{
  "abstract": "Tracing silicon from gaseous SiO into silicate condensates provides a direct view of the condensation process that forms silicate clouds in L-dwarf atmospheres. Here we present evidence for gaseous SiO in three benchmark early-L dwarfs, HD 89744B, GJ 1048B, and LSPM J0632+5053B, using JWST/NIRSpec and MIRI spectroscopy. Atmospheric retrievals with and without SiO under multiple cloud prescriptions identify the strongest SiO signatures at 4.0--4.2 and 7.7--8.2 $μ$m, with the local likelihood diagnostic reaching $4.6σ$. In the physical cloud retrievals, the 8 $μ$m band probes lower pressures than the 4 $μ$m overtone, reaching atmospheric layers where equilibrium SiO is more strongly depleted by silicate condensation. All three objects also show compact Fe opacity at pressures of a few bar. Their inferred gas-phase C/O ratios are consistent with expectations from the host-star compositions after accounting for refractory oxygen sequestration. Within the adopted Mie treatment of amorphous silicate grains, the silicate mineralogies favor Mg$_2$SiO$_4$ for HD 89744B and a mixed Mg$_2$SiO$_4$+MgSiO$_3$ cloud for GJ 1048B. Extending this framework to cooler L dwarfs will trace the coupled evolution of gaseous SiO depletion and silicate-cloud formation along the L-dwarf sequence.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.11530",
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Zhijun Tu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shu Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Xiaodian Chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Haomiao Huang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jifeng Liu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ewes5ne264s71.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.11530",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "ewes5ne264s71",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.11530",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.EP"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.SR"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221150681",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.11530",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-08",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ewes5ne264s71.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:27:54Z",
      "native_id": "2610.11530",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.11530"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.EP",
      "subfield": "planetary"
    },
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.SR",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Gaseous SiO and Silicate Clouds in Three Benchmark Early-L Dwarfs",
  "title_text": "Gaseous SiO and Silicate Clouds in Three Benchmark Early-L Dwarfs",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:27:54Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ewes5ne264s71",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}