The atmospheres of gaseous giant exoplanets orbiting close to their parent stars (hot Jupiters) have been probed for nearly two decades
. They allow us to investigate the chemical and physical ...properties of planetary atmospheres under extreme irradiation conditions
. Previous observations of hot Jupiters as they transit in front of their host stars have revealed the frequent presence of water vapour
and carbon monoxide
in their atmospheres; this has been studied in terms of scaled solar composition
under the usual assumption of chemical equilibrium. Both molecules as well as hydrogen cyanide were found in the atmosphere of HD 209458b
, a well studied hot Jupiter (with equilibrium temperature around 1,500 kelvin), whereas ammonia was tentatively detected there
and subsequently refuted
. Here we report observations of HD 209458b that indicate the presence of water (H
O), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), methane (CH
), ammonia (NH
) and acetylene (C
H
), with statistical significance of 5.3 to 9.9 standard deviations per molecule. Atmospheric models in radiative and chemical equilibrium that account for the detected species indicate a carbon-rich chemistry with a carbon-to-oxygen ratio close to or greater than 1, higher than the solar value (0.55). According to existing models relating the atmospheric chemistry to planet formation and migration scenarios
, this would suggest that HD 209458b formed far from its present location and subsequently migrated inwards
. Other hot Jupiters may also show a richer chemistry than has been previously found, which would bring into question the frequently made assumption that they have solar-like and oxygen-rich compositions.
Small planets on close-in orbits tend to exhibit envelope mass fractions of either effectively zero or up to a few percent depending on their size and orbital period. Models of thermally driven ...atmospheric mass loss and of terrestrial planet formation in a gas-poor environment make distinct predictions regarding the location of this rocky/nonrocky transition in period-radius space. Here we present the confirmation of TOI-1235 b (P = 3.44 days, ), a planet whose size and period are intermediate between the competing model predictions, thus making the system an important test case for emergence models of the rocky/nonrocky transition around early M dwarfs (Rs = 0.630 0.015 , Ms = 0.640 0.016 ). We confirm the TESS planet discovery using reconnaissance spectroscopy, ground-based photometry, high-resolution imaging, and a set of 38 precise radial velocities (RVs) from HARPS-N and HIRES. We measure a planet mass of , which implies an iron core mass fraction of % in the absence of a gaseous envelope. The bulk composition of TOI-1235 b is therefore consistent with being Earth-like, and we constrain an H/He envelope mass fraction to be <0.5% at 90% confidence. Our results are consistent with model predictions from thermally driven atmospheric mass loss but not with gas-poor formation, suggesting that the former class of processes remains efficient at sculpting close-in planets around early M dwarfs. Our RV analysis also reveals a strong periodicity close to the first harmonic of the photometrically determined stellar rotation period that we treat as stellar activity, despite other lines of evidence favoring a planetary origin ( days, ) that cannot be firmly ruled out by our data.
Abstract
Characterizing the bulk compositions of transiting exoplanets within the M dwarf radius valley offers a unique means to establish whether the radius valley emerges from an atmospheric ...mass-loss process or is imprinted by planet formation itself. We present the confirmation of such a planet orbiting an early-M dwarf (
T
mag
= 11.0294 ± 0.0074,
M
s
= 0.513 ± 0.012
M
⊙
,
R
s
= 0.515 ± 0.015
R
⊙
, and
T
eff
= 3690 ± 50 K): TOI-1695 b (
P
= 3.13 days and
R
p
=
1.90
−
0.14
+
0.16
R
⊕
). TOI-1695 b’s radius and orbital period situate the planet between model predictions from thermally driven mass loss versus gas depleted formation, offering an important test case for radius valley emergence models around early-M dwarfs. We confirm the planetary nature of TOI-1695 b based on five sectors of TESS data and a suite of follow-up observations including 49 precise radial velocity measurements taken with the HARPS-N spectrograph. We measure a planetary mass of 6.36 ± 1.00
M
⊕
, which reveals that TOI-1695 b is inconsistent with a purely terrestrial composition of iron and magnesium silicate, and instead is likely a water-rich planet. Our finding that TOI-1695 b is not terrestrial is inconsistent with the planetary system being sculpted by thermally driven mass loss. We present a statistical analysis of seven well-characterized planets within the M dwarf radius valley demonstrating that a thermally driven mass-loss scenario is unlikely to explain this population.
Although several thousands of exoplanets have now been detected and characterized, observational biases have led to a paucity of long-period, low-mass exoplanets with measured masses and a ...corresponding lag in our understanding of such planets. In this paper we report the mass estimation and characterization of the long-period exoplanet Kepler-538b. This planet orbits a Sun-like star (V = 11.27) with M and R . Kepler-538b is a R⊕ sub-Neptune with a period of P = 81.73778 0.00013 days. It is the only known planet in the system. We collected radial velocity (RV) observations with the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) on Keck I and High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher in North hemisphere (HARPS-N) on the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG). We characterized stellar activity by a Gaussian process with a quasi-periodic kernel applied to our RV and cross-correlation function FWHM observations. By simultaneously modeling Kepler photometry, RV, and FWHM observations, we found a semi-amplitude of m s−1 and a planet mass of M⊕. Kepler-538b is the smallest planet beyond P = 50 days with an RV mass measurement. The planet likely consists of a significant fraction of ices (dominated by water ice), in addition to rocks/metals, and a small amount of gas. Sophisticated modeling techniques such as those used in this paper, combined with future spectrographs with ultra high-precision and stability will be vital for yielding more mass measurements in this poorly understood exoplanet regime. This in turn will improve our understanding of the relationship between planet composition and insolation flux and how the rocky to gaseous transition depends on planetary equilibrium temperature.
Abstract
We report the confirmation of three exoplanets transiting TOI-4010 (TIC-352682207), a metal-rich K dwarf observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite in Sectors 24, 25, 52, and 58. ...We confirm these planets with the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern Hemisphere radial velocity observations and measure their masses with 8−12% precision. TOI-4010 b is a sub-Neptune (
P
= 1.3 days,
R
p
=
3.02
−
0.08
+
0.08
R
⊕
,
M
p
=
11.00
−
1.27
+
1.29
M
⊕
) in the hot-Neptune desert, and is one of the few such planets with known companions. Meanwhile, TOI-4010 c (
P
= 5.4 days,
R
p
=
5.93
−
0.12
+
0.11
R
⊕
,
M
p
=
20.31
−
2.11
+
2.13
M
⊕
) and TOI-4010 d (
P
= 14.7 days,
R
p
=
6.18
−
0.14
+
0.15
R
⊕
,
M
p
=
38.15
−
3.22
+
3.27
M
⊕
) are similarly sized sub-Saturns on short-period orbits. Radial velocity observations also reveal a super-Jupiter-mass companion called TOI-4010 e in a long-period, eccentric orbit (
P
∼ 762 days and
e
∼ 0.26 based on available observations). TOI-4010 is one of the few systems with multiple short-period sub-Saturns to be discovered so far.
Abstract
We present high-precision radial velocities (RVs) from the HARPS-N spectrograph for HD 79210 and HD 79211, two M0V members of a gravitationally bound binary system. We detect a planet ...candidate with a period of
24.421
−
0.017
+
0.016
days around HD 79211 in these HARPS-N RVs, validating the planet candidate originally identified in CARMENES RV data alone. Using HARPS-N, CARMENES, and RVs spanning a total of 25 yr, we further refine the planet candidate parameters to
P
= 24.422 ± 0.014 days,
K
= 3.19 ± 0.27 m s
−1
,
M
sin
i
= 10.6 ± 1.2
M
⊕
, and
a
= 0.142 ± 0.005 au. We do not find any additional planet candidate signals in the data of HD 79211, nor do we find any planet candidate signals in HD 79210. This system adds to the number of exoplanets detected in binaries with M-dwarf members and serves as a case study for planet formation in stellar binaries.
Abstract
Radial velocity (RV) measurements of transiting multiplanet systems allow us to understand the densities and compositions of planets unlike those in the solar system. Kepler-102, which ...consists of five tightly packed transiting planets, is a particularly interesting system since it includes a super-Earth (Kepler-102d) and a sub-Neptune-sized planet (Kepler-102e) for which masses can be measured using RVs. Previous work found a high density for Kepler-102d, suggesting a composition similar to that of Mercury, while Kepler-102e was found to have a density typical of sub-Neptune size planets; however, Kepler-102 is an active star, which can interfere with RV mass measurements. To better measure the mass of these two planets, we obtained 111 new RVs using Keck/HIRES and Telescopio Nazionale Galileo/HARPS-N and modeled Kepler-102's activity using quasiperiodic Gaussian process regression. For Kepler-102d, we report a mass upper limit
M
d
< 5.3
M
⊕
(95% confidence), a best-fit mass
M
d
= 2.5 ± 1.4
M
⊕
, and a density
ρ
d
= 5.6 ± 3.2 g cm
−3
, which is consistent with a rocky composition similar in density to the Earth. For Kepler-102e we report a mass
M
e
= 4.7 ± 1.7
M
⊕
and a density
ρ
e
= 1.8 ± 0.7 g cm
−3
. These measurements suggest that Kepler-102e has a rocky core with a thick gaseous envelope comprising 2%–4% of the planet mass and 16%–50% of its radius. Our study is yet another demonstration that accounting for stellar activity in stars with clear rotation signals can yield more accurate planet masses, enabling a more realistic interpretation of planet interiors.
Abstract
K2-136 is a late-K dwarf (0.742 ± 0.039
M
⊙
) in the Hyades open cluster with three known, transiting planets and an age of 650 ± 70 Myr. Analyzing K2 photometry, we found that planets ...K2-136b, c, and d have periods of 8.0, 17.3, and 25.6 days and radii of 1.014 ± 0.050
R
⊕
, 3.00 ± 0.13
R
⊕
, and 1.565 ± 0.077
R
⊕
, respectively. We collected 93 radial velocity (RV) measurements with the High-Accuracy Radial-velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern hemisphere (HARPS-N) spectrograph (Telescopio Nazionale Galileo) and 22 RVs with the Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and Stable Spectroscopic Observations (ESPRESSO) spectrograph (Very Large Telescope). Analyzing HARPS-N and ESPRESSO data jointly, we found that K2-136c induced a semi-amplitude of 5.49 ± 0.53 m s
−1
, corresponding to a mass of 18.1 ± 1.9
M
⊕
. We also placed 95% upper mass limits on K2-136b and d of 4.3 and 3.0
M
⊕
, respectively. Further, we analyzed Hubble Space Telescope and XMM-Newton observations to establish the planetary high-energy environment and investigate possible atmospheric loss. K2-136c is now the smallest planet to have a measured mass in an open cluster and one of the youngest planets ever with a mass measurement. K2-136c has ∼75% the radius of Neptune but is similar in mass, yielding a density of
3.69
−
0.56
+
0.67
g cm
−3
(∼2–3 times denser than Neptune). Mass estimates for K2-136b (and possibly d) may be feasible with more RV observations, and insights into all three planets’ atmospheres through transmission spectroscopy would be challenging but potentially fruitful. This research and future mass measurements of young planets are critical for investigating the compositions and characteristics of small exoplanets at very early stages of their lives and providing insights into how exoplanets evolve with time.
The SpaceInn SISMA archive Rainer, Monica; Poretti, Ennio; Mistò, Angelo ...
EPJ Web of Conferences,
01/2017, Letnik:
160
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The Spectroscopic Indicators in a SeisMic Archive (SISMA) has been built in the framework of the FP7 SpaceInn project to contain the 7013 HARPS spectra observed during the CoRoT asteroseismic ...groundbased program, along with their variability and asteroseismic indicators. The spectra pertain to 261 stars spread around the whole Herztsprung-Russell diagram: 72 of them were CoRoT targets while the others were observed in order to better characterize their variability classes. The Legacy Data lightcurves of the CoRoT targets are also stored in the archive.
Variable stars have been identified for the first time in Fornax 4, the globular cluster located near the center of the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy. By applying the image-subtraction technique to ...B and V time series photometry obtained with the MagIC camera of the 6.5 m Magellan Clay telescope and with the wide field imager of the 4 m Blanco CTIO telescope, we detected 27 RR Lyrae stars (22 fundamental-mode, 3 first-overtone, and 2 double-mode pulsators) in a unk x unk area centered on Fornax 4. The average and minimum periods of the ab-type RR Lyrae stars, ( unk) = 0.594 days and unk = 0.5191 days, respectively, as well as the revised position of the cluster in the horizontal branch type-metallicity plane, all consistently point to an Oosterhoff-intermediate status for the cluster, unlike what is seen for the vast majority of Galactic globular clusters, but in agreement with previous indications for the other globular clusters in Fornax. The average apparent magnitude of the RR Lyrae stars located within 30" from the cluster center is (V(RR)) = 21.43 plus or minus 0.03 mag ( sigma = 0.10 mag, average of 12 stars), leading to a true distance modulus of unk = 20.64 plus or minus 0.09 mag or unk = 20.53 plus or minus 0.09 mag, depending on whether a low (Fe/H = -2.0) or a moderately high (Fe/H = 1.5) metallicity is adopted.