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Brown dwarfs and planetary-mass companions display rotationally modulated photometric variability, especially those near the L/T transition. This variability is commonly attributed to top-of-atmosphere (TOA) inhomogeneities, with proposed models including patchy thick and thin clouds, planetary-scale jets, or chemical disequilibrium. Surface mapping techniques are powerful tools to probe their atmospheric structures and distinguish between models. One of the most successful methods for stellar surface mapping is Doppler imaging, where the existence of TOA inhomogeneities can be inferred from their varying Doppler shifts across the face of a rotating star. We applied Doppler imaging to the nearest brown dwarf binary WISE 1049AB (also known as Luhman 16AB) using time-resolved, high-resolution spectroscopic observations from Gemini IGRINS, and obtained for the first time H - and K -band simultaneous global weather map for brown dwarfs. Compared to the only previous Doppler map for a brown dwarf in 2014 featuring a predominant mid-latitude cold spot on WISE 1049B and no feature on WISE 1049A, our observations detected persistent spot-like structures on WISE 1049B in the equatorial to mid-latitude regions on two nights, and revealed new polar spots on WISE 1049A. Our results suggest stability of atmospheric features over time-scale of days and possible long-term stable or recurring structures. H - and K -band maps displayed similar structures in and out of CO bands, indicating the cold spots not solely due to chemical hotspots but must involve clouds. Upcoming 30-m extremely large telescopes will enable more sensitive Doppler imaging of dozens of brown dwarfs and even a small number of directly imaged exoplanets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report results from 8 h of JWST /MIRI low resolution spectroscopic (LRS) monitoring directly followed by 7 h of JWST /NIRSpec prism spectroscopic monitoring of the benchmark binary brown dwarf WISE 1049AB, the closest, brightest brown dwarfs known. We find water, methane, and CO absorption features in both components, including the 3.3  μ m methane absorption feature and a tentative detection of small grain (⁠|$\lt $| 1 μ m) silicate absorption at |$\gt $| 8.5 μ m in WISE 1049A. Both components vary significantly (⁠|$\gt 1~{{\rm per\ cent}}$|⁠), with WISE 1049B displaying larger variations than WISE 1049A. Using K -means clustering, we find three main transition points in wavelength for both components of the binary: (1) change in behaviour at |$\sim$| 2.3 μ m coincident with a CO absorption bandhead, (2) change in behaviour at 4.2 μ m, close to the CO fundamental band at |$\lambda \gt $|  4.4 µm, and (3) change in behaviour at 8.3–8.5 µm, potentially corresponding to silicate absorption. We interpret the light curves observed with both NIRSpec and MIRI as likely stemming from (1) a deep pressure level driving the double-peaked variability seen in WISE 1049B at wavelengths |$\lt $| 2.3 and |$\gt $| 8.5 µm, (2) an intermediate pressure level shaping the light-curve morphology between 2.3 and 4.2 µm, and (3) a higher altitude pressure level producing single-peaked and plateaued light-curve behaviour between 4.2 and 8.5 µm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a photometric variability survey of young planetary-mass objects using the New Technology Telescope in the JS and KS bands. Surface gravity plays an important role in the atmospheric structure of brown dwarfs, as young low-gravity L dwarfs have a higher variability rate than field L dwarfs. In this study, we extend variability studies to young T-type planetary-mass objects and investigate the effects of surface gravity on the variability of L and T dwarfs across a large sample. We conduct continuous monitoring for 18 objects with spectral types from L5 to T8 and detect four new variables and two variable candidates. Combining with previous variability surveys of field and young L and T objects, we find that young objects tend to be more variable than field objects within peak-to-peak variability amplitude ranges of 0.5–10 per cent and period ranges of 1.5–20 h. For the first time, we constrain the variability rate of young T dwarfs to be  |$56_{-18}^{+20}$|  per cent compared to  |$25_{-7}^{+8}$|  per cent for field T dwarfs. Both field and young samples have higher variability rates at the L/T transition than outside the L/T transition. The differences in the variability rates between field and young samples are about 1σ and therefore larger sample sizes are needed to confirm and refine the results. Besides the L/T transition, young L dwarfs with strong variability tend to assemble in a narrow spectral type range of L6–L7.5. This work supports the critical role of surface gravity on the atmospheric structure from L to T spectral types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the results of a J -band survey for photometric variability in a sample of young, low-gravity objects using the New Technology Telescope (NTT) and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT). Surface gravity is a key parameter in the atmospheric properties of brown dwarfs and this is the first large survey that aims to test the gravity dependence of variability properties. We do a full analysis of the spectral signatures of youth and assess the group membership probability of each target using membership tools from the literature. This results in a 30 object sample of young low-gravity brown dwarfs. Since we are lacking in objects with spectral types later than L9, we focus our statistical analysis on the L0–L8.5 objects. We find that the variability occurrence rate of L0–L8.5 low-gravity brown dwarfs in this survey is |$30^{+16}_{-8}{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠. We reanalyse the results of Radigan (2014) and find that the field dwarfs with spectral types L0–L8.5 have a variability occurrence rate of |$11^{+13}_{-4}{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠. We determine a probability of |$98{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| that the samples are drawn from different distributions. This is the first quantitative indication that the low-gravity objects are more likely to be variable than the field dwarf population. Furthermore, we present follow-up JS and KS observations of the young, planetary-mass variable object PSO 318.5–22 over three consecutive nights. We find no evidence of phase shifts between the JS and KS bands and find higher JS amplitudes. We use the JS light curves to measure a rotational period of 8.45 ± 0.05 h for PSO 318.5–22. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the detection of [3.6 μm] photometric variability in two young, L/T transition brown dwarfs, WISE J004701.06+680352.1 (W0047) and 2MASS J2244316+204343 (2M2244) using the Spitzer Space Telescope. We find a period of 16.4 ±0.2 h and a peak-to-peak amplitude of 1.07 ± 0.04 per cent forW0047, and a period of 11±2 h and amplitude of 0.8 ± 0.2 per cent for 2M2244. This period is significantly longer than that measured previously during a shorter observation. We additionally detect significant J-band variability in 2M2244 using the Wide-Field Camera on UKIRT. We determine the radial and rotational velocities of both objects using Keck NIRSPEC data. We find a radial velocity of -16.0+0.8 -0.9 km s-1 for 2M2244, and confirm it as a bona fide member of the AB Doradus moving group. We find rotational velocities of v sin i = 9.8 ± 0.3 and 14.3 -1.5+1.4 km s-1 for W0047 and 2M2244, respectively. With inclination angles of 85-9+5◦ and 76+-2014◦, W0047 and 2M2244 are viewed roughly equator-on. Their remarkably similar colours, spectra and inclinations are consistent with the possibility that viewing angle may influence atmospheric appearance. We additionally present Spitzer [4.5 μm] monitoring of the young, T5.5 object SDSS111010+011613 (SDSS1110) where we detect no variability. For periods <18 h, we place an upper limit of 1.25 per cent on the peak-to-peak variability amplitude of SDSS1110. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]