[en] In this paper, we present H band spectroscopic and Hα photometric observations of HD 100546 obtained with the Gemini Planet Imager and the Magellan Visible AO camera. We detect H band emission at the location of the protoplanet HD 100546 b, but show that the choice of data processing parameters strongly affects the morphology of this source. It appears point-like in some aggressive reductions, but rejoins an extended disk structure in the majority of the others. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this emission appears stationary on a timescale of 4.6 years, inconsistent at the 2σ level with a Keplerian clockwise orbit at 59 au in the disk plane. The H band spectrum of the emission is inconsistent with any type of low effective temperature object or accreting protoplanetary disk. It strongly suggests a scattered-light origin, as this is consistent with the spectrum of the star and the spectra extracted at other locations in the disk. A non-detection at the 5σ level of HD 100546 b in differential Hα imaging places an upper limit, assuming the protoplanet lies in a gap free of extinction, on the accretion luminosity of 1.7 × 10^-4 L ⊙ and $M\stackrel{\dot{}<!--\; ??\; -->}{M}<<!--\; <\; -->6.3\times <!--\; ??\; -->{10}^{-<!--\; ???\; -->7}{M}_{\mathrm{J}\mathrm{u}\mathrm{p}}^2{\mathrm{y}\mathrm{r}}^{-<!--\; ???\; -->1}$ for 1 R_Jup. These limits are comparable to the accretion luminosity and accretion rate of T-Tauri stars or LkCa 15 b. Taken together, these lines of evidence suggest that the H band source at the location of HD 100546 b is not emitted by a planetary photosphere or an accreting circumplanetary disk but is a disk feature enhanced by the point-spread function subtraction process. Lastly, this non-detection is consistent with the non-detection in the K band reported in an earlier study but does not exclude the possibility that HD 100546 b is deeply embedded.

[en] When giant planets form, they grow by accreting gas and dust. HD 142527 is a young star that offers a scaled-up view of this process. It has a broad, asymmetric ring of gas and dust beyond ∼100 AU and a wide inner gap. Within the gap, a low-mass stellar companion orbits the primary star at just ∼12 AU, and both the primary and secondary are accreting gas. In an attempt to directly detect the dusty counterpart to this accreted gas, we have observed HD 142527 with the Gemini Planet Imager in polarized light at Y band (0.95-1.14 μm). We clearly detect the companion in total intensity and show that its position and photometry are generally consistent with the expected values. We also detect a point source in polarized light that may be spatially separated by ∼ a few AU from the location of the companion in total intensity. This suggests that dust is likely falling onto or orbiting the companion. Given the possible contribution of scattered light from this dust to previously reported photometry of the companion, the current mass limits should be viewed as upper limits only. If the dust near the companion is eventually confirmed to be spatially separated, this system would resemble a scaled-up version of the young planetary system inside the gap of the transition disk around LkCa 15

[en] We used the Magellan adaptive optics system and its VisAO CCD camera to image the young low mass brown dwarf companion CT Chamaeleontis B for the first time at visible wavelengths. We detect it at r', i', z', and Y_S. With our new photometry and T _e_f_f ∼ 2500 K derived from the shape of its K-band spectrum, we find that CT Cha B has A_V = 3.4 ± 1.1 mag, and a mass of 14-24 M_J according to the DUSTY evolutionary tracks and its 1-5 Myr age. The overluminosity of our r' detection indicates that the companion has significant Hα emission and a mass accretion rate ∼6 × 10"–"1"0 M _☉ yr"–"1, similar to some substellar companions. Proper motion analysis shows that another point source within 2'' of CT Cha A is not physical. This paper demonstrates how visible wavelength adaptive optics photometry (r', i', z', Y_S) allows for a better estimate of extinction, luminosity, and mass accretion rate of young substellar companions

[en] We present high-resolution adaptive optics (AO) corrected images of the silhouette disk Orion 218-354 taken with Magellan AO (MagAO) and its visible light camera, VisAO, in simultaneous differential imaging mode at Hα. This is the first image of a circumstellar disk seen in silhouette with AO and is among the first visible light AO results in the literature. We derive the disk extent, geometry, intensity, and extinction profiles and find, in contrast with previous work, that the disk is likely optically thin at Hα. Our data provide an estimate of the column density in primitive, ISM-like grains as a function of radius in the disk. We estimate that only ∼10% of the total submillimeter derived disk mass lies in primitive, unprocessed grains. We use our data, Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling, and previous results from the literature to make the first self-consistent multiwavelength model of Orion 218-354. We find that we are able to reproduce the 1-1000 μm spectral energy distribution with a ∼2-540 AU disk of the size, geometry, small versus large grain proportion, and radial mass profile indicated by our data. This inner radius is a factor of ∼15 larger than the sublimation radius of the disk, suggesting that it is likely cleared in the very interior

[en] We present multi-epoch non-redundant masking observations of the T Cha transition disk, taken at the Very Large Telescope and Magellan in the H, Ks, and L' bands. T Cha is one of a small number of transition disks that host companion candidates discovered by high-resolution imaging techniques, with a putative companion at a position angle of 78°, separation of 62 mas, and contrast of ΔL' = 5.1 mag. We find comparable binary parameters in our re-reduction of the initial detection images, and similar parameters in the 2011 L', 2013 NaCo L', and 2013 NaCo Ks data sets. We find a close-in companion signal in the 2012 NaCo L' data set that cannot be explained by orbital motion, and a non-detection in the 2013 MagAO/Clio2 L' data. However, Monte Carlo simulations show that the best fits to the 2012 NaCo and 2013 MagAO/Clio2 followup data may be consistent with noise. There is also a significant probability of false non-detections in both of these data sets. We discuss physical scenarios that could cause the best fits, and argue that previous companion and scattering explanations are inconsistent with the results of the much larger data set presented here

[en] We analyze archival data from Bailey and co-workers from the Magellan adaptive optics system and present the first 0.9 μ m detection ( z ′ = 20.3 ± 0.4 mag; Δ z ′ = 13.0 ± 0.4 mag) of the 11 M _Jup circumbinary planet HD 106906AB b, as well as 1 and 3.8 μ m detections of the debris disk around the binary. The disk has an east–west asymmetry in length and surface brightness, especially at 3.8 μ m where the disk appears to be one-sided. The spectral energy distribution of b, when scaled to the K_S -band photometry, is consistent with 1800 K atmospheric models without significant dust reddening, unlike some young, very red, low-mass companions such as CT Cha B and 1RXS 1609 B. Therefore, the suggested circumplanetary disk of Kalas and co-workers might not contain much material, or might be closer to face-on. Finally, we suggest that the widest ( a ≳ 100 AU) low mass ratio ( M _p/ M _⋆ ≡ q ≲ 0.01) companions may have formed inside protoplanetary disks but were later scattered by binary/planet interactions. Such a scattering event may have occurred for HD 106906AB b with its central binary star, but definitive proof at this time is elusive.

[en] We used the Magellan adaptive optics system to image the 11 Myr substellar companion 1RXS 1609 B at the bluest wavelengths to date (z′ and Y_s). Comparison with synthetic spectra yields a higher temperature than previous studies of $T_{\mathrm{e}\mathrm{f}\mathrm{f}}=2000\pm <!--\; ??\; -->100\mathrm{K}$ and significant dust extinction of $A_V={4.5}_{-<!--\; ???\; -->0.7}^{+0.5}$ mag. Mass estimates based on the DUSTY tracks gives 0.012–0.015 $M_{\odot <!--\; ???\; -->}$, making the companion likely a low-mass brown dwarf surrounded by a dusty disk. Our study suggests that 1RXS 1609 B is one of the ∼25% of Upper Scorpius low-mass members harboring disks, and it may have formed like a star and not a planet out at ∼320 AU.

[en] We report the discovery of a planetary-mass companion, HD 106906 b, with the new Magellan Adaptive Optics (MagAO) + Clio2 system. The companion is detected with Clio2 in three bands: J, K_S , and L', and lies at a projected separation of 7.''1 (650 AU). It is confirmed to be comoving with its 13 ± 2 Myr F5 host using Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys astrometry over a time baseline of 8.3 yr. DUSTY and COND evolutionary models predict that the companion's luminosity corresponds to a mass of 11 ± 2 M _Jup, making it one of the most widely separated planetary-mass companions known. We classify its Magellan/Folded-Port InfraRed Echellette J/H/K spectrum as L2.5 ± 1; the triangular H-band morphology suggests an intermediate surface gravity. HD 106906 A, a pre-main-sequence Lower Centaurus Crux member, was initially targeted because it hosts a massive debris disk detected via infrared excess emission in unresolved Spitzer imaging and spectroscopy. The disk emission is best fit by a single component at 95 K, corresponding to an inner edge of 15-20 AU and an outer edge of up to 120 AU. If the companion is on an eccentric (e > 0.65) orbit, it could be interacting with the outer edge of the disk. Close-in, planet-like formation followed by scattering to the current location would likely disrupt the disk and is disfavored. Furthermore, we find no additional companions, though we could detect similar-mass objects at projected separations >35 AU. In situ formation in a binary-star-like process is more probable, although the companion-to-primary mass ratio, at <1%, is unusually small

[en] We present resolved images of the HR 4796A debris disk using the Magellan adaptive optics system paired with Clio-2 and VisAO. We detect the disk at 0.77 μm, 0.91 μm, 0.99 μm, 2.15 μm, 3.1 μm, 3.3 μm, and 3.8 μm. We find that the deprojected center of the ring is offset from the star by 4.76 ± 1.6 AU and that the deprojected eccentricity is 0.06 ± 0.02, in general agreement with previous studies. We find that the average width of the ring is 14₋₂⁺³% (11.1_−1.6^+2.4 AU), also comparable to previous measurements. Combining our new scattered light data with archival Hubble Space Telescope images at ∼0.5-2 μm, along with previously unpublished Spitzer/MIPS thermal emission data and all other literature thermal data, we set out to constrain the chemical composition of the dust grains. After testing 19 individual root compositions and more than 8400 unique mixtures of these compositions, we find that good fits to the scattered light alone and thermal emission alone are discrepant, suggesting that caution should be exercised if fitting to only one or the other. When we fit to both data sets simultaneously, we find that silicates and organics are generally the most favored, while large abundances of water ice are usually not favored. These results suggest the HR 4796A dust grains are similar to interstellar dust and solar system comets, though improved modeling is necessary to place better constraints on the exact chemical composition of the dust

[en] Young giant exoplanets are a unique laboratory for understanding cool, low-gravity atmospheres. A quintessential example is the massive extrasolar planet β Pic b, which is 9 AU from and embedded in the debris disk of the young nearby A6V star β Pictoris. We observed the system with first light of the Magellan Adaptive Optics (MagAO) system. In Paper I we presented the first CCD detection of this planet with MagAO+VisAO. Here we present four MagAO+Clio images of β Pic b at 3.1 μm, 3.3 μm, L′, and $M^{\mathrm{\prime <!--\; ???\; -->}},$ including the first observation in the fundamental CH₄ band. To remove systematic errors from the spectral energy distribution (SED), we re-calibrate the literature photometry and combine it with our own data, for a total of 22 independent measurements at 16 passbands from 0.99 to 4.8 μm. Atmosphere models demonstrate the planet is cloudy but are degenerate in effective temperature and radius. The measured SED now covers >80% of the planet’s energy, so we approach the bolometric luminosity empirically. We calculate the luminosity by extending the measured SED with a blackbody and integrating to find log(${\mathcal{L}}_{\mathrm{b}\mathrm{o}\mathrm{l}}$/${\mathcal{L}}_{\odot <!--\; ???\; -->}$) $=-<!--\; ???\; -->3.78\pm <!--\; ??\; -->\mathrm{0.03.}$ From our bolometric luminosity and an age of 23 ± 3 Myr, hot-start evolutionary tracks give a mass of 12.7 ± 0.3 ${\mathcal{M}}_{\mathrm{J}\mathrm{u}\mathrm{p}}$, radius of 1.45 ± 0.02 ${\mathcal{R}}_{\mathrm{J}\mathrm{u}\mathrm{p}}$, and T_eff of 1708 ± 23 K (model-dependent errors not included). Our empirically determined luminosity is in agreement with values from atmospheric models (typically $-<!--\; ???\; -->3.8$ dex), but brighter than values from the field-dwarf bolometric correction (typically $-<!--\; ???\; -->3.9$ dex), illustrating the limitations in comparing young exoplanets to old brown dwarfs.