Context. Atmospheric properties of F-, G- and K-type stars can be measured by spectral model fitting or with the analysis of equivalent width (EW) measurements. These methods require data with good ...signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) and reliable continuum normalisation. This is particularly challenging for the spectra we have obtained with the CORALIE échelle spectrograph for FGK stars with transiting M-dwarf companions. The spectra tend to have low S/Ns, which makes it difficult to analyse them using existing methods. Aims. Our aim is to create a reliable automated spectral analysis routine to determine Teff, Fe/H, V sini from the CORALIE spectra of FGK stars. Methods. We use wavelet decomposition to distinguish between noise, continuum trends, and stellar spectral features in the CORALIE spectra. A subset of wavelet coefficients from the target spectrum are compared to those from a grid of models in a Bayesian framework to determine the posterior probability distributions of the atmospheric parameters. Results. By testing our method using synthetic spectra we found that our method converges on the best fitting atmospheric parameters. We test the wavelet method on 20 FGK exoplanet host stars for which higher-quality data have been independently analysed using EW measurements. We find that we can determine Teff to a precision of 85 K, Fe/H to a precision of 0.06 dex and V sini to a precision of 1.35 km s−1 for stars with V sini ≥ 5 km s−1. We find an offset in metallicity ≈− 0.18 dex relative to the EW fitting method. We can determine log g to a precision of 0.13 dex but find systematic trends with Teff. Measurements of log g are only reliable enough to confirm dwarf-like surface gravity (log g ≈ 4.5). Conclusions. The wavelet method can be used to determine Teff, Fe/H, and V sini for FGK stars from CORALIE échelle spectra. Measurements of log g are unreliable but can confirm dwarf-like surface gravity. We find that our method is self consistent, and robust for spectra with S∕N ⪆ 40.
The Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncoprotein homolog (KRAS) is currently a primary focus of oncologists and translational scientists, driven by exciting results with KRAS-targeted therapies for ...non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. While KRAS mutations continue to drive high cancer diagnosis and death, researchers have developed unique strategies to target KRAS variations. Having been investigated over the past 40 years and considered “undruggable” due to the lack of pharmacological binding pockets, recent breakthroughs and accelerated FDA approval of the first covalent inhibitors targeting KRAS G12C , have largely sparked further drug development. Small molecule development has targeted the previously identified primary location alterations such as G12, G13, Q61, and expanded to address the emerging secondary mutations and acquired resistance. Of interest, the non-covalent KRAS G12D targeting inhibitor MRTX-1133 has shown promising results in humanized pancreatic cancer mouse models and is seemingly making its way from bench to bedside. While this manuscript was under review a novel class of first covalent inhibitors specific for G12D was published, These so-called malolactones can crosslink both GDP and GTP bound forms of G12D. Inhibition of the latter state suppressed downstream signaling and cancer cell proliferation in vitro and in mouse xenografts. Moreover, a non-covalent pan-KRAS inhibitor, BI-2865, reduced tumor proliferation in cell lines and mouse models. Finally, the next generation of KRAS mutant-specific and pan-RAS tri-complex inhibitors have revolutionized RAS drug discovery. This review will give a structural biology perspective on the current generation of KRAS inhibitors through the lens of emerging secondary mutations and acquired resistance.
Abstract
We present seven new transiting hot Jupiters from the WASP-South survey. The planets are all typical hot Jupiters orbiting stars from F4 to K0 with magnitudes of V = 10.3-12.5. The orbital ...periods are all in the range of 3.9-4.6 d, the planetary masses range from 0.4 to 2.3 M
Jup and the radii from 1.1 to 1.4 R
Jup. In line with known hot Jupiters, the planetary densities range from Jupiter-like to inflated (ρ = 0.13-1.07ρJup). We use the increasing numbers of known hot Jupiters to investigate the distribution of their orbital periods and the 3-4 d 'pile-up'.
ABSTRACT
Among the intermediate mass pulsating stars known as δ Sct stars is a subset of high-amplitude and predominantly radial-mode pulsators known as high-amplitude δ Sct (HADS) stars. From more ...than 2000 δ Sct stars observed by the Kepler space mission, only two HADS stars were detected. We investigate the more perplexing of these two HADS stars, KIC 5950759. We study its variability using ground- and space-based photometry, determine its atmospheric parameters from spectroscopy and perform asteroseismic modelling to constrain its mass and evolutionary stage. From spectroscopy, we find that KIC 5950759 is a metal-poor star, which is in agreement with the inferred metallicity needed to reproduce its pulsation mode frequencies from non-adiabatic pulsation models. Furthermore, we combine ground-based WASP and Kepler space photometry, and measure a linear change in period of order $\dot{P}/P \simeq 10^{-6}$ yr−1 for both the fundamental and first overtone radial modes across a time base of several years, which is at least two orders of magnitude larger than predicted by evolution models, and is the largest measured period change in a δ Sct star to date. Our analysis indicates that KIC 5950759 is a metal-poor HADS star near the short-lived contraction phase and the terminal-age main sequence, with its sub-solar metallicity making it a candidate SX Phe star. KIC 5950759 is a unique object among the thousands of known δ Sct stars and warrants further study to ascertain why its pulsation modes are evolving remarkably faster than predicted by stellar evolution.
Context. Several competing scenarios for planetary-system formation and evolution seek to explain how hot Jupiters came to be so close to their parent stars. Most planetary parameters evolve with ...time, making it hard to distinguish between models. The obliquity of an orbit with respect to the stellar rotation axis is thought to be more stable than other parameters such as eccentricity. Most planets, to date, appear aligned with the stellar rotation axis; the few misaligned planets so far detected are massive (\textgreater2 M-J). Aims. Our goal is to measure the degree of alignment between planetary orbits and stellar spin axes, to search for potential correlations with eccentricity or other planetary parameters and to measure long term radial velocity variability indicating the presence of other bodies in the system. Methods. For transiting planets, the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect allows the measurement of the sky-projected angle beta between the stellar rotation axis and a planet's orbital axis. Using the HARPS spectrograph, we observed the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect for six transiting hot Jupiters found by the WASP consortium. We combine these with long term radial velocity measurements obtained with CORALIE. We used a combined analysis of photometry and radial velocities, fitting model parameters with the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. After obtaining beta we attempt to statistically determine the stribution of the real spin-orbit angle psi. Results. We found that three of our targets have beta above 90 degrees: WASP-2b: beta = 153 degrees(+11)(-15), WASP-15b: beta = 139.6 degrees(+5.2)(-4.3) and WASP-17b: beta = 148.5 degrees(+5.1)(-4.2); the other three (WASP-4b, WASP-5b and WASP-18b) have angles compatible with 0 degrees. We find no dependence between the misaligned angle and planet mass nor with any other planetary parameter. All six orbits are close to circular, with only one firm detection of eccentricity e = 0.00848(-0.00095)(+0.00085) in WASP-18b. No long-term radial acceleration was detected for any of the targets. Combining all previous 20 measurements of beta and our six and transforming them into a distribution of psi we find that between about 45 and 85% of hot Jupiters have psi \textgreater 30 degrees. Conclusions. Most hot Jupiters are misaligned, with a large variety of spin-orbit angles. We find observations and predictions using the Kozai mechanism match well. If these observational facts are confirmed in the future, we may then conclude that most hot Jupiters are formed from a dynamical and tidal origin without the necessity to use type I or II migration. At present, standard disc migration cannot explain the observations without invoking at least another additional process.
The 'hot Jupiters' that abound in lists of known extrasolar planets are thought to have formed far from their host stars, but migrate inwards through interactions with the proto-planetary disk from ...which they were born, or by an alternative mechanism such as planet-planet scattering. The hot Jupiters closest to their parent stars, at orbital distances of only ∼0.02 astronomical units, have strong tidal interactions, and systems such as OGLE-TR-56 have been suggested as tests of tidal dissipation theory. Here we report the discovery of planet WASP-18b with an orbital period of 0.94 days and a mass of ten Jupiter masses (10 MJup), resulting in a tidal interaction an order of magnitude stronger than that of planet OGLE-TR-56b. Under the assumption that the tidal-dissipation parameter Q of the host star is of the order of 106, as measured for Solar System bodies and binary stars and as often applied to extrasolar planets, WASP-18b will be spiralling inwards on a timescale less than a thousandth that of the lifetime of its host star. Therefore either WASP-18 is in a rare, exceptionally short-lived state, or the tidal dissipation in this system (and possibly other hot-Jupiter systems) must be much weaker than in the Solar System.
We present new measurements of the projected spin-orbit angle lambda for six WASP hot Jupiters, four of which are new to the literature (WASP-61, -62, -76, and -78), and two of which are new analyses ...of previously measured systems using new data (WASP-71, and -79). We use three different models based on two different techniques: radial velocity measurements of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, and Doppler tomography. Our comparison of the different models reveals that they produce projected stellar rotation velocities (v sin I sub( s)) measurements often in disagreement with each other and with estimates obtained from spectral line broadening. The Boue model for the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect consistently underestimates the value of v sin I sub( s) compared to the Hirano model. Although v sin I sub( s) differed, the effect on lambda was small for our sample, with all three methods producing values in agreement with each other. Using Doppler tomography, we find that WASP-61 b ( lambda =4 degree . 0 +...), WASP-71 b ( lambda =-1 degree . 9 +...), and WASP-78 b ( lambda = -6. degree 4 plus or minus 5.9) are aligned. WASP-62 b ( lambda =19 degree . 4 +...) is found to be slightly misaligned, while WASP-79 b ( lambda =-95 degree .2 +...) is confirmed to be strongly misaligned and has a retrograde orbit. We explore a range of possibilities for the orbit of WASP-76 b, finding that the orbit is likely to be strongly misaligned in the positive lambda direction. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
ABSTRACT
We report the discovery and characterization of WASP-180Ab, a hot Jupiter confirmed by the detection of its Doppler shadow and by measuring its mass using radial velocities. We find the 0.9 ... ± 0.1 MJup, 1.24 ± 0.04 RJup planet to be in a misaligned, retrograde orbit around an F7 star with Teff = 6500 K and a moderate rotation speed of vsin i⋆ = 19.9 km s−1. The host star is the primary of a V = 10.7 binary, where a secondary separated by ∼5 arcsec (∼1200 au) contributes ∼ 30 per cent of the light. WASP-180Ab therefore adds to a small sample of transiting hot Jupiters known in binary systems. A 4.6-d modulation seen in the WASP data is likely to be the rotational modulation of the companion star, WASP-180B.
The Kepler satellite mission was designed to search for transiting exoplanets and delivers single band-pass light curves of a huge number of stars observed in the Cygnus-Lyra region. At the same ...time, it opens a new window for asteroseismology. In order to accomplish one of the required preconditions for the asteroseismic modelling of the stars, namely knowledge of their precise fundamental parameters, ground-based spectroscopic and/or photometric follow-up observations are needed. We aim to derive fundamental parameters and individual abundances for a sample of 18 γ Dor/δ Sct and 8 slowly pulsating B (SPB)/β Cep candidate stars in the Kepler satellite field of view. We use the spectral synthesis method to model newly obtained, high-resolution spectra of 26 stars in order to derive their fundamental parameters like T
eff, log g, v sin i, ξ, M/H and individual abundances with high accuracy. The stars are then placed into the log (T
eff)-log (g) diagram and the obtained spectroscopic classification is compared to the existing photometric one. For most A- and F-type stars, the derived T
eff values agree within the measurement errors with the values given in the Kepler Input Catalog (KIC). For hot stars, the KIC temperatures appear to be systematically underestimated, in agreement with previous findings. We also find that the temperatures derived from our spectra agree reasonably well with those derived from the spectral energy distribution fitting. According to their position in the log (T
eff)-log (g) diagram, two stars are expected γ Dor stars, four stars are expected δ Sct stars and four stars are possibly δ Sct stars at the blue edge of the instability strip. Two stars are confirmed SPB variables, and one star falls into the SPB instability region but its parameters might be biased by binarity. Two of the four stars that fall into the δ Sct instability region show γ Dor-type oscillation in their light curves implying that γ Dor-like oscillations are much more common among the δ Sct stars than what is theoretically expected. Moreover, one of the stars located at the hot border of the δ Sct instability strip is classified as δ Sct-γ Dor hybrid pulsator from its light-curve analysis. Given that these findings are fully consistent with recent investigations, we conclude that a revision of the γ Dor and δ Sct instability strips is essential.
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