The UV Spectrum of the Ultracool Dwarf LSR J1835+3259 Observed with the Hubble Space Telescope

• An interesting question about ultracool dwarfs recently raised in the literature is whether their emission is purely internally driven or partially powered by external processes similar to planetary aurora known from the solar system. In this work, we present Hubble Space Telescope observations of the energy fluxes of the M8.5 ultracool dwarf LSR J1835+3259 throughout the ultraviolet (UV). The obtained spectra reveal that the object is generally UV-fainter compared with other earlier-type dwarfs. We detect the Mg II doublet at 2800 angstrom and constrain an average flux throughout the near-UV. In the far-UV without Ly alpha, the ultracool dwarf is extremely faint with an energy output at least a factor of 250 smaller as expected from auroral emission physically similar to that on Jupiter. We also detect the red wing of the Lya emission. Our overall finding is that the observed UV spectrum of LSR J1835 vertical bar 3259 resembles the spectrum of mid/late-type M-dwarf stars relatively well, but it is distinct from a spectrum expected from Jupiter-like auroral processes.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

stars: individual (LSR J1835+3259)

stars: low-mass

brown dwarfs

ultraviolet: stars

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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