Program: GN-2015A-Q-29

We propose the first near-infrared spectroscopy of a newly identified young (~7 Myr) 12-20 Mjup planetary companion, ROXs 12 b, with Gemini/NIFS. Spectroscopy will enable us to confirm its low temperature and low-mass, which is an especially important step at young ages when an edge-on disk around a brown dwarf can mimic the expected photospheric properties of a planet. In addition, moderate-resolution spectroscopy will enable us to resolve emission lines associated with accretion from a circum-planetary disk, which is suggested by excess infrared emission. If confirmed, a circumplanetary disk around ROXs 12 b will provides important clues about its formation, suggesting an in situ mechanism (disk instability or cloud fragmentation) as opposted to planet-planet scattering, which is destructive to circum-planetary disks.