A survey for young spectroscopic binary K7-M4 stars in Ophiuchus

This paper describes a high-resolution, infrared spectroscopic survey of young, low-mass stars that is designed to identify and characterize pre-main-sequence spectroscopic binaries. This is the first large infrared radial velocity survey of very young stars to date. The frequency and mass ratio distribution of the closest, low-mass binaries bear directly on models of stellar, brown dwarf, and planetary mass companion formation. Furthermore, spectroscopic binaries can provide mass ratios and ultimately masses, independent of assumptions, needed to calibrate models of young star evolution. I present the initial results from observations of a uniform sample of 33 T Tauri M stars in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud. The average mass of this sample is less than that of other young star radial velocity surveys of similar scope by a factor of similar to 2. Almost every star was observed at 3-4 epochs over 3 yr with the 10 m Keck II telescope and the facility infrared spectrometer NIRSPEC. An internal precision of 0.43 km s(-1) was obtained with standard cross-correlation calibration techniques. Four of the targets are newly discovered spectroscopic binaries, one of which is located in a subarcsecond, hierarchical quadruple system. Three other subarcsecond visual binaries were also serendipitously identified during target acquisition. The spectroscopic multiplicity of the sample is comparable to that of earlier type, pre-main-sequence objects. Therefore, there is no dearth of young, low-mass spectroscopic binary stars, at least in the Ophiuchus region.