Observation of an Accreting Planetary-Mass Companion with Signs of Disk-Disk Interaction in Orion

Abstract

Young ($\lesssim 10$ Myr) planetary-mass companions (PMCs) provide valuable insights into the formation and early evolution of planetary systems. To date, only a dozen such objects have been identified through direct imaging. Using JWST/NIRCam observations towards the Orion Nebula, obtained as part of the \textit{PDRs4All} Early Release Science program, we have identified a faint point source near the M-type star V2376 Ori. Follow-up spectroscopic observations with the MUSE instrument on the VLT confirm that the source, V2376 Ori b, is indeed a young planetary-mass companion. It is a member of Orion D, around 80\,pc in the foreground of the Trapezium cluster of Orion and with an age of approximately $7\pm 3$ Myr. We fit the SED of V2376 Ori b to infer a mass of $\sim 20M_{\mathrm{Jup}}$. The MUSE spectrum reveals several accretion tracers. Based on the H$\alpha$ line intensity, we estimate an accretion rate of $\sim$10${}^{-6.5\pm 0.7}{\mathrm{M}}_{\mathrm{Jup}}\mathrm{y}{\mathrm{r}}^{-1}$, which is comparable to that of young PMCs such as PDS~70b. In addition, the MUSE data cube reveals extended emission in the [O\,\textsc{ii}] doublet at 7320 and 7330~Å, which is interpreted as evidence of a dynamical interaction between the two sources that, potentially, involves mass transfer between their individual accretion disks. These results demonstrate that JWST/NIRCam imaging surveys of young stellar associations can uncover new PMCs, which can then be confirmed and characterized through ground-based spectroscopic follow-up.

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