Observational analysis confirms a substellar companion to a spectroscopic binary in the Sco-Cen region, highlighting its unique formation context.
We present confirmation of HD 143811 AB b, a substellar companion to spectroscopic binary HD 143811 AB through direct imaging with the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) and Keck NIRC2. HD 143811 AB was observed as a part of the Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey (GPIES) in 2016 and 2019 and is a member of the Sco-Cen star formation region. The companion object is detected ~ 430 mas from the host star by GPI. With two GPI epochs and one from Keck/NIRC2 in 2022, we confirm through common proper motion analysis that the object is bound to its host star. We derive an orbit with a semi-major axis of 64 ⁺³²₋₁₄ au and eccentricity ~ 0.23. Spectral analysis of the GPI H-band spectrum and NIRC2 L' photometry provides additional proof that this object is a substellar companion. We compare the spectrum of HD 143811 AB b to PHOENIX stellar models and Exo-REM exoplanet atmosphere models and find that Exo-REM models provide the best fits to the data. From the Exo-REM models, we derive an effective temperature of 1042⁺¹⁷⁸₋₁₃₂ K for the planet and translate the derived luminosity of the planet to a mass of 5.6 ± 1.1~MJup assuming hot-start evolutionary models. HD 143811 AB b is one of only a few planets to be directly imaged around a binary, and future characterization of this object will shed light on the formation of planets around binary star systems.
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