K`$-band excess must represent about 200 % of the photospheric flux to account for the observed weakness of the various features. This is much larger than the 10 % upper limit we placed on the contamination from the featureless spectrum of the primary, and we conclude that it is intrinsic to the object.

## 4 Discussion

### 4.1 T Tau Sb : A normal active T Tauri star

The unresolved appearance and the photospheric features in the spectrum of T Tau Sb both point to a stellar nature for this object. Although it cannot be definitely excluded that we are seeing scattered light off a compact, dense dust clump in the environment of T Tau Sa whose intrinsic spectrum would then be that of a M1 dwarf, the presence of a strong emission at Br$`\gamma `$ in both components with different equivalent width, makes this scenario unlikely. Overall, T Tau Sb appears to be a regular T Tauri star, showing a photospheric spectrum and, additionally, strong accretion signatures such as a large Br$`\gamma `$ emission, and significant veiling ($`r_K2`$). Although significant emission in the hydrogen line can arise from chromospheric emission in M-type dwarfs (e.g., Martín, 1998), we note that the equivalent width of the Br$`\gamma `$ line is very strong in T Tau Sb: only $`15\%`$ of the classical T Tauri stars in Taurus studied by Muzerolle et al. (1998) show larger equivalent widths. Therefore we believe that emission in this line results from the usual T Tauri activity mechanisms.

The only unusual property of this object might well be its apparent faintness, which suggests that the extinction along the line of sight to T Tau Sb is fairly large. Its $`HK`$ color index, obtained by combining our relative photometry with the relatively stable absolute photometry for T Tau N from Kenyon & Hartmann (1995; $`K=5.56`$ and $`H=6.36`$), is about 1.9$`\pm `$0.3 mag. This is much redder than expected for a M1 dwarf ($`HK0.2`$ mag) and probably is the result of a combination of extinction and wavelength-dependent infrared excess related to the accretion phenomenon. Since its spectrum reveals photospheric features, it is possible to get a lower limit to the actual extinction towards this object by assuming that the continuum excess detected in the $`K`$-band does not extend into the $`H`$-band, where we would detect only photospheric flux. Since the photospheric flux from the star at $`K`$ is only one third of the total flux, the excess-corrected color index of T Tau Sb is $`HK0.7`$ mag. The remaining color excess, $`\mathrm{\Delta }(HK)0.5`$ mag, corresponds to an extinction along the line of sight of $`A_V8`$ mag (Rieke & Lebofsky, 1985), which is much larger than the extinction to T Tau N. Combining this with the intrinsic $`VK`$ color of a M1 dwarf ($`VK=3.8`$ Kenyon & Hartmann, 1995), we estimate that the expected visible magnitude of T Tau Sb is $`V>19.7`$, which explains its non-detection by Gorham et al. (1992) and Stapelfeldt et al. (1998).

### 4.2 Orbital motion within the triple system T Tau

As can be seen from Fig. 3, T Tau Sb is moving very fast with respect to T Tau Sa (4.2 AU yr-1, or 20 km s-1, based on the latest two measurements). There are two potential explanations to this: either constant linear motion of a background star or orbital motion. We first consider the former possibility by comparing the observed motion to what is expected for a field star and show that they are unlikely to match each other.

First of all, one can extrapolate the expected location of a chance alignment background star at the time of the first epoch from the last two measurements, which are the most accurate. The predicted separation and position angle for December 1997 are $`0\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}082\pm 0.023`$ and $`200\pm 15\mathrm{°}`$. This is only 1.5$`\sigma `$ different from the measurement of Koresko (2000), which is not enough to exclude a constant linear motion of T Tau Sb with respect to T Tau Sa. If T Tau Sb was a background star, its velocity should be the sum of the proper motion of T Tau N, which was measured by Jones & Herbig (1979), and the relative motion of the T Tau N/T Tau S pair, which has been estimated by Roddier et al. (2000). This combined motion, however, is about twice as slow as the observed motion and its direction is about forty degrees away. We thus conclude that T Tau Sb is not a background star. This is strongly reinforced by the extremely low probability, $`10^7`$ based on the $`2.5\times 10^6`$ per square arcsecond surface density of objects brighter than $`K=9`$ estimated by the 2MASS survey around T Tau, of finding a star as bright as T Tau Sb within 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$1 of T Tau Sa. Since T Tau Sb appears to be a normal T Tauri star, it probably belongs to the Taurus star-forming region, and we should compare its observed motion to the internal velocity dispersion in the molecular cloud, which is only 2 km s-1 (Jones & Herbig, 1979; Hartmann et al., 1986). This is ten times smaller than what is observed, and it thus seems unlikely that this binary results from the visual alignment of two unrelated T Tauri stars.

Another serious issue for the scenario of a linear, independent motion of the two T Tau S components is the result of the lunar occultation observations presented by Simon et al. (1996), who failed to detect any companion to T Tau S. At the time of their observations, in December 1994, T Tau Sb should have been located $`0\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}15`$ away from T Tau Sa if its motion remained constant at the current observed speed. Although their observations would have failed to detect a companion in the same configuration as seen by Koresko (2000), such a large system would have been easy to detect unless it was then much fainter than it is currently (M. Simon, priv. comm.). Together with the relative speed of T Tau Sb, this suggests that the two stars form a bound system and that, for several years prior to its discovery, T Tau Sb was much closer to T Tau Sa than it is now.

We now assume that the observed motion is indeed that of a bound binary system, since it is statistically unlikely that we are witnessing an unstable triple system at the very moment of its disruption. Although three measurements are not enough to fit a complete orbital solution, one can still estimate the total mass of the system from an order of magnitude calculation. Fig. 3 obviously indicates that the observed motion cannot be a face-on circular orbit: the orbit must be inclined and/or eccentric. Assuming a 15 AU-radius inclined circular orbit, which is one of the simplest possible fits, the observed velocity implies a total system mass of $`5\pm 2M_{}`$, to be compared to the $`2M_{}`$ mass of T Tau N (e.g., Koresko et al., 1997), and an orbital period of $`25\pm 5`$ yrs444Only the uncertainty on the velocity is propagated to estimate errors here. We caution that the shape of the orbit is not constrained enough at this point and that these uncertainties should not be considered as absolute.. Such a mass for the T Tau S pair implies a total mass of $`7M_{}`$ for T Tau, a factor of two larger than a previous estimate by Roddier et al. (2000) on the basis of the wide pair orbital motion (estimated orbital period $`500`$ yr). However, this mismatch is not statistically significant, as the dependency of orbital velocities to mass is only a square root effect and the measured velocities are fairly small. Independent of the details of the orbital motion within T Tau S, we can reasonably assume that its orbital period is on the order of a few decades. This implies that T Tau, considered as a triple system is gravitationally stable since the ratio of the orbital periods involved is at least a factor of ten (Eggleton & Kiseleva, 1995).

The presence of a third component in the system might bias attempts to reconstruct the orbital motion of the wide T Tau N/T Tau S pair, as the orbital motion of T Tau S would result in a shift of its photocenter, which was used in previous studies of the system. However, using gaussian profiles to model both components of T Tau S, one can show that the photocenter should not move away from T Tau Sa by more than 0$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$005 if T Tau Sb does not get much brighter than it currently is. Under this assumption, which is unverified in the long run, the observed motion of the unresolved T Tau S pair mostly relates to its orbit with T Tau N.

### 4.3 Geometry of the system

Our study confirms that T Tau S is a tight binary system and further shows that T Tau Sb is a strongly extincted early M-type T Tauri star, quite different from T Tau Sa which is now identified as the actual IRC. This allows us to revisit the various explanations proposed so far about the physical nature of the later object. We start by investigating the geometry of the system, before we move on to the very nature of the IRC.

One of the most popular theories to account for the properties of T Tau S, first suggested by Hogerheijde et al. (1997), is that it lies behind the optically thick circumstellar disk surrounding T Tau N. We know that this disk is likely seen close to face-on, as both the analysis of rotation properties of T Tau N and velocity measurements of the collimated outflow from that star suggest that its polar axis is only inclined by about 20$`\mathrm{°}`$ to the line of sight (Eislöffel & Mundt, 1998). To prevent disk truncation by gravitational resonances, the actual separation of the wide pair must be much larger than the disk itself (cf., Lin & Papaloizou, 1993). This implies that the T Tau N disk and T Tau N–T Tau S orbit are not coplanar, with T Tau S currently lying well beyond the disk. Therefore, the two components of T Tau S are likely to suffer roughly from the same extinction. Yet, the featureless spectrum of T Tau Sa contrast sharply with the numerous photospheric lines identified in that of T Tau Sb, which suggests that the disk of T Tau N, even though it may lie between us and T Tau S, is not the only factor responsible for the unusual characteristics of the IRC, unless the disk around T Tau N is very clumpy on a few AU scale. We conclude that T Tau S is surrounded by some optically thick material located much closer to the stars than T Tau N and its disk are, as pointed out by the accretion diagnoses found in the spectrum of T Tau Sb which are suggestive of a circumstellar disk.

This analysis suggests that T Tau Sa is deeply embedded in a substantial amount of dusty material which reprocesses photons at mid-infrared wavelengths and annihilates any near-infrared photospheric feature. Alternatively, T Tau Sa could be intrinsically featureless, either because it is an F star, but such strong hydrogen emission lines and red colors have never been found in young intermediate-mass stars, or because its spectrum is completely dominated by an accretion-induced continuum flux. Even if the absence of photospheric features is not due to photon reprocessing by dust grains, the extinction towards T Tau Sa has to be very large to account for its non-detection in the visible, probably much larger than that towards T Tau Sb555A visual extinction of $`A_V17.4`$ mag has been derived by van den Ancker et al. (1999) on the basis of the depth of the silicate feature towards T Tau S. Given the flux ratio of the tight binary, this extinction applies to T Tau Sa.. Although the T Tau S binary might be surrounded by a significant circumbinary envelope, the independent variability of both components suggests that they both have their own circumstellar obscuring material, which can be an almost edge-on disk or a more spherical thick envelope. In any case, this material must be confined to within a few AUs of each star, as orbital motion of the close pair would have truncated them long ago otherwise. These structures must be fed from an envelope surrounding the whole system in order to avoid complete clearance within a few thousands years: the extinction-corrected Br$`\gamma `$ flux from T Tau Sb only, $`F_{Br\gamma }(\mathrm{T}\mathrm{Tau}\mathrm{Sb})\mathrm{8.5\hspace{0.17em}10}^{14}`$ erg.cm-2.s-1, implies an accretion rate of $`\dot{M}10^8M_{}.\mathrm{yr}^1`$ on that component (Muzerolle et al., 1998), while the non-detection of thermal emission from T Tau S by Akeson et al. (1998) places an upper limit of about $`7\times 10^4M_{}`$ on the mass of the gaseous material surrounding the tight binary. The existence of such a vast envelope was suggested by Hogerheijde et al. (1997) to fit the mid- to far-infrared unresolved flux of the system, and it could also account for the past variability of T Tau N (Beck & Simon, 2001).

Overall, our study does not dramatically modify the geometry depicted by Solf & Böhm (1999) from their analysis of the two outflows known in this system, that is T Tau N seen pole-on in the foreground of T Tau S which is close to edge-on. However, we believe that the disk of T Tau N does not heavily obscure T Tau S. On the other hand, both T Tau Sa and T Tau Sb possess their own obscuring circumstellar material. The orientation of the jet emanating from T Tau S, almost in the plane of the sky, suggests that the star responsible for its launching could be seen through an almost edge-on disk. It is even possible that both circumstellar disks are parallel and seen almost edge-on, accounting for heavy extinction towards both components. In any case, the presence of accretion diagnostics in the spectra of both components of T Tau S implies that they are both actively accreting, and hence that they are very likely surrounded by circumstellar disks. Whether we are looking at the stars through these disks or at higher inclination cannot be solved without much higher angular resolution studies allowed by techniques such as long-baseline interferometry. Finally, we emphasize that the presence of two stellar objects in the T Tau S system provides a natural explanation to the non-detection of thermal flux at millimeter wavelengths (Hogerheijde et al., 1997; Akeson et al., 1998), as discussed by Koresko (2000); most of the flux at these wavelengths normally comes from cold material located tens of AU away from the central star, but such material is likely to have been swept away by the orbital motion of the binary.

T Tau S has long been known to be the origin of non-thermal radio emission longwards of $`\lambda 2`$ cm (Phillips et al., 1993). This is thought to be the result of free-free emission either in an active magnetosphere or in an outflow. Recent high-angular resolution 2 cm observations of the T Tau system reveals that T Tau Sb is likely to be the source of this emission (K. Johnston et al. 2001, in preparation). This may suggest that T Tau Sb is the source of the outflow identified by Bohm & Solf (1994) from this system. On the other hand, if T Tau Sa is an accretion-dominated pre-main sequence object (Fu Ori-like), as first suggested by Ghez et al. (1991), it is also likely to drive a significant bipolar jet, as most of the younger, class I objects do; in that picture T Tau Sb could be the source of magnetopheric free-free radio emission while the optical jet would originate from T Tau Sa. It is thus still unclear which of the two components drives the outflow known to originate in the unresolved binary.

### 4.4 On the nature of the IRC phenomenon

The spectrum of T Tau Sb reveals that it is a normal T Tauri star that is strongly extincted, likely due to the presence of some circumstellar/binary envelope (see above). On the other hand, the exact nature of T Tau Sa remains unclear. The mystery surrounding the IRC T Tau S has just been shifted towards its brightest component in the near-infrared. This could be an intermediate-mass star (spectral type F or so), an accretion-dominated object or a simple T Tauri star suffering a moderate accretion rate. In any case, it is deeply embedded into some sort of circumstellar material, which is confined into a volume of a few AU in radius, at most. Although this material could form a passive circumstellar envelope, a significant accretion rate on T Tau Sa is evidenced by the strong Br$`\gamma `$ emission line in its spectrum. Furthermore, the variability of this object cannot be simply explained by extinction changes, so that it is has to be related to some intrinsic variability (van den Ancker et al., 1999). The most likely explanation is that the accretion-induced luminosity dominates the total flux of the object and varies with time, reinforcing the FU Ori-like model.

The total mass estimated for the T Tau S system from the observed orbital motion (§ 4.2) suggests that T Tau Sa is quite massive, as T Tau Sb is an early M-type star, and therefore is likely to be on the order of only $`M0.5M_{}`$. Although the mass of T Tau Sa remains uncertain, it is likely to be at least as massive as T Tau N. If it really is the most massive star in the system, the peculiarity of the IRC could be a direct consequence of its mass, as already suggested by Koresko et al. (1997). Because of its deeper potential well, the IRC could both retain a much denser circumstellar envelope than its neighbours and concentrate most of the feeding material coming from the vast reservoir surrounding the whole system, thus accounting for its apparent properties. We note however that, if it is not itself a tight binary consisting of two $`2M_{}`$ objects, a mass much larger than $`3M_{}`$ for T Tau Sa is problematic for several reasons: even though T Tau is among the youngest T Tauri systems (0.6 Myr, Koresko et al., 1997), a $`4M_{}`$ is already an early-A or late-B star and it is already close to or on the main sequence at this age. Its luminosity would then be in the range 100–1000 $`L_{}`$, which is much larger than the bolometric luminosity of T Tau S (Koresko et al., 1997). Furthermore, such a hot star would create a very strong radiative pressure field and would likely blow away the surrounding dusty envelope. Either the system is not coeval, with T Tau Sa in an earlier evolutionary stage, or the mass of this star is currently overestimated. A continued follow-up of the T Tau Sa/T Tau Sb orbit over the next few years will help to refine the orbital parameters.

## 5 Conclusion

We obtained new $`H`$ and $`K`$ images of the T Tau triple system with the adaptive optics system at the 10 m Keck telescope, as well as the first resolved medium-resolution ($`R3500`$) $`K`$-band spectra of the two components of T Tau S, identified so far as an IRC to T Tau N. Our data reveal that T Tau Sb is a heavily extincted, actively accreting M1 pre-main sequence object, i.e. a rather normal T Tauri star. On the other hand, T Tau Sa, which dominates the system in the near-infrared, is indeed identified as the IRC: its spectrum shows no feature except for a significant Br$`\gamma `$ emission line. Unlike previous observations, we do not detect the 2.12 $`\mu `$m H2 emission line in either of the two components.

The tight T Tau S binary shows significant motion since its first detection, almost three years prior to our observations. Although it is not yet inconsistent with a constant linear motion, it seems quite unlikely that this is because either one of the two objects is a background object, since they both show strong signs of T Tauri-like activity. Interpreting the observed motion as that of two stars orbiting each other, and assuming that the orbit is inclined and circular, we derive rough estimates for the orbital parameters. The total system mass and orbital periods are on the order of $`5M_{}`$ and $`25`$ yrs, although we emphasize that the uncertainty on the actual orbit shape is not taken into account here.

Although T Tau S might well be located behind the circumstellar disk of T Tau N, we argue here that this is not the main reason for the peculiarities of T Tau S, because of the strikingly different properties of T Tau Sa, which is now identified as the IRC, and T Tau Sb as well as from an analysis of the optical depth of the circumprimary disk. Both components of T Tau S are likely embedded in their own circumstellar material, which could be either an almost edge-on disk or a dense spheroidal envelope. Because of tidal truncation due to the tight binary’s orbit, this material must be confined to within only a few AU of the stars, making it too small to be resolved by current observations. Furthermore, this effect also explains the non-detection of thermal flux in the radio domain, as most of the material located in the corresponding range of distance from the stars has been swept away. In any event, the subsistence of dense envelopes on a few AU scale around both components of T Tau S for several $`10^5`$ yrs requires that they are being replenished by material coming from a larger scale reservoir such as a vast envelope surrounding the whole system. The presence of such a structure was already suspected from the analysis of the spectral energy distribution from the system.

Following the orbit of T Tau S for a few more years will bring a definitive conclusion regarding the possibility that the system is simply a projected, unphysical one and provide a much better estimate of the orbit shape and parameters if the two stars are bound. Furthermore, high-spectral resolution data will yield radial velocities, which are very powerful tools to better constrain the orbit, and potentially reveal for the first time some photospheric features, which would greatly help understanding the nature of this peculiar object. We also note that both components of T Tau S are prime targets for the upcoming long-baseline interferometry experiments, as the environment of these stars can only be resolved through these techniques.

Data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. The Observatory staff supported our observations very efficiently and we wish to thank them, more particularly Joel Aycock, David Le Mignant and David Sprayberry. We also thank Bruce Macintosh for his help during the observations and Franck Marchis for providing us with synthetic point spread functions used to estimate Strehl ratios in our images. We ackowledge our anonymous referee for his prompt and helpful report, as well as Michal Simon for extensive discussions about T Tau S and valuable comments on an early version of this paper. This work has been supported in part by the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Adaptive Optics, managed by the University of California at Santa Cruz under cooperative agreement No. AST-9876783, by NASA’s Origins of Solar System program grant No. NAG-6975 and by the Packard Foundation. This research makes use of the SIMBAD database, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France, and of data products from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. The authors wish to extend special thanks to those of Hawaiian ancestry on whose sacred mountains we are privileged to be guests. Without their generous hospitality, none of the observations presented herein would have been possible.


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# Intrasubband plasmons in weakly disordered array of quantum wires

## References


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# Untitled Document

International Journal of Mathematics, Vol. 12, No. 2 (2001) 159-201

DIMENSIONAL REDUCTION, SL(2, C)-EQUIVARIANT BUNDLES

AND STABLE HOLOMORPHIC CHAINS

LUIS ÁLVAREZ–CÓNSUL

Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign,

IL 61801, USA

E-mail: lalvarez@math.uiuc.edu

OSCAR GARCÍA–PRADA

Departamento de Matemáticas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid,

28049 Madrid, Spain

E-mail: oscar.garcia-prada@uam.es

In this paper we study gauge theory on SL$`(2,)`$-equivariant bundles over $`X\times ^1`$, where X is a compact Kähler manifold, $`^1`$ is the complex projective line, and the action of SL$`(2,)`$ is trivial on $`X`$ and standard on $`^1`$. We first classify these bundles, showing that they are in correspondence with objects on $`X`$ — that we call holomorphic chains — consisting of a finite number of holomorphic bundles $`E_i`$ and morphisms $`E_iE_{i1}`$. We then prove a Hitchin–Kobayashi correspondence relating the existence of solutions to certain natural gauge-theoretic equations and an appropriate notion of stability for an equivariant bundle and the corresponding chain. A central tool in this paper is a dimensional reduction procedure which allow us to go from $`X\times ^1`$ to $`X`$.

*Keywords*: Equivariant bundle, stability, Hermitian-Einstein equations, vortex equations, holomorphic chains, Hitchin-Kobayashi correspondence, dimensional reduction.

*Note*: A complete PDF file can be obtained from *http://www.worldscinet.com/journals/ijm/*
See also *http://www.math.uiuc.edu/$``$lalvarez/papers/*