A Portrait of the Rotation of Ultra-cool Dwarfs Revealed by TESS
Date Issued
2024
Author(s)
D. O. Fontinele
P. D. S. de Lima
Y. S. Messias
R. L. Gomes
C. E. Ferreira Lopes
B. L. Canto Martins
I. C. Leão
J. M. De Araújo
E. Janot Pacheco
J. R. De Medeiros
DOI
10.3847/1538-4357/ad64d6
Abstract
This study explores rotational signatures in 250 ultra-cool dwarfs (UCDs) from Gaia DR3 using TESS light curves. Clear periodic variability was found in 71 targets; 61 exhibit rotation with single-source behavior and periods ranging from 0.133 to 5.81 days. Five show double-dip features, and 10 likely represent non-single systems. Twenty UCDs display complex or irregular variability, while the remaining 159 show low-amplitude or noisy signals. In a color–magnitude diagram, two rotational regimes emerge: slower rotators (Prot ≥ 1.0 day) associated with less massive, younger late-M stars, and faster rotators (Prot < 1.0 day) with more massive, older early-M stars. Whether this distribution reflects physical processes or observational bias remains an open question.
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