Abstract
An observational constraint on the contribution of double degenerates to Type Ia supernovae requires multiple radial velocity measurements of ideally thousands of white dwarfs. This is ...because only a small fraction of the double degenerate population is massive enough, with orbital periods short enough, to be considered viable Type Ia progenitors. We show how the radial velocity information available from public surveys such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey can be used to pre-select targets for variability, leading to a 10-fold reduction in observing time required compared to an unranked or random survey. We carry out Monte Carlo simulations to quantify the detection probability of various types of binaries in the survey and show that this method, even in the most pessimistic case, doubles the survey size of the largest survey to date (the SPY Survey) in less than 15 per cent of the required observing time. Our initial follow-up observations corroborate the method, yielding 15 binaries so far (eight known and seven new), as well as orbital periods for four of the new binaries.
We present time series spectroscopy of two short period cataclysmic variables, CC Scl and V2051 Oph, to test the efficiency of Doppler-tomography-based methods in constraining orbital parameters of ...evolved cataclysmic variables. We find that the Ca ii triplet lines offer superior diagnostics, revealing emission components from the mass donors and sharp images of the accretion discs. Furthermore, we use Monte Carlo methods to estimate the uncertainties from ensembles of Doppler maps. We compare our new methods against traditional radial velocity methods and show that they offer a valid route towards system parameter determination. Our analysis of CC Scl suggests a low mass ratio of q = 0.08 ± 0.03 with a primary velocity of K
1 = 37 ± 14 km s−1. This mass ratio is in between the pre- and post-period minimum status, however our K
1 solution favours a post-period minimum system. Our derived parameters for V2051 Oph (q = 0.18 ± 0.05, K
1 = 97 ± 10 km s−1) are in agreement with the eclipse solution (q = 0.19 ± 0.03), offering a direct validation of our methods.
ABSTRACT
Transits in the planetary system WASP-4 were recently found to occur 80 s earlier than expected in observations from the TESS satellite. We present 22 new times of mid-transit that confirm ...the existence of transit timing variations, and are well fitted by a quadratic ephemeris with period decay dP/dt = −9.2 ± 1.1 ms yr−1. We rule out instrumental issues, stellar activity, and the Applegate mechanism as possible causes. The light-time effect is also not favoured due to the non-detection of changes in the systemic velocity. Orbital decay and apsidal precession are plausible but unproven. WASP-4 b is only the third hot Jupiter known to show transit timing variations to high confidence. We discuss a variety of observations of this and other planetary systems that would be useful in improving our understanding of WASP-4 in particular and orbital decay in general.
Context . Gravitational microlensing is a method that is used to discover planet-hosting systems at distances of several kiloparsec in the Galactic disk and bulge. We present the analysis of a ...microlensing event reported by the Gaia photometric alert team that might have a bright lens. Aims . In order to infer the mass and distance to the lensing system, the parallax measurement at the position of Gaia21blx was used. In this particular case, the source and the lens have comparable magnitudes and we cannot attribute the parallax measured by Gaia to the lens or source alone. Methods . Since the blending flux is important, we assumed that the Gaia parallax is the flux-weighted average of the parallaxes of the lens and source. Combining this assumption with the information from the microlensing models and the finite source effects we were able to resolve all degeneracies and thus obtained the mass, distance, luminosities and projected kinematics of the binary lens and the source. Results . According to the best model, the lens is a binary system at 2.18 ± 0.07 kpc from Earth. It is composed of a G star with 0.95 ± 0.17 M ⊙ and a K star with 0.53 ± 0.07 M ⊙ . The source is likely to be an F subgiant star at 2.38 ± 1.71 kpc with a mass of 1.10 ± 0.18 M ⊙ . Both lenses and the source follow the kinematics of the thin-disk population. We also discuss alternative models, that are disfavored by the data or by prior expectations, however.
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Aims. Our aim in this paper is to refine the orbital and physical parameters of the HATS-2 planetary system and study transit timing variations and atmospheric composition thanks to transit ...observations that span more than 10 yr and that were collected using different instruments and pass-band filters. We also investigate the orbital alignment of the system by studying the anomalies in the transit light curves induced by starspots on the photosphere of the parent star. Methods. We analysed new transit events from both ground-based telescopes and NASA’s TESS mission. Anomalies were detected in most of the light curves and modelled as starspots occulted by the planet during transit events. We fitted the clean and symmetric light curves with the JKTEBOP code and those affected by anomalies with the PRISM+GEMC codes to simultaneously model the photometric parameters of the transits and the position, size, and contrast of each starspot. Results. We found consistency between the values we found for the physical and orbital parameters and those from the discovery paper and ATLAS9 stellar atmospherical models. We identified different sets of consecutive starspot-crossing events that temporally occurred in less than five days. Under the hypothesis that we are dealing with the same starspots, occulted twice by the planet during two consecutive transits, we estimated the rotational period of the parent star and, in turn the projected and the true orbital obliquity of the planet. We find that the system is well aligned. We identified the possible presence of transit timing variations in the system, which can be caused by tidal orbital decay, and we derived a low-resolution transmission spectrum.
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ABSTRACT
HATS-18 b is a transiting planet with a large mass and a short orbital period, and is one of the best candidates for the detection of orbital decay induced by tidal effects. We present ...extensive photometry of HATS-18 from which we measure 27 times of mid-transit. Two further transit times were measured from data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and three more taken from the literature. The transit timings were fitted with linear and quadratic ephemerides and an upper limit on orbital decay was determined. This corresponds to a lower limit on the modified stellar tidal quality factor of $Q_\star ^{\, \prime } \gt 10^{5.11 \pm 0.04}$. This is at the cusp of constraining the presence of enhanced tidal dissipation due to internal gravity waves. We also refine the measured physical properties of the HATS-18 system, place upper limits on the masses of third bodies, and compare the relative performance of TESS and the 1.54 m Danish Telescope in measuring transit times for this system.
We report observations of the binary microlensing event OGLE-2018-BLG-0022, provided by the Robotic Observations of Microlensing Events (ROME)/Reactive Event Assessment (REA) Survey, which indicate ...that the lens is a low-mass binary star consisting of M3 (0.375 0.020 M ) and M7 (0.098 0.005 M ) components. The lens is unusually close, at 0.998 0.047 kpc, compared with the majority of microlensing events, and despite its intrinsically low luminosity, it is likely that adaptive optics observations in the near future will be able to provide an independent confirmation of the lens masses.
Abstract
We present a method to select hot subdwarf stars with A- to M-type companions using photometric selection criteria. We cover a wide range in wavelength by combining Galaxy Evolution Explorer ...(GALEX) ultraviolet data, optical photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Carlsberg Meridian Telescope, near-infrared data from Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) and UKIDSS. We construct two complementary samples, one by matching GALEX, Carlsberg Meridian Catalogue (CMC) and 2MASS, as well as a smaller, but deeper, sample using GALEX, SDSS and UKIDSS. In both cases, a large number of composite subdwarf plus main-sequence star candidates were found. We fit their spectral energy distributions with a composite model in order to estimate the subdwarf and companion star effective temperatures along with the distance to each system. The distribution of subdwarf effective temperature was found to primarily lie in the 20 000-30 000 K regime, but we also find cooler subdwarf candidates, making up ∼5-10 per cent. The most prevalent companion spectral types were seen to be main-sequence stars between F0 and K0, while subdwarfs with M-type companions appear much rarer. This is clear observational confirmation that a very efficient first stable Roche lobe overflow channel appears to produce a large number of subdwarfs with F- to K-type companions. Our samples thus support the importance of binary evolution for subdwarf formation.
We present an elemental abundance analysis of high-resolution spectra for five giant stars spatially located within the innermost regions of the bulge globular cluster NGC 6522 and derive Fe, Mg, Al, ...C, N, O, Si, and Ce abundances based on H-band spectra taken with the multi-object APOGEE-north spectrograph from the SDSS-IV Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) survey. Of the five cluster candidates, two previously unremarked stars are confirmed to have second-generation (SG) abundance patterns, with the basic pattern of depletion in C and Mg simultaneous with enrichment in N and Al as seen in other SG globular cluster populations at similar metallicity. In agreement with the most recent optical studies, the NGC 6522 stars analyzed exhibit (when available) only mild overabundances of the s-process element Ce, contradicting the idea that NGC 6522 stars are formed from gas enriched by spinstars and indicating that other stellar sources such as massive AGB stars could be the primary polluters of intra-cluster medium. The peculiar abundance signatures of SG stars have been observed in our data, confirming the presence of multiple generations of stars in NGC 6522.
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Context. The formation and dynamical history of hot Jupiters is currently debated, with wide stellar binaries having been suggested as a potential formation pathway. Additionally, contaminating light ...from both binary companions and unassociated stars can significantly bias the results of planet characterisation studies, but can be corrected for if the properties of the contaminating star are known. Aim. We search for binary companions to known transiting exoplanet host stars, in order to determine the multiplicity properties of hot Jupiter host stars. We also search for and characterise unassociated stars along the line of sight, allowing photometric and spectroscopic observations of the planetary system to be corrected for contaminating light. Methods. We analyse lucky imaging observations of 97 Southern hemisphere exoplanet host stars, using the Two Colour Instrument on the Danish 1.54 m telescope. For each detected companion star, we determine flux ratios relative to the planet host star in two passbands, and measure the relative position of the companion. The probability of each companion being physically associated was determined using our two-colour photometry. Results. A catalogue of close companion stars is presented, including flux ratios, position measurements, and estimated companion star temperature. For companions that are potential binary companions, we review archival and catalogue data for further evidence. For WASP-77AB and WASP-85AB, we combine our data with historical measurements to determine the binary orbits, showing them to be moderately eccentric and inclined to the line of sight (and hence planetary orbital axis). Combining our survey with the similar Friends of Hot Jupiters survey, we conclude that known hot Jupiter host stars show a deficit of high mass stellar companions compared to the field star population; however, this may be a result of the biases in detection and target selection by ground-based surveys.
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