DISCOVERY OF A LOW-MASS COMPANION TO THE SOLAR-TYPE STAR TYC 2534-698-1

Brown dwarfs and low-mass stellar companions are interesting objects to study since they occupy the mass region between deuterium and hydrogen burning. We report here the serendipitous discovery of a low-mass companion in an eccentric orbit around a solar-type main-sequence star. The stellar primary, TYC 2534-698-1, is a G2V star that was monitored both spectroscopically and photometrically over the course of several months. Radial velocity observations indicate a minimum mass of 0.037 M(circle dot) and an orbital period of similar to 103 days for the companion. Photometry outside of the transit window shows the star to be stable to within similar to 6 millimags. The semimajor axis of the orbit places the companion in the brown dwarf desert and we discuss potential follow-up observations that could constrain the mass of the companion.