2MASS J05185995-2828372: Discovery of an Unresolved L/T Binary

Abstract

We present the peculiar near-infrared spectrum of the newly discovered brown dwarf 2MASS J05185995-2828372, identified in the Two Micron All Sky Survey. Features characteristic of both L and T dwarfs are present, namely, strong carbon monoxide absorption in the K band, strong methane absorption in the J and H bands, and red near-infrared colors. We consider several scenarios that could produce these features and conclude that the object is most likely to be an unresolved L/T binary system. We discuss how the estimated photometric properties of this object are consistent with the observed J-band brightening of brown dwarfs between late-L and early-T dwarfs, making detailed study of this system an important probe of the L/T transition.