In this paper, we continue the release of high-level data products from the multiyear photometric survey collected at the 67/92 cm Schmidt Telescope in Asiago. The primary goal of the survey is to ...discover and to characterize variable objects and exoplanetary transits in four fields containing five nearby open clusters spanning a broad range of ages. This second paper releases a photometric catalogue, in five photometric bands, of the solar-age, solar-metallicity open cluster M 67 (NGC 2682). Proper motions are derived comparing the positions observed in 2013 at the Asiago's Schmidt Telescope with those extracted from Wide Field Imager@2.2 m Max-Planck-Gesellschaft/European Southern Obseratory images in 2000. We also analyse the variable sources within M 67. We detected 68 variables, 43 of which are new detection. Variable periods and proper-motion memberships of a large majority of sources in our catalogue are improved with respect to previous releases. The entire catalogue will be available in electronic format. Besides the general interest on an improved catalogue, this work will be particularly useful because of: (1) the imminent release of Kepler/K2 Campaign-5 data of this clusters, for which our catalogue will provide an excellent, high spatial resolution input list, and (2) characterization of the M 67 stars which are targets of intense High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher and High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern hemisphere radial-velocity surveys for planet search.
We confirm the planetary nature of Kepler-539 b (aka Kepler object of interest K00372.01), a giant transiting exoplanet orbiting a solar-analogue G2 V star. The mass of Kepler-539 b was accurately ...derived thanks to a series of precise radial velocity measurements obtained with the CAFE spectrograph mounted on the CAHA 2.2-m telescope. A simultaneous fit of the radial-velocity data and Kepler photometry revealed that Kepler-539 b is a dense Jupiter-like planet with a mass of Mp = 0.97 ± 0.29 MJup and a radius of Rp = 0.747 ± 0.018 RJup, making a complete circular revolution around its parent star in 125.6 days. The semi-major axis of the orbit is roughly 0.5 au, implying that the planet is at ≈0.45 au from the habitable zone. By analysing the mid-transit times of the 12 transit events of Kepler-539 b recorded by the Kepler spacecraft, we found a clear modulated transit time variation (TTV), which is attributable to the presence of a planet c in a wider orbit. The few timings available do not allow us to precisely estimate the properties of Kepler-539 c and our analysis suggests that it has a mass between 1.2 and 3.6 MJup, revolving on a very eccentric orbit (0.4 <e ≤ 0.6) with a period larger than 1000 days. The high eccentricity of planet c is the probable cause of the TTV modulation of planet b. The analysis of the CAFE spectra revealed a relatively high photospheric lithium content, A(Li) = 2.48 ± 0.12 dex, which, together with both a gyrochronological and isochronal analysis, suggests that the parent star is relatively young.
ABSTRACT
To date, only 18 exoplanets with radial velocity (RV) semi-amplitude <2 m s−1 have had their masses directly constrained. The biggest obstacle to RV detection of such exoplanets is ...variability intrinsic to stars themselves, e.g. nuisance signals arising from surface magnetic activity such as rotating spots and plages, which can drown out or even mimic planetary RV signals. We use Kepler-37 – known to host three transiting planets, one of which, Kepler-37d, should be on the cusp of RV detectability with modern spectrographs – as a case study in disentangling planetary and stellar activity signals. We show how two different statistical techniques – one seeking to identify activity signals in stellar spectra, and another to model activity signals in extracted RVs and activity indicators – can each enable a detection of the hitherto elusive Kepler-37d. Moreover, we show that these two approaches can be complementary, and in combination, facilitate a definitive detection and precise characterization of Kepler-37d. Its RV semi-amplitude of 1.22 ± 0.31 m s−1 (mass 5.4 ± 1.4 M⊕) is formally consistent with TOI-178b’s $1.05^{+0.25}_{-0.30}$ m s−1, the latter being the smallest detected RV signal of any transiting planet to date, though dynamical simulations suggest Kepler-37d’s mass may be on the lower end of our 1σ credible interval. Its consequent density is consistent with either a water-world or that of a gaseous envelope ($\sim 0.4{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ by mass) surrounding a rocky core. Based on RV modelling and a re-analysis of Kepler-37 TTVs, we also suggest that the putative (non-transiting) planet Kepler-37e should be stripped of its ‘confirmed’ status.
We present the spectroscopic and photometric study of five intermediate-luminosity red transients (ILRTs), namely AT 2010dn, AT 2012jc, AT 2013la, AT 2013lb, and AT 2018aes. They share common ...observational properties and belong to a family of objects similar to the prototypical ILRT SN 2008S. These events have a rise time that is less than 15 days and absolute peak magnitudes of between −11.5 and −14.5 mag. Their pseudo-bolometric light curves peak in the range 0.5–9.0 × 10
40
erg s
−1
and their total radiated energies are on the order of (0.3–3) × 10
47
erg. After maximum brightness, the light curves show a monotonic decline or a plateau, resembling those of faint supernovae IIL or IIP, respectively. At late phases, the light curves flatten, roughly following the slope of the
56
Co decay. If the late-time power source is indeed radioactive decay, these transients produce
56
Ni masses on the order of 10
−4
to 10
−3
M
⊙
. The spectral energy distribution of our ILRT sample, extending from the optical to the mid-infrared (MIR) domain, reveals a clear IR excess soon after explosion and non-negligible MIR emission at very late phases. The spectra show prominent H lines in emission with a typical velocity of a few hundred km s
−1
, along with Ca II features. In particular, the Ca
II
λ
7291,7324 doublet is visible at all times, which is a characteristic feature for this family of transients. The identified progenitor of SN 2008S, which is luminous in archival
Spitzer
MIR images, suggests an intermediate-mass precursor star embedded in a dusty cocoon. We propose the explosion of a super-asymptotic giant branch star forming an electron-capture supernova as a plausible explanation for these events.
In the third paper of this series we continue the exploitation of Kepler/K2 data in dense stellar fields using our PSF-based method. This work is focused on a ~720-arcmin super( 2) region centred on ...the Solar-metallicity and Solar-age open cluster M 67. We extracted light curves for all detectable sources in the Kepler channels 13 and 14, adopting our technique based on the usage of a high-angular-resolution input catalogue and target-neighbour subtraction. We detrended light curves for systematic errors, and searched for variables and exoplanets using several tools. We found 451 variables, of which 299 are new detection. Three planetary candidates were detected by our pipeline in this field. Raw and detrended light curves, catalogues, and K2 stacked images used in this work will be released to the community.
ABSTRACT
A growing number of eclipsing binary systems of the ‘HW Virginis’ (HW Vir) kind (i.e. composed by a subdwarf-B/O primary star and an M dwarf secondary) show variations in their orbital ...period, also called eclipse time variations (ETVs). Their physical origin is not yet known with certainty: While some ETVs have been claimed to arise from dynamical perturbations due to the presence of circumbinary planetary companions, other authors suggest that the Applegate effect or other unknown stellar mechanisms could be responsible for them. In this work, we present 28 unpublished high-precision light curves of one of the most controversial of these systems, the prototype HW Vir. We homogeneously analysed the new eclipse timings together with historical data obtained between 1983 and 2012, demonstrating that the planetary models previously claimed do not fit the new photometric data, besides being dynamically unstable. In an effort to find a new model able to fit all the available data, we developed a new approach based on a global-search genetic algorithm and eventually found two new distinct families of solutions that fit the observed timings very well, yet dynamically unstable at the 105-yr time-scale. This serves as a cautionary tale on the existence of formal solutions that apparently explain ETVs but are not physically meaningful, and on the need of carefully testing their stability. On the other hand, our data confirm the presence of an ETV on HW Vir that known stellar mechanisms are unable to explain, pushing towards further observing and modeling efforts.
TASTE (The Asiago Search for Transit timing variations of Exoplanets) project is collecting high-precision, short-cadence light curves for a selected sample of transiting exoplanets. It has been ...claimed that the hot jupiter HAT-P-13b suddenly deviated from a linear ephemeris by ~20 min, implying that there is a perturber in the system. Using five new transits, we discuss the plausibility of this transit time variation (TTV), and show that a periodic signal should not be excluded. More follow-up observations are required to constrain the mass and the orbit of the hypothetical perturber.
We present radial velocity follow-up observations of K2-19, a compact planetary system hosting three planets, of which the two larger ones, K2-19b and K2-19c, are close to the 3:2 mean motion ...resonance. An analysis considering only the radial velocity measurements detects K2-19b, the larger and more massive planet in the system, with a mass of 54.8 ± 7.5M⊕ and provides a marginal detection of K2-19c, with a mass of Mc = 5.9+7.6-4.3 M⊕. We also used the TRADES code to simultaneously model both our RV measurements and the existing transit timing measurements. We derived a mass of 54.4 ± 8.9M⊕ for K2-19b and of 7.5+3.0-1.4M⊕ for K2-19c. For K2-19b, these masses are consistent with a previous determination that was principally based on a photodynamical analysis of the K2-19 light curve. Differences remain mainly in the mass determination of the more lightweight planet, driven likely by the limited precision of the RV measurements and possibly some as yet unrecognized systematics.
To evaluate the impact of chemotherapy and surgery on the outcome of osteosarcoma (OS) of the extremities and to identify prognostic factors in Brazilian patients.
A total of 225 patients with ...metastatic and nonmetastatic OS of the extremities were enrolled and assessed in two consecutive studies designed and implemented by the Brazilian Osteosarcoma Treatment Group.
The 5-year survival and event-free survival rates for the 209 assessable patients were 50.1% and 39%, respectively; for the 178 patients with nonmetastatic disease at diagnosis, the rates were 60.5% and 45.5%, respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that the following variables were associated with a shorter survival: metastases at diagnosis (P < .001), necrosis grades 1 and 2 (P = .046), and tumor size (P = .0071).
The overall 5- and 10-year survival rates were lower than the rates reported in North American and European trials. A pattern of advanced disease at diagnosis was often present, with a high proportion of patients having metastases (20.8%) and large tumor size (42.9%). However, these features were not necessarily associated with longer duration of prediagnostic symptoms. These findings were considered in the strategic planning of the current Brazilian cooperative study, with the aim of improving survival and quality of life of a large number of patients with OS.
PDF
