ABSTRACT
We present a detailed study of the binary central star of the planetary nebula ETHOS 1 (PN G068.1+11.0). Simultaneous modelling of light and radial velocity curves reveals the binary to ...comprise a hot and massive pre-white dwarf with an M-type main-sequence companion. A good fit to the observations was found with a companion that follows expected mass–temperature–radius relationships for low-mass stars, indicating that despite being highly irradiated, it is consistent with not being significantly hotter or larger than a typical star of the same mass. Previous modelling indicated that ETHOS 1 may comprise the first case where the orbital plane of the central binary does not lie perpendicular to the nebular symmetry axis, at odds with the expectation that the common envelope is ejected in the orbital plane. We find no evidence for such a discrepancy, deriving a binary inclination in agreement with that of the nebula as determined by spatio-kinematic modelling. This makes ETHOS 1 the ninth post-common-envelope planetary nebula in which the binary orbital and nebular symmetry axes have been shown to be aligned, with as yet no known counter-examples. The probability of finding such a correlation by chance is now less than 0.000 02 per cent.
Constraints on TESS albedos for five hot Jupiters Blažek, Martin; Kabáth, Petr; Piette, Anjali A A ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
07/2022, Volume:
513, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
ABSTRACT
Photometric observations of occultations of transiting exoplanets can place important constraints on the thermal emission and albedos of their atmospheres. We analyse photometric ...measurements and derive geometric albedo (Ag) constraints for five hot Jupiters observed with TESS in the optical: WASP-18 b, WASP-36 b, WASP-43 b, WASP-50 b, and WASP-51 b. For WASP-43 b, our results are complemented by a VLT/HAWK-I observation in the near-infrared at $2.09\, \mu$m. We derive the first geometric albedo constraints for WASP-50 b and WASP-51 b: Ag < 0.445 and Ag < 0.368, respectively. We find that WASP-43 b and WASP-18 b are both consistent with low geometric albedos (Ag < 0.16) even though they lie at opposite ends of the hot Jupiter temperature range with equilibrium temperatures of ∼1400 K and ∼2500 K, respectively. We report self-consistent atmospheric models that explain broad-band observations for both planets from TESS, HST, Spitzer, and VLT/HAWK-I. We find that the data of both hot Jupiters can be explained by thermal emission alone and inefficient day–night energy redistribution. The data do not require optical scattering from clouds/hazes, consistent with the low geometric albedos observed.
ABSTRACT
We present a detailed study of the stellar and orbital parameters of the post-common envelope binary central star of the planetary nebula Ou 5. Low-resolution spectra obtained during the ...primary eclipse – to our knowledge the first isolated spectra of the companion to a post-common-envelope planetary nebula central star – were compared to catalogue spectra, indicating that the companion star is a late K- or early M-type dwarf. Simultaneous modelling of multiband photometry and time-resolved radial velocity measurements was then used to independently determine the parameters of both stars as well as the orbital period and inclination. The modelling indicates that the companion star is low mass (∼0.25 M⊙) and has a radius significantly larger than would be expected for its mass. Furthermore, the effective temperature and surface gravity of nebular progenitor, as derived by the modelling, do not lie on single-star post-AGB evolutionary tracks, instead being more consistent with a post-RGB evolution. However, an accurate determination of the component masses is challenging. This is principally due to the uncertainty on the locus of the spectral lines generated by the irradiation of the companion’s atmosphere by the hot primary (used to derive companion star’s radial velocities), as well as the lack of radial velocities of the primary.
ABSTRACT Passing stars can perturb the Oort Cloud, triggering comet showers and potentially extinction events on Earth. We combine velocity measurements for the recently discovered, nearby, low-mass ...binary system WISE J072003.20-084651.2 ("Scholz's star") to calculate its past trajectory. Integrating the Galactic orbits of this ∼0.15 M binary system and the Sun, we find that the binary passed within only 52+23−14 kAU (0.25+0.11−0.07 pc) of the Sun 70+15−10 kya (1 uncertainties), i.e., within the outer Oort Cloud. This is the closest known encounter of a star to our solar system with a well-constrained distance and velocity. Previous work suggests that flybys within 0.25 pc occur infrequently (∼0.1 Myr−1). We show that given the low mass and high velocity of the binary system, the encounter was dynamically weak. Using the best available astrometry, our simulations suggest that the probability that the star penetrated the outer Oort Cloud is ∼98%, but the probability of penetrating the dynamically active inner Oort Cloud (<20 kAU) is ∼10−4. While the flyby of this system likely caused negligible impact on the flux of long-period comets, the recent discovery of this binary highlights that dynamically important Oort Cloud perturbers may be lurking among nearby stars.
We report the discovery of TOI-1268b, a transiting Saturn-mass planet from the TESS space mission. With an age of less than 1 Gyr, derived from various age indicators, TOI-1268b is the youngest ...Saturn-mass planet known to date; it contributes to the small sample of well-characterised young planets. It has an orbital period of
P
= 8.1577080 ± 0.0000044 days, and transits an early K-dwarf star with a mass of
M
*
= 0.96 ± 0.04
M
⊙
, a radius of
R
*
= 0.92 ± 0.06
R
⊙
, an effective temperature of
T
eff
= 5300 ± 100 K, and a metallicity of 0.36 ± 0.06 dex. By combining TESS photometry with high-resolution spectra acquired with the Tull spectrograph at the McDonald Observatory, and the high-resolution spectrographs at the Tautenburg and Ondřejov Observatories, we measured a planetary mass of
M
p
= 96.4 ± 8.3
M
⊕
and a radius of
R
p
= 9.1 ± 0.6
R
⊕
. TOI-1268 is an ideal system for studying the role of star-planet tidal interactions for non-inflated Saturn-mass planets. We used system parameters derived in this paper to constrain the planet’s tidal quality factor to the range of 10
4.5–5.3
. When compared with the sample of other non-inflated Saturn-mass planets, TOI-1268b is one of the best candidates for transmission spectroscopy studies.
ABSTRACT
We present the confirmation and characterization of three hot Jupiters, TOI-1181b, TOI-1516b, and TOI-2046b, discovered by the TESS space mission. The reported hot Jupiters have orbital ...periods between 1.4 and 2.05 d. The masses of the three planets are 1.18 ± 0.14 MJ, 3.16 ± 0.12 MJ, and 2.30 ± 0.28 MJ, for TOI-1181b, TOI-1516b, and TOI-2046b, respectively. The stellar host of TOI-1181b is a F9IV star, whereas TOI-1516b and TOI-2046b orbit F main sequence host stars. The ages of the first two systems are in the range of 2–5 Gyrs. However, TOI-2046 is among the few youngest known planetary systems hosting a hot Jupiter, with an age estimate of 100–400 Myrs. The main instruments used for the radial velocity follow-up of these three planets are located at Ondřejov, Tautenburg, and McDonald Observatory, and all three are mounted on 2–3 m aperture telescopes, demonstrating that mid-aperture telescope networks can play a substantial role in the follow-up of gas giants discovered by TESS and in the future by PLATO.
Abstract
We present a detailed analysis of IC 4776, a planetary nebula displaying a morphology believed to be typical of central star binarity. The nebula is shown to comprise a compact ...hourglass-shaped central region and a pair of precessing jet-like structures. Time-resolved spectroscopy of its central star reveals a periodic radial velocity variability consistent with a binary system. Whilst the data are insufficient to accurately determine the parameters of the binary, the most likely solutions indicate that the secondary is probably a low-mass main-sequence star. An empirical analysis of the chemical abundances in IC 4776 indicates that the common-envelope phase may have cut short the asymptotic giant branch evolution of the progenitor. Abundances calculated from recombination lines are found to be discrepant by a factor of approximately 2 relative to those calculated using collisionally excited lines, suggesting a possible correlation between low-abundance discrepancy factors and intermediate-period post-common-envelope central stars and/or Wolf-Rayet central stars. The detection of a radial velocity variability associated with the binarity of the central star of IC 4776 may be indicative of a significant population of (intermediate-period) post-common-envelope binary central stars that would be undetected by classic photometric monitoring techniques.
The tidal tails of stellar clusters provide an important tool for studying the birth conditions of the clusters and their evolution, coupling, and interaction with the Galactic potential. The
Gaia
...satellite, with its high-quality astrometric data, opened this field of study, allowing us to observe large-scale tidal tails. Theoretical models of tidal-tail formation and evolution are available. However, the exact appearance of tidal features as seen in the
Gaia
catalogue has not yet been studied. Here we present the
N
-body evolution of a Hyades-like stellar cluster with backward-integrated initial conditions on a realistic 3D orbit in the Milky Way galaxy computed within the AMUSE framework. For the first time, we explore the effect of the initial cluster rotation and the presence of lumps in the Galactic potential on the formation and evolution of tidal tails. For all of our simulations we present
Gaia
observables and derived parameters in the convergent point (CP) diagram. We show that the tidal tails are not naturally clustered in any coordinate system and that they can span up to 40 km s
−1
relative to the cluster centre in proper motions for a cluster age of 600–700 Myr. Models with initial rotation result in significant differences in the cluster mass loss and follow different angular momentum time evolution. Thus the orientation of the tidal tails relative to the motion vector of the cluster and the current cluster angular momentum constrain the initial rotation of the cluster. We highlight the use of the standard CP method in searches for co-moving groups and introduce a new compact CP (CCP) method that accounts for internal kinematics based on an assumed model. Using the CCP method, we are able to recover candidate members of the Hyades tidal tails in the
Gaia
Data Release 2 and early Data Release 3 (eDR3) reaching a total extent of almost 1 kpc. We confirm the previously noted asymmetry in the detected tidal tails. In the eDR3 data we recovered spatial overdensities in the leading and trailing tails that are kinematically consistent with being epicyclic overdensities and thus would present candidates for the first such detection in an open star cluster. We show that the epicyclic overdensities are able to provide constraints not only on the cluster properties, but also on the Galactic potential. Finally, based on
N
-body simulations, a close encounter with a massive Galactic lump can explain the observed asymmetry in the tidal tails of the Hyades.
Context. Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are rare massive stars with very high luminosity. They are characterized by strong photometric and spectroscopic variability related to transient eruptions. ...The mechanisms at the origin of these eruptions is not well known. In addition, their formation is still problematic and the presence of a companion could help to explain how they form. Aims. This article presents a study of seven LBVs (about 20% of the known Galactic population), some Wolf-Rayet stars, and massive binaries. We probe the environments that surround these massive stars with near-, mid-, and far-infrared images, investigating potential nebula/shells and the companion stars. Methods. To investigate large spatial scales, we used seeing-limited and near diffraction-limited adaptive optics images to obtain a differential diagnostic on the presence of circumstellar matter and to determine their extent. From those images, we also looked for the presence of binary companions on a wide orbit. Once a companion was detected, its gravitational binding to the central star was tested. Tests include the chance projection probability, the proper motion estimates with multi-epoch observations, flux ratio, and star separations. Results. We find that two out of seven of LBVs may have a wide orbit companion. Most of the LBVs display a large circumstellar envelope or several shells. In particular, HD 168625, known for its rings, possesses several shells with possibly a large cold shell at the edge of which the rings are formed. For the first time, we have directly imaged the companion of LBV stars.
We report the discovery of an intermediate-mass transiting brown dwarf (BD), TOI-503b, from the TESS mission. TOI-503b is the first BD discovered by TESS, and it has circular orbit around a ...metallic-line A-type star with a period of P=3.6772±0.0001 days. The light curve from TESS indicates that TOI-503b transits its host star in a grazing manner, which limits the precision with which we measure the BD’s radius R(b) = 1.34(+0.26, -0.15)R(J). We obtained high resolution spectroscopic observations with the FIES, Ondrejov, PARAS, Tautenburg, and TRES spectrographs, and measured the mass of TOI-503b to be M(b)=53.7±1.2 M(J). The host star has a mass of M(*)=1.80±0.06M(ʘ), a radius of R(*)=1.70±0.05R(ʘ), an effective temperature of T(eff)=7650±160 K, and a relatively high metallicity of 0.61±0.07 dex. We used stellar isochrones to derive the age of the system to be ∼180 Myr, which places its age between that of RIK 72b (a ∼10 Myr old BD in the Upper Scorpius stellar association) and AD 3116b (a ∼600 Myr old BD in the Praesepe cluster). Given the difficulty in measuring the tidal interactions between BDs and their host stars, we cannot precisely say whether this BD formed in situ or has had its orbit circularized by its host star over the relatively short age of the system. Instead, we offer an examination of plausible values for the tidal quality factor for the star and BD. TOI-503b joins a growing number of known short-period, intermediate-mass BDs orbiting main sequence stars, and is the second such BD known to transit an A star, after HATS-70b. With the growth in the population in this regime, the driest region in the BD desert (35–55M(J) sin i) is reforesting.