We report the discovery of GJ 3929 b, a hot Earth-sized planet orbiting the nearby M3.5 V dwarf star, GJ 3929 (G 180-18, TOI-2013). Joint modelling of photometric observations from TESS sectors 24 ...and 25 together with 73 spectroscopic observations from CARMENES and follow-up transit observations from SAINT-EX, LCOGT, and OSN yields a planet radius of
R
b
= 1.150 ± 0.040
R
⊕
, a mass of
M
b
= 1.21 ± 0.42
M
⊕
, and an orbital period of
P
b
= 2.6162745 ± 0.0000030
d
. The resulting density of
ρ
b
= 4.4 ± 1.6 g cm
−3
is compatible with the Earth’s mean density of about 5.5 g cm
−3
. Due to the apparent brightness of the host star (
J
= 8.7 mag) and its small size, GJ 3929 b is a promising target for atmospheric characterisation with the JWST. Additionally, the radial velocity data show evidence for another planet candidate with
P
c
= 14.303 ± 0.035 d, which is likely unrelated to the stellar rotation period,
P
rot
= 122 ± 13 d, which we determined from archival HATNet and ASAS-SN photometry combined with newly obtained TJO data.
Characterising the atmospheres of exoplanets is key to understanding their nature and provides hints about their formation and evolution. High resolution measurements of the helium triplet absorption ...of highly irradiated planets have been recently reported, which provide a new means of studying their atmospheric escape. In this work we study the escape of the upper atmospheres of HD 189733 b and GJ 3470 b by analysing high resolution He
I
triplet absorption measurements and using a 1D hydrodynamic spherically symmetric model coupled with a non-local thermodynamic model for the He
I
triplet state. We also use the H density derived from Ly
α
observations to further constrain their temperatures, mass-loss rates, and H/He ratios. We have significantly improved our knowledge of the upper atmospheres of these planets. While HD 189733 b has a rather compressed atmosphere and small gas radial velocities, GJ 3470 b, on the other hand with a gravitational potential ten times smaller, exhibits a very extended atmosphere and large radial outflow velocities. Hence, although GJ 3470 b is much less irradiated in the X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation, and its upper atmosphere is much cooler, it evaporates at a comparable rate. In particular, we find that the upper atmosphere of HD 189733 b is compact and hot, with a maximum temperature of 12 400
−300
+400
K, with a very low mean molecular mass (H/He = (99.2/0.8) ± 0.1), which is almost fully ionised above 1.1
R
P
, and with a mass-loss rate of (1.1 ± 0.1) × 10
11
g s
−1
. In contrast, the upper atmosphere of GJ 3470 b is highly extended and relatively cold, with a maximum temperature of 5100 ± 900 K, also with a very low mean molecular mass (H/He = (98.5/1.5)
−1.5
+1.0
), which is not strongly ionised, and with a mass-loss rate of (1.9 ± 1.1) × 10
11
g s
−1
. Furthermore, our results suggest that upper atmospheres of giant planets undergoing hydrodynamic escape tend to have a very low mean molecular mass (H/He ≳ 97/3).
Context.
Despite being a prominent subset of the exoplanet population discovered in the past three decades, the nature and provenance of sub-Neptune-sized planets is still one of the open questions ...in exoplanet science.
Aims.
For planets orbiting bright stars, precisely measuring the orbital and planet parameters of the system is the best approach to distinguish between competing theories regarding their formation and evolution.
Methods.
We obtained 69 new radial velocity observations of the mid-M dwarf G 9–40 with the CARMENES instrument to measure for the first time the mass of its transiting sub-Neptune planet, G 9–40 b, discovered in data from the K2 mission.
Results.
Combined with new observations from the TESS mission during Sectors 44, 45, and 46, we are able to measure the radius of the planet to an uncertainty of 3.4% (
R
b
= 1.900 ± 0.065
R
⊕
) and determine its mass with a precision of 16% (
M
b
= 4.00 ± 0.63
M
⊕
). The resulting bulk density of the planet is inconsistent with a terrestrial composition and suggests the presence of either a water-rich core or a significant hydrogen-rich envelope.
Conclusions.
G 9–40 b is referred to as a keystone planet due to its location in period-radius space within the radius valley. Several theories offer explanations for the origin and properties of this population and this planet is a valuable target for testing the dependence of those models on stellar host mass. By virtue of its brightness and small size of the host, it joins L 98-59 d as one of the two best warm (
T
eq
~ 400 K) sub-Neptunes for atmospheric characterization with JWST, which will probe cloud formation in sub-Neptune-sized planets and break the degeneracies of internal composition models.
ABSTRACT We present the discovery of a transiting exoplanet candidate in the K2 Field-1 with an orbital period of 9.1457 hr: K2-22b. The highly variable transit depths, ranging from ∼0% to 1.3%, are ...suggestive of a planet that is disintegrating via the emission of dusty effluents. We characterize the host star as an M-dwarf with Teff 3800 K. We have obtained ground-based transit measurements with several 1-m class telescopes and with the GTC. These observations (1) improve the transit ephemeris; (2) confirm the variable nature of the transit depths; (3) indicate variations in the transit shapes; and (4) demonstrate clearly that at least on one occasion the transit depths were significantly wavelength dependent. The latter three effects tend to indicate extinction of starlight by dust rather than by any combination of solid bodies. The K2 observations yield a folded light curve with lower time resolution but with substantially better statistical precision compared with the ground-based observations. We detect a significant "bump" just after the transit egress, and a less significant bump just prior to transit ingress. We interpret these bumps in the context of a planet that is not only likely streaming a dust tail behind it, but also has a more prominent leading dust trail that precedes it. This effect is modeled in terms of dust grains that can escape to beyond the planet's Hill sphere and effectively undergo "Roche lobe overflow," even though the planet's surface is likely underfilling its Roche lobe by a factor of 2.
ABSTRACT
CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite) is an ESA S-class mission that observes bright stars at high cadence from low-Earth orbit. The main aim of the mission is to characterize ...exoplanets that transit nearby stars using ultrahigh precision photometry. Here, we report the analysis of transits observed by CHEOPS during its Early Science observing programme for four well-known exoplanets: GJ 436 b, HD 106315 b, HD 97658 b, and GJ 1132 b. The analysis is done using pycheops, an open-source software package we have developed to easily and efficiently analyse CHEOPS light-curve data using state-of-the-art techniques that are fully described herein. We show that the precision of the transit parameters measured using CHEOPS is comparable to that from larger space telescopes such as Spitzer Space Telescope and Kepler. We use the updated planet parameters from our analysis to derive new constraints on the internal structure of these four exoplanets.
CARMENES input catalogue of M dwarfs Cortes-Contreras, M; Bejar, V J S; Caballero, J A ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
1/2017, Letnik:
597
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Aims. We search for low-mass companions of M dwarfs and characterize their multiplicity fraction with the purpose of helping in the selection of the most appropriate targets for the CARMENES ...exoplanet survey. Methods. We obtained high-resolution images in the I band with the lucky imaging instrument FastCam at the 1.5m Telescopio Carlos Sanchez for 490 mid- to late-M dwarfs. For all the detected binaries, we measured angular separations, position angles, and magnitude differences in the I band. We also calculated the masses of each individual component and estimated orbital periods, using the available magnitude and colour relations for M dwarfs and our own MJ-spectra l type and mass-MI relations. To avoid biases in our sample selection, we built a volume-limited sample of M0.0-M5.0 dwarfs that is complete up to 86% within 14pc. Results. From the 490 observed stars, we detected 80 companions in 76 systems, of which 30 are new discoveries. Another six companion candidates require additional astrometry to confirm physical binding. The multiplicity fraction in our observed sample is 16.7+ or -2.0%. The bias-corrected multiplicity fraction in our volume-limited sample is 19.5+ or -2.3% for angular separations of 0.2 to 5.0arcsec (1.4-65.6au), with a peak in the distribution of the projected physical separations at 2.5-7.5au. For M0.0-M3.5V primaries, our search is sensitive to mass ratios higher than 0.3 and there is a higher density of pairs with mass ratios over 0.8 compared to those at lower mass ratios. Binaries with projected physical separations shorter than 50au also tend to be of equal mass. For 26 of our systems, we estimated orbital periods shorter than 50a, 10 of which are presented here for the first time. We measured variations in angular separation and position angle that are due to orbital motions in 17 of these systems. The contribution of binaries and multiples with angular separations shorter than 0.2arcsec, longer than 5.0arcsec, and of spectroscopic binaries identified from previous searches, although not complete, may increase the multiplicity fraction of M dwarfs in our volume-limited sample to at least 36%.
AU Mic is a young planetary system with a resolved debris disc showing signs of planet formation and two transiting warm Neptunes near mean-motion resonances. Here we analyse three transits of AU Mic ...b observed with the CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS), supplemented with sector 1 and 27 Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry, and the All-Sky Automated Survey from the ground. The refined orbital period of AU Mic b is 8.462995 ± 0.000003 d, whereas the stellar rotational period is
P
rot
= 4.8367 ± 0.0006 d. The two periods indicate a 7:4 spin–orbit commensurability at a precision of 0.1%. Therefore, all transits are observed in front of one of the four possible stellar central longitudes. This is strongly supported by the observation that the same complex star-spot pattern is seen in the second and third CHEOPS visits that were separated by four orbits (and seven stellar rotations). Using a bootstrap analysis we find that flares and star spots reduce the accuracy of transit parameters by up to 10% in the planet-to-star radius ratio and the accuracy on transit time by 3–4 min. Nevertheless, occulted stellar spot features independently confirm the presence of transit timing variations (TTVs) with an amplitude of at least 4 min. We find that the outer companion, AU Mic c, may cause the observed TTVs.
Context.Recent analyses of low-mass eclipsing binary stars have unveiled a significant disagreement between the observations and predictions of stellar structure models. Results show that theoretical ...models underestimate the radii and overestimate the effective temperatures of low-mass stars but yield luminosities that accord with observations. A hypothesis based upon the effects of stellar activity was put forward to explain the discrepancies. Aims.In this paper we study the existence of the same trend in single active stars and provide a consistent scenario to explain systematic differences between active and inactive stars in the H-R diagram reported earlier. Methods.The analysis is done using single field stars of spectral types late-K and M and computing their bolometric magnitudes and temperatures through infrared colours and spectral indices. The properties of the stars in samples of active and inactive stars are compared statistically to reveal systematic differences. Results.After accounting for a number of possible bias effects, active stars are shown to be cooler than inactive stars of similar luminosity therefore implying a larger radius as well, in proportions that are in excellent agreement with those found from eclipsing binaries. Conclusions.The present results generalise the existence of strong radius and temperature dependences on stellar activity to the entire population of low-mass stars, regardless of their membership in close binary systems.
Hydrodynamic escape is the most efficient atmospheric mechanism of planetary mass loss and has a large impact on planetary evolution. Three hydrodynamic escape regimes have been identified ...theoretically: energy-limited, recombination-limited, and photon-limited. However, no evidence of these regimes had been reported until now. Here, we report evidence of these three regimes via an analysis of a helium
I
triplet at 10 830 Å and Ly
α
absorption involving a 1D hydrodynamic model that allows us to estimate hydrogen recombination and advection rates. In particular, we show that HD 209458 b is in the energy-limited regime, HD 189733 b is in the recombination-limited regime, and GJ 3470 b is in the photon-limited regime. These exoplanets can be considered as benchmark cases for their respective regimes.
Context.
Gas giants orbiting close to hot and massive early-type stars can reach dayside temperatures that are comparable to those of the coldest stars. These ‘ultra-hot Jupiters’ have atmospheres ...made of ions and atomic species from molecular dissociation and feature strong day-to-night temperature gradients. Photometric observations at different orbital phases provide insights on the planet’s atmospheric properties.
Aims.
We aim to analyse the photometric observations of WASP-189 acquired with the Characterising Exoplanet Satellite (CHEOPS) to derive constraints on the system architecture and the planetary atmosphere.
Methods.
We implemented a light-curve model suited for an asymmetric transit shape caused by the gravity-darkened photosphere of the fast-rotating host star. We also modelled the reflective and thermal components of the planetary flux, the effect of stellar oblateness and light-travel time on transit-eclipse timings, the stellar activity, and CHEOPS systematics.
Results.
From the asymmetric transit, we measure the size of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-189 b, R
p
= 1.600
−0.016
+0.017
R
J
, with a precision of 1%, and the true orbital obliquity of the planetary system, Ψ
p
= 89.6 ± 1.2deg (polar orbit). We detect no significant hotspot offset from the phase curve and obtain an eclipse depth of δ
ecl
= 96.5
−5.0
+4.5
ppm, from which we derive an upper limit on the geometric albedo:
A
g
< 0.48. We also find that the eclipse depth can only be explained by thermal emission alone in the case of extremely inefficient energy redistribution. Finally, we attribute the photometric variability to the stellar rotation, either through superficial inhomogeneities or resonance couplings between the convective core and the radiative envelope.
Conclusions.
Based on the derived system architecture, we predict the eclipse depth in the upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) observations to be up to ~165 ppm. High-precision detection of the eclipse in both CHEOPS and TESS passbands might help disentangle reflective and thermal contributions. We also expect the right ascension of the ascending node of the orbit to precess due to the perturbations induced by the stellar quadrupole moment
J
2
(oblateness).