Adaptive optics imaging of the MBM 12 association -: Seven binaries and an edge-on disk in a quadruple system

We report adaptive optics (AO) observations of the young and nearby association MBM12 obtained with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Our main observational result is the discovery of six new binary systems, LkHalpha264, E 0255+2018, RX J0255.4+2005, S18, MBM 12-10, RX J0255.3+1915, and the confirmation of HD 17332, already known as a binary. We also detected a possible quadruple system. It is composed of the close binary LkHalpha 263 AB (separation of similar to0.41"), of LkHalpha 262 located similar to15.25" from LkHalpha 263 A, and of LkHalpha 263 C, located similar to4.1" from LkHalpha 263 A. A preliminary study of the binary fraction suggests a binary excess in the MBM 12 association as compared to the field and IC 348. Because of the high binarity rate, previous estimations of spectral types and measurements of IR excesses for several candidate members of MBM 12 have to be revised. LkHalpha 263 C is a nebulous object that we interpret as a disk oriented almost perfectly edge-on and seen in scattered light. This object has already been reported by Jayawardhana et al. (2002). Scattered light models allow us to estimate some of the structural parameters (i.e. inclination, diameter and to a lesser extent dust mass) of the circumstellar disk. We find an inclination of 89degrees and a outer radius for the disk, similar to165 AU if the distance to MBM 12 is 275 pc. With the present data set, we do not attempt to re-assess the distance to MBM 12. We estimate however that the distance to the candidate member RX J0255.3+1915 is d > 175 pc.