Paper detail

Resolved Spectroscopy of M Dwarf/L Dwarf Binaries. III. The "Wide" L3.5/L4 Dwarf Binary 2MASS J15500845+1455180AB

We report the identification of 2MASS J15500845+1455180 as a 0"9 L dwarf visual binary. This source is resolved in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) images and in near-infrared imaging with the IRTF SpeX imager/spectrometer. The two components, oriented along a north-south axis, have similar brightnesses in the near-infrared (Delta{K} ~ 0.2 mag), although the fainter northern component is redder in J-K color. Resolved near-infrared spectroscopy indicates spectral types of L3.5 and L4, consistent with its L3 combined-light optical classification based on SDSS data. Physical association is confirmed through common proper motion, common spectrophotometric distances and low probability of chance alignment. The projected physical separation of 2MASS J1550+1455AB, 30+/-3 AU at an estimated distance of 33+/-3 pc, makes it the widest L dwarf-L dwarf pair identified to date, although such a separation is not unusual among very low-mass field binaries. The angular separation and spectral composition of this system makes it an excellent target for obtaining a precise lithium depletion age, and a potential age standard for low-temperature atmosphere studies.