New constraints on the membership of the T dwarf S Ori 70 in the σ Orionis cluster

¹ Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain e-mail: mosorio@iac.es
² Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain
³ University of Central Florida, Department of Physics, PO Box 162385, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
⁴ Departamento de Electrónica, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
⁵ Departamento de Física Aplicada, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
⁶ Max-Planck Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany 

⁷ LAEFF-INTA, PO 50727, 28080 Madrid, Spain

Received: 2 September 2007
Accepted: 10 October 2007

Abstract

Aims.The nature of S Ori 70 (S Ori J053810.1-023626), a faint mid-T type object found towards the direction of the young σ Orionis cluster, is still under debate. We intend to find out whether it is a field brown dwarf or a 3-Myr old planetary-mass member of the cluster.

Methods.We report on near-infrared and mid-infrared [3.6] and [4.5] IRAC/Spitzer photometry recently obtained for S Ori 70. The new near-infrared images (taken 3.82 yr after the discovery data) allowed us to derive the first proper motion measurement for this object.

Results.The colors , and K_s - [3.6] appear discrepant when compared to T4–T7 dwarfs in the field. This behavior could be ascribed either to a low-gravity atmosphere or to an atmosphere with a metallicity that is significantly different than solar. The small proper motion of S Ori 70 (11.0 ± 5.9 mas yr^-1) indicates that this object is farther away than expected if it were a single field T dwarf lying in the foreground of the σ Orionis cluster. Our measurement is consistent with the proper motion of the cluster within 1.5σ the astrometric uncertainty.

Conclusions.Taking into account both S Ori 70's proper motion and the new near- and mid-infrared colors, a low-gravity atmosphere remains as the most likely explanation for our observations. This supports S Ori 70's membership in σ Orionis, with an estimated mass in the interval 2–7 M_Jup, in agreement with our previous derivation.