We consider the potential for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to detect transit timing variations (TTVs) during both its nominal and extended mission phases. Building on previous ...estimates of the overall yield of planetary systems from the TESS mission, we predict that during its nominal two-year mission, TESS will observe measurable TTVs in ∼30 systems, from which planet will get precise mass measurements from TTVs alone, ∼5 planets will have significant constraints placed on their masses from TTVs, and over a dozen systems will be singly transiting TTV systems. We consider a number of different extended mission scenarios, and predict that in a typical scenario, an extended mission will allow TESS to increase the number of systems with measurable TTVs to a total of ∼90, from which ∼15 planets will have precise mass measurements, another ∼15 will have significant constraints placed on their masses, and ∼60 will be singly transiting TTV systems. We also describe how follow-up transit observations of multiplanet systems discovered by the TESS mission can be optimally planned to maximize TTV mass and eccentricity constraints.
ABSTRACT We examine the tidal perturbations induced by a possible additional, distant planet in the solar system on the distance between the Earth and the Cassini spacecraft. We find that measured ...range residuals alone can significantly constrain the sky position, distance, and mass of the perturbing planet to sections of the sky essentially orthogonal to the orbit of Saturn. When we combine these constraints from tidal perturbations with the dynamical constraints from Batygin & Brown and Brown & Batygin, we further constrain the allowed location of the perturbing planet to a region of the sky approximately centered on (R.A., decl.) = (40°, −15°) and extending ∼20° in all directions.
We present results of the largest, most comprehensive study ever done of the stellar multiplicity of the most common stars in the Galaxy, the red dwarfs. We have conducted an all-sky volume-limited ...survey for stellar companions to 1120 M dwarf primaries known to lie within 25 pc of the Sun via trigonometric parallaxes. In addition to a comprehensive literature search, stars were explored in new surveys for companions at separations of 2″-300″. A reconnaissance of wide companions to separations of 300″ was done via blinking archival images. I-band images were used to search our sample for companions at separations of 2″-180″. Various astrometric and photometric methods were used to probe the inner 2″ to reveal close companions. We report the discovery of 20 new companions and identify 56 candidate multiple systems. We find a stellar multiplicity rate of 26.8 1.4% and a stellar companion rate of 32.4 1.4% for M dwarfs. There is a broad peak in the separation distribution of the companions at 4-20 au, with a weak trend of smaller projected linear separations for lower mass primaries. A hint that M-dwarf multiplicity may be a function of tangential velocity is found, with faster moving, presumably older, stars found to be multiple somewhat less often. We calculate that stellar companions make up at least 17% of mass attributed to M dwarfs in the solar neighborhood, with roughly 11% of M-dwarf mass hidden as unresolved companions. Finally, when considering all M-dwarf primaries and companions, we find that the mass distribution for M dwarfs increases to the end of the stellar main sequence.
Roughly 1000 white dwarfs are known to be polluted with planetary material, and the progenitors of this material are typically assumed to be asteroids. The dynamical architectures which perturb ...asteroids into white dwarfs are still unknown, but may be crucially dependent on moons liberated from parent planets during post-main-sequence gravitational scattering. Here, we trace the fate of these exomoons, and show that they more easily achieve deep radial incursions towards the white dwarf than do scattered planets. Consequently, moons are likely to play a significant role in white dwarf pollution, and in some cases may be the progenitors of the pollution itself.
ABSTRACT We use astrometry of Pluto and other trans-neptunian objects to constrain the sky location, distance, and mass of the possible additional planet (Planet Nine) hypothesized by Batygin & ...Brown. We find that over broad regions of the sky, the inclusion of a massive, distant planet degrades the fits to the observations. However, in other regions, the fits are significantly improved by the addition of such a planet. Our best fits suggest a planet that is either more massive or closer than argued for by Batygin & Brown based on the orbital distribution of distant trans-neptunian objects (or by Fienga et al. based on range measured to the Cassini spacecraft). The trend to favor larger and closer perturbing planets is driven by the residuals to the astrometry of Pluto, remeasured from photographic plates using modern stellar catalogs, which show a clear trend in decl. over the course of two decades, that drive a preference for large perturbations. Although this trend may be the result of systematic errors of unknown origin in the observations, a possible resolution is that the decl. trend may be due to perturbations from a body, in addition to Planet Nine, that is closer to Pluto but less massive than Planet Nine.
We present HelioLinC, a novel approach to the minor planet linking problem. Our heliocentric transformation-and-propagation algorithm clusters tracklets at common epochs, allowing for the efficient ...identification of tracklets that represent the same minor planet. This algorithm scales as with the number of tracklets N, a significant advance over standard methods, which scale as . This overcomes one of the primary computational bottlenecks faced by current and future asteroid surveys. We apply our algorithm to the Minor Planet Center's Isolated Tracklet File, establishing orbits for more than 200,000 new minor planets. A detailed analysis of the influence of false detections on the efficiency of our approach, along with an examination of detection biases, will be presented in future work.
Observations of clustering among the orbits of the most distant trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) has inspired interest in the possibility of an undiscovered ninth planet lurking in the outskirts of the ...solar system. Numerical simulations by a number of authors have demonstrated that, with appropriate choices of planet mass and orbit, such a planet can maintain clustering in the orbital elements of the population of distant TNOs, similar to the observed sample. However, many aspects of the rich underlying dynamical processes induced by such a distant eccentric perturber have not been fully explored. We report the results of our investigation of the dynamics of coplanar test-particles that interact with a massive body on an circular orbit (Neptune) and a massive body on a more distant, highly eccentric orbit (the putative Planet Nine). We find that a detailed examination of our idealized simulations affords tremendous insight into the rich test-particle dynamics that are possible. In particular, we find that chaos and resonance overlap plays an important role in particles' dynamical evolution. We develop a simple mapping model that allows us to understand, in detail, the web of overlapped mean-motion resonances explored by chaotically evolving particles. We also demonstrate that gravitational interactions with Neptune can have profound effects on the orbital evolution of particles. Our results serve as a starting point for a better understanding of the dynamical behavior observed in more complicated simulations that can be used to constrain the mass and orbit of Planet Nine.
Abstract
Three-body interactions are ubiquitous in astrophysics. For instance, Kozai–Lidov oscillations in hierarchical triple systems have been studied extensively and applied to a wide range of ...astrophysical systems. However, mildly hierarchical triples also play an important role, but they are less explored. In this work, we consider the secular dynamics of a test particle in a mildly hierarchical configuration. We find the limit within which the secular approximation is reliable when the outer perturber is in a circular orbit. In addition, we present resonances and chaotic regions using surface-of-section plots, and characterize regions of phase space that allow large eccentricity and inclination variations. Finally, we apply the secular results to the outer Solar System. We focus on the distribution of extreme trans-Neptunian objects (eTNOs) under the perturbation of a possible outer planet (Planet 9), and find that in addition to a low-inclination Planet 9, a polar or a counter-orbiting one could also produce pericenter clustering of eTNOs, while the polar one leads to a wider spread of eTNO inclinations.
Liberating exomoons in white dwarf planetary systems Payne, Matthew J; Veras, Dimitri; Holman, Matthew J ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
03/2016, Letnik:
457, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Previous studies indicate that more than a quarter of all white dwarf (WD) atmospheres are polluted by remnant planetary material, with some WDs being observed to accrete the mass of Pluto in 106 yr. ...The short sinking time-scale for the pollutants indicates that the material must be frequently replenished. Moons may contribute decisively to this pollution process if they are liberated from their parent planets during the post-main-sequence evolution of the planetary systems. Here, we demonstrate that gravitational scattering events amongst planets in WD systems easily trigger moon ejection. Repeated close encounters within tenths of planetary Hill radii are highly destructive to even the most massive, close-in moons. Consequently, scattering increases both the frequency of perturbing agents in WD systems, as well as the available mass of polluting material in those systems, thereby enhancing opportunities for collision and fragmentation and providing more dynamical pathways for smaller bodies to reach the WD. Moreover, during intense scattering, planets themselves have pericentres with respect to the WD of only a fraction of an astronomical unit, causing extreme Hill-sphere contraction, and the liberation of moons into WD-grazing orbits. Many of our results are directly applicable to exomoons orbiting planets around main-sequence stars.
Abstract We present the DECam Ecliptic Exploration Project (DEEP) survey strategy, including observing cadence for orbit determination, exposure times, field pointings and filter choices. The overall ...goal of the survey is to discover and characterize the orbits of a few thousand Trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory Blanco 4 m telescope. The experiment is designed to collect a very deep series of exposures totaling a few hours on sky for each of several 2.7 square degree DECam fields-of-view to achieve approximate depths of magnitude 26.2 using a wide V R filter that encompasses both the V and R bandpasses. In the first year, several nights were combined to achieve a sky area of about 34 square degrees. In subsequent years, the fields have been re-visited to allow TNOs to be tracked for orbit determination. When complete, DEEP will be the largest survey of the outer solar system ever undertaken in terms of newly discovered object numbers, and the most prolific at producing multiyear orbital information for the population of minor planets beyond Neptune at 30 au.
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