Since a majority of young low-mass stars are members of multiple systems , the study of their stellar and disk configurations is crucial to our understanding of both star and planet formation processes .
Here we present near-infrared adaptive optics observations of the young multiple star system VW Cha .
The previously known 0 \stackrel { \prime \prime } { { } _ { \bf \cdot } } 7 binary is clearly resolved already in our raw J and K band images .
We report the discovery of a new , faint companion to the secondary , at an apparent separation of only 0 \stackrel { \prime \prime } { { } _ { \bf \cdot } } 1 or 16 AU .
Our high-resolution photometric observations also make it possible to measure the J - K colors of each of the three components individually .
We detect an infrared excess in the primary , consistent with theoretical models of a circumprimary disk .
Analytical and numerical calculations of orbital stability show that VW Cha may be a stable triple system .
Using models for the age and total mass of the secondary pair , we estimate the orbital period to be 74 years .
Thus , follow-up astrometric observations might yield direct dynamical masses within a few years , and constrain evolutionary models of low-mass stars .
Our results demonstrate that adaptive optics imaging in conjunction with deconvolution techniques is a powerful tool for probing close multiple systems .