Addressing Systematics in the Traceback Age of the β Pictoris Moving Group
We characterize the impact of several sources of systematic errors on the computation of the traceback age of the β Pictoris moving group ( β PMG). We find that uncorrected gravitational redshift and convective blueshift bias absolute radial velocity measurements by ∼0.6 km s ^−1 , which leads to er...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acb4eb |
| _version_ | 1827826784314327040 |
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| author | Dominic Couture Jonathan Gagné René Doyon |
| author_facet | Dominic Couture Jonathan Gagné René Doyon |
| author_sort | Dominic Couture |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We characterize the impact of several sources of systematic errors on the computation of the traceback age of the β Pictoris moving group ( β PMG). We find that uncorrected gravitational redshift and convective blueshift bias absolute radial velocity measurements by ∼0.6 km s ^−1 , which leads to erroneously younger traceback ages by ∼2 Myr. Random errors on parallax, proper motion, and radial velocity measurements lead to an additional bias of ∼0.6 Myr on traceback ages. Contamination of astrometric and kinematic data by kinematic outliers and unresolved multiple systems in the full input sample of 76 members and candidates of β PMG also erroneously lowers traceback ages by ∼3 Myr. We apply our new numerical traceback analysis tool to a core sample of 25 carefully vetted members of β PMG using Gaia Data Release 3 data products and other kinematic surveys. Our method yields a corrected age of 20.4 ± 2.5 Myr, bridging the gap between kinematic ages (11–19 Myr) and other age-dating methods, such as isochrones and lithium depletion boundary (20–26 Myr). We explore several association size metrics that can track the spatial extent of β PMG over time, and we determine that minimizing the variance along the heliocentric curvilinear coordinate ${\xi }^{{\prime} }$ (i.e., toward the Galactic Center) offers the least random and systematic errors, due to the wider UVW space velocity dispersion of members of β PMG along the U -axis, which tends to maximize the spatial growth of the association along the ${\xi }^{{\prime} }$ -axis over time. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:17:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b610cc5302b64df89d074ee2548dabd5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:17:18Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-b610cc5302b64df89d074ee2548dabd52023-09-03T14:08:32ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572023-01-019461610.3847/1538-4357/acb4ebAddressing Systematics in the Traceback Age of the β Pictoris Moving GroupDominic Couture0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2604-3255Jonathan Gagné1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2592-9612René Doyon2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5485-4675Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan , Espace pour la Vie, 4801 av. Pierre-de Coubertin, Montréal, Québec, Canada ; couture@astro.umontreal.ca, gagne@astro.umontreal.ca; Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal , Département de Physique, C.P. 6128 Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada doyon@astro.umontreal.ca; Département de Physique, Université de Montréal , C.P. 6128 Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, CanadaPlanétarium Rio Tinto Alcan , Espace pour la Vie, 4801 av. Pierre-de Coubertin, Montréal, Québec, Canada ; couture@astro.umontreal.ca, gagne@astro.umontreal.ca; Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal , Département de Physique, C.P. 6128 Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada doyon@astro.umontreal.caTrottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal , Département de Physique, C.P. 6128 Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada doyon@astro.umontreal.ca; Département de Physique, Université de Montréal , C.P. 6128 Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, CanadaWe characterize the impact of several sources of systematic errors on the computation of the traceback age of the β Pictoris moving group ( β PMG). We find that uncorrected gravitational redshift and convective blueshift bias absolute radial velocity measurements by ∼0.6 km s ^−1 , which leads to erroneously younger traceback ages by ∼2 Myr. Random errors on parallax, proper motion, and radial velocity measurements lead to an additional bias of ∼0.6 Myr on traceback ages. Contamination of astrometric and kinematic data by kinematic outliers and unresolved multiple systems in the full input sample of 76 members and candidates of β PMG also erroneously lowers traceback ages by ∼3 Myr. We apply our new numerical traceback analysis tool to a core sample of 25 carefully vetted members of β PMG using Gaia Data Release 3 data products and other kinematic surveys. Our method yields a corrected age of 20.4 ± 2.5 Myr, bridging the gap between kinematic ages (11–19 Myr) and other age-dating methods, such as isochrones and lithium depletion boundary (20–26 Myr). We explore several association size metrics that can track the spatial extent of β PMG over time, and we determine that minimizing the variance along the heliocentric curvilinear coordinate ${\xi }^{{\prime} }$ (i.e., toward the Galactic Center) offers the least random and systematic errors, due to the wider UVW space velocity dispersion of members of β PMG along the U -axis, which tends to maximize the spatial growth of the association along the ${\xi }^{{\prime} }$ -axis over time.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acb4ebStellar kinematicsStellar associationsStellar agesRadial velocityAstrometry |
| spellingShingle | Dominic Couture Jonathan Gagné René Doyon Addressing Systematics in the Traceback Age of the β Pictoris Moving Group The Astrophysical Journal Stellar kinematics Stellar associations Stellar ages Radial velocity Astrometry |
| title | Addressing Systematics in the Traceback Age of the β Pictoris Moving Group |
| title_full | Addressing Systematics in the Traceback Age of the β Pictoris Moving Group |
| title_fullStr | Addressing Systematics in the Traceback Age of the β Pictoris Moving Group |
| title_full_unstemmed | Addressing Systematics in the Traceback Age of the β Pictoris Moving Group |
| title_short | Addressing Systematics in the Traceback Age of the β Pictoris Moving Group |
| title_sort | addressing systematics in the traceback age of the β pictoris moving group |
| topic | Stellar kinematics Stellar associations Stellar ages Radial velocity Astrometry |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acb4eb |
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