Sinking Silicates I : Characterizing the benchmark system containing the T0 brown dwarf CWISE J210640.16+250729.0 using JWST

Rothermich, Austin, Faherty, Jacqueline K., Burningham, Ben, Manea, Catherine, Calamari, Emily, Suárez, Genaro, Gagliuffi, Daniella C. Bardalez, Brewer, John M., Cruz, Kelle L., Gaarn, Josefine, Gagné, Jonathan, Gonzales, Eileen C., Gemma, Marina E., Kecskeméthy, Viktória, Marley, Mark S., Phillips, Caprice L., Visscher, Channon, Vos, Johanna M. and Whiteford, Niall (2026) Sinking Silicates I : Characterizing the benchmark system containing the T0 brown dwarf CWISE J210640.16+250729.0 using JWST. The Astrophysical Journal, 1011 (1). ISSN 0004-637X
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In this study, we present the full (97.3\% complete) 0.8--12.5 $μ$m spectral energy distribution (SED) of an L/T transition object, CWISE J210640.16+250729.0 (CW2106), using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We provide a full characterization of the host star's elemental abundances and age. We empirically derive the bolometric luminosity ($L_{\rm bol}\approx-4.825$ $\textup{L}_\odot$) of CW2106, and obtain estimates of its mass (M$\approx50-62$ M$_{\rm Jup}$), radius (R$\approx0.83-0.87$ R$_{\rm Jup}$), effective temperature ($T_{\rm eff}$$\approx1213$ K), and surface gravity ($\log~g$$\approx5.28$ dex). We find the near-infrared (near-IR) spectrum ($0.8-2.5 ~μ$m) is best reproduced with cloudy atmospheric models while the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectrum ($5-12.5 ~μ$m) is best reproduced with cloudless models. This suggests a cloud layer restricted to only the deepest observable parts of the atmosphere and is qualified by the lack of a 9 $μ$m silicate feature. Making use of the Mg/Si ratio of the primary, alongside thermochemical models, we predict the clouds in CW2106 to be composed primarily of enstatite (MgSiO$_3$), removing $\sim23\%$ of the bulk oxygen out of the atmosphere. Future retrieval studies will be able to help investigate the existence and full impact of these cloud species.


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