With the uniquely high contrast within 0.1 ” ( \Delta mag ( L ’ ) = 5-6.5 magnitudes ) available using Sparse Aperture Masking ( SAM ) with NACO at VLT , we detected asymmetry in the flux from the Herbig Fe star HD 142527 with a barycenter emission situated at a projected separation of 88 \pm 5 mas ( 12.8 \pm 1.5 AU at 145 pc ) and flux ratios in H , K , and L ’ of 0.016 \pm 0.007 , 0.012 \pm 0.008 , 0.0086 \pm 0.0011 respectively ( 3- \sigma errors ) relative to the primary star and disk . After extensive closure-phase modeling , we interpret this detection as a close-in , low-mass stellar companion with an estimated mass of \sim 0.1-0.4 M _ { \odot } . HD 142527 has a complex disk structure , with an inner gap imaged in both the near and mid-IR as well as a spiral feature in the outer disk in the near-IR . This newly detected low-mass stellar companion may provide a critical explanation of the observed disk structure .