From Birth to Death of Protoplanetary Disks: Modeling Their Formation, Evolution, and Dispersal

From Birth to Death of Protoplanetary Disks: Modeling Their Formation, Evolution, and Dispersal

Authors:

Kimura et al

Abstract:

Formation, evolution, and dispersal processes of protoplanetary disks are investigated and the disk lifetime is estimated. Gravitational collapse of a pre-stellar core forms both a central star and a protoplanetary disk. The central star grows by accretion from the disk, and irradiation by the central star heats up the disk and generates thermal wind, which results in the disk dispersal. We calculate the evolution of protoplanetary disks from their parent pre-stellar cores to dispersal of the disks. We find that the disk lifetimes of typical pre-stellar cores are around 2--4 million years (Myr). A pre-stellar core with high angular momentum forms a larger disk whose lifetime is long, while a disk around a X-ray luminous star has a short lifetime. Integrating the disk lifetimes under various mass and angular velocity of prestellar cores and X-ray luminosities of young stellar objects, we obtain disk fraction at a given stellar age and mean lifetime of the disks. Our model indicates that the mean lifetime of protoplanetary disks is 3.7 Myr, which is consistent with the observational estimate from young stellar clusters. We also find that the dispersion of X-ray luminosity is needed to reproduce the observed disk fraction.

Chemistry in Disks X: The Molecular Content of Proto-planetary Disks in Taurus

Chemistry in Disks X: The Molecular Content of Proto-planetary Disks in Taurus

Authors:

Guilloteau et al

Abstract:

We used the IRAM 30-m to perform a sensitive wideband survey of 30 protoplanetary disks in the Taurus Auriga region. We simultaneously observed HCO+(3-2), HCN(3-2), C2H(3-2), CS(5-4), and two transitions of SO. We combine the results with a previous survey which observed 13CO (2-1), CN(2-1), two o-H2CO lines and one of SO. We use available interferometric data to derive excitation temperatures of CN and C2H in several sources. We determine characteristic sizes of the gas disks and column densities of all molecules using a parametric power-law disk model. Our study is mostly sensitive to molecules at 200-400 au from the stars. We compare the derived column densities to the predictions of an extensive gas-grain chemical disk model, under conditions representative of T Tauri disks. This survey provides 20 new detections of HCO+ in disks, 18 in HCN, 11 in C2H, 8 in CS and 4 in SO. HCO+ is detected in almost all sources, and its J=3-2 line is essentially optically thick, providing good estimates of the disk radii. The other transitions are (at least partially) optically thin. Variations of the column density ratios do not correlate with any specific property of the star or disk. Disks around Herbig Ae stars appear less rich in molecules than those around T Tauri stars, although the sample remains small. SO is only found in the (presumably younger) embedded objects, perhaps reflecting an evolution of the S chemistry due to increasing depletion with time. Overall, the molecular column densities, and in particular the CN/HCN and CN/C2H ratios, are well reproduced by gas-grain chemistry in cold disks. This study provides a census of simple molecules in disks of radii greater than 200−300 au. Extending that to smaller disks, or searching for less abundant or more complex molecules requires a much more sensitive facility, i.e. NOEMA and ALMA.

Radiation hydrodynamical models of the inner rim in protoplanetary disks

Radiation hydrodynamical models of the inner rim in protoplanetary disks

Authors:

Flock et al

Abstract:

Many stars host planets orbiting within a few astronomical units (AU). The occurrence rate and distributions of masses and orbits vary greatly with the host stars mass. These close planets origins are a mystery that motivates investigating protoplanetary disks central regions. A key factor governing the conditions near the star is the silicate sublimation front, which largely determines where the starlight is absorbed, and which is often called the inner rim. We present the first radiation hydrodynamical modeling of the sublimation front in the disks around the young intermediate-mass stars called Herbig Ae stars. The models are axisymmetric, and include starlight heating, silicate grains sublimating and condensing to equilibrium at the local, time-dependent temperature and density, and accretion stresses parametrizing the results of MHD magneto-rotational turbulence models. The results compare well with radiation hydrostatic solutions, and prove to be dynamically stable. Passing the model disks into Monte Carlo radiative transfer calculations, we show that the models satisfy observational constraints on the inner rims location. A small optically-thin halo of hot dust naturally arises between the inner rim and the star. The inner rim has a substantial radial extent, corresponding to several disk scale heights. While the fronts overall position varies with the stellar luminosity, its radial extent depends on the mass accretion rate. A pressure maximum develops near the location of thermal ionization at temperatures about 1000 K. The pressure maximum is capable of halting solid pebbles radial drift and concentrating them in a zone where temperatures are sufficiently high for annealing to form crystalline silicates.

Star-disk interaction in classical T Tauri stars revealed using wavelet analysis

Star-disk interaction in classical T Tauri stars revealed using wavelet analysis

Authors:

López-Santiago et al

Abstract:

Context.

The extension of the corona of classical T Tauri stars (CTTS) is is being widely discussed. The standard model of magnetic configuration of CTTS predicts that coronal magnetic flux tubes connect the stellar atmosphere to the inner region of the disk. However, differential rotation may disrupt these long loops. The results from hydrodynamic modeling of X-ray flares observed in CTTS that confirm the star-disk connection hypothesis are still controversial. Some authors suggest the presence of the accretion disk prevents the stellar corona extending beyond the co-rotation radius, while others are simply not confident with the methods used to derive loop lengths.

Aims.

We use independent procedures to determine the length of flaring loops in stars of the Orion Nebula Cluster, which has previously been analyzed using hydrodynamic models. Our aim is to disentangle the two scenarios that have been proposed.

Methods.

We present a different approach for determining the length of flaring loops that is based on the oscillatory nature of the loops after strong flares. We use wavelet tools to reveal oscillations during several flares. The subsequent analysis of these oscillations is based on the physics of coronal seismology.

Results.

Our results likely confirm the large extension of the corona of CTTS and the hypothesis of star-disk magnetic interaction in at least three CTTS of the Orion Nebula Cluster.

Conclusions.

Analyzing oscillations in flaring events is a powerful tool to determine the physical characteristics of magnetic loops in coronae in stars other than the Sun. The results presented in this work confirm the star-disk magnetic connection in CTTS.

Rapid Circumstellar Disk Evolution and an Accelerating Star Formation Rate in the Infrared Dark Cloud M17 SWex

Rapid Circumstellar Disk Evolution and an Accelerating Star Formation Rate in the Infrared Dark Cloud M17 SWex

Authors:

Povich et al

Abstract:

We present a catalog of 840 X-ray sources and first results from a 100 ks Chandra X-ray Observatory imaging study of the filamentary infrared dark cloud G014.225−00.506, which forms the central regions of a larger cloud complex known as the M17 southwest extension (M17 SWex). In addition to the rich population of protostars and young stellar objects with dusty circumstellar disks revealed by Spitzer Space Telescope archival data, we discover a population of X-ray-emitting, intermediate-mass pre--main-sequence stars (IMPS) that lack infrared excess emission from circumstellar disks. We model the infrared spectral energy distributions of this source population to measure its mass function and place new constraints on the inner dust disk destruction timescales for 2-8 M⊙ stars. We also place a lower limit on the star formation rate (SFR) and find that it is quite high (M˙≥0.007 M⊙ yr−1), equivalent to several Orion Nebula Clusters in G14.225−0.506 alone, and likely accelerating. The cloud complex has not produced a population of massive, O-type stars commensurate with its SFR. This absence of very massive (≥20 M⊙) stars suggests that either (1) M17 SWex is an example of a distributed mode of star formation that will produce a large OB association dominated by intermediate-mass stars but relatively few massive clusters, or (2) the massive cores are still in the process of accreting sufficient mass to form massive clusters hosting O stars.

The Stellar Winds of HL Tauri

The Winds from HL Tau

Authors:

Klaassen et al

Abstract:

Outflowing motions, whether a wind launched from the disk, a jet launched from the protostar, or the entrained molecular outflow, appear to be an ubiquitous feature of star formation. These outwards motions have a number of root causes, and how they manifest is intricately linked to their environment as well as the process of star formation itself.

Using the ALMA Science Verification data of HL Tau, we investigate the high velocity molecular gas being removed from the system as a result of the star formation process. We aim to place these motions in context with the optically detected jet, and the disk. With these high resolution (∼1") ALMA observations of CO (J=1-0), we quantify the outwards motions of the molecular gas. We find evidence for a bipolar outwards flow, with an opening angle, as measured in the red-shifted lobe, starting off at 90∘, and narrowing to 60∘ further from the disk, likely because of magnetic collimation. Its outwards velocity, corrected for inclination angle is of order 2.4 km s−1.

(Sub-)stellar variability: from 20 M⊙ to 13 MJup

(Sub-)stellar variability: from 20 M⊙ to 13 MJup

Author:

Caballero

Abstract:

Massive early-type stars vary; low-mass late-type brown dwarfs vary, too. I will make a short, but illustrative, summary of my previous studies on stellar and sub-stellar photometric variability (including the discovery of the most variable brown dwarf in the whole sky), and explain how amateurs can help professional astronomers with our investigations.

Trigonometric Parallaxes and Proper Motions of 134 Southern Late M, L, and T Dwarfs from the Carnegie Astrometric Planet Search Program

Trigonometric Parallaxes and Proper Motions of 134 Southern Late M, L, and T Dwarfs from the Carnegie Astrometric Planet Search Program

Authors:

Weinberger et al

Abstract:

We report trigonometric parallaxes for 134 low mass stars and brown dwarfs, of which 38 have no previously published measurement and 79 more have improved uncertainties. Our survey targeted nearby targets, so 119 are closer than 30 pc. Of the 38 stars with new parallaxes, 14 are within 20 pc and seven are likely brown dwarfs (spectral types later than L0). These parallaxes are useful for studies of kinematics, multiplicity, and spectrophotometric calibration. Two objects with new parallaxes are confirmed as young stars with membership in nearby young moving groups: LP 870-65 in AB Doradus and G 161-71 in Argus. We also report the first parallax for the planet-hosting star GJ 3470; this allows us to refine the density of its Neptune-mass planet. One T-dwarf, 2MASS J12590470-4336243, previously thought to lie within 4 pc, is found to be at 7.8 pc, and the M-type star 2MASS J01392170-3936088 joins the ranks of nearby stars as it is found to be within 10 pc. Five stars that are over-luminous and/or too red for their spectral types are identified and deserve further study as possible young stars.

Brown Dwarfs Detected in AB Doradus

Brown Dwarfs in Young Moving Groups from Pan-STARRS1. I. AB Doradus

Authors:

Aller et al

Abstract:

Substellar members of young (≲150 Myr) moving groups are valuable benchmarks to empirically define brown dwarf evolution with age and to study the low-mass end of the initial mass function. We have combined Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) proper motions with optical−IR photometry from PS1, 2MASS and WISE to search for substellar members of the AB Dor Moving Group within ≈50 pc and with spectral types of late-M to early-L, corresponding to masses down to ≈30 MJup at the age of the group (≈125 Myr). Including both photometry and proper motions allows us to better select candidates by excluding field dwarfs whose colors are similar to young AB~Dor Moving Group members. Our near-IR spectroscopy has identified six ultracool dwarfs (M6−L4; ≈30−100 MJup) with intermediate surface gravities (INT-G) as candidate members of the AB Dor Moving Group. We find another two candidate members with spectra showing hints of youth but consistent with field gravities. We also find four field brown dwarfs unassociated with the AB Dor Moving Group, three of which have INT-G gravity classification. While signatures of youth are present in the spectra of our ≈125 Myr objects, neither their J−K nor W1−W2 colors are significantly redder than field dwarfs with the same spectral types, unlike younger ultracool dwarfs. We also determined PS1 parallaxes for eight of our candidates and one previously identified AB Dor Moving Group candidate. Although radial velocities (and parallaxes, for some) are still needed to fully assess membership, these new objects provide valuable insight into the spectral characteristics and evolution of young brown dwarfs.

Hot super-Earths Atmospheres are Stripped by their host stars

Hot super-Earths stripped by their host stars

Authors:

Lundkvuist et al

Abstract:

Simulations predict that hot super-Earth sized exoplanets can have their envelopes stripped by photo-evaporation, which would present itself as a lack of these exoplanets. However, this absence in the exoplanet population has escaped a firm detection. Here we demonstrate, using asteroseismology on a sample of exoplanets and exoplanet candidates observed during the Kepler mission that, while there is an abundance of super-Earth sized exoplanets with low incident fluxes, none are found with high incident fluxes. We do not find any exoplanets with radii between 2.2 and 3.8 Earth radii with incident flux above 650 times the incident flux on Earth. This gap in the population of exoplanets is explained by evaporation of volatile elements and thus supports the predictions. The confirmation of a hot-super-Earth desert caused by evaporation will add an important constraint on simulations of planetary systems, since they must be able to reproduce the dearth of close-in super-Earths.

Observing Exoplanetary Atmospheres With Extremely Large Telescopes

Exoplanet Atmospheres and Giant Ground-Based Telescopes

Author:

Crosfield

Abstract:

The study of extrasolar planets has rapidly expanded to encompass the search for new planets, measurements of sizes and masses, models of planetary interiors, planetary demographics and occurrence frequencies, the characterization of planetary orbits and dynamics, and studies of these worlds' complex atmospheres. Our insights into exoplanets dramatically advance whenever improved tools and techniques become available, and surely the largest tools now being planned are the optical/infrared Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). Two themes summarize the advantages of atmospheric studies with the ELTs: high angular resolution when operating at the diffraction limit and high spectral resolution enabled by the unprecedented collecting area of these large telescopes. This brief review describes new opportunities afforded by the ELTs to study the composition, structure, dynamics, and evolution of these planets' atmospheres, while specifically focusing on some of the most compelling atmospheric science cases for four qualitatively different planet populations: highly irradiated gas giants, young, hot giant planets, old, cold gas giants, and small planets and Earth analogs.

Hot Jupiter HAT-P-32Ab Confirmed to Have a Flat Transmission Spectrum

The GTC exoplanet transit spectroscopy survey. IV. Confirmation of the flat transmission spectrum of HAT-P-32b

Authors:

Hortman et al

Abstract:

We observed the hot Jupiter HAT-P-32b (also known as HAT-P-32Ab) to determine its optical transmission spectrum by measuring the wavelength-dependent planet-to-star radius ratios in the region between 518 - 918 nm. We used the OSIRIS instrument at the GTC in long slit spectroscopy mode, placing HAT-P-32 and a reference star in the same slit and obtaining a time series of spectra covering two transit events. Using the best quality data set, we were able to yield 20 narrow-band transit light curves, with each passband spanning a 20 nm wide interval. After removal of all systematic noise signals and light curve modeling the uncertainties for the resulting radius ratios lie between 337 and 972 ppm. The radius ratios show little variation with wavelength suggesting a high altitude cloud layer masking any atmospheric features. Alternatively, a strong depletion in alkali metals or a much smaller than expected planetary atmospheric scale height could be responsible for the lack of atmospheric features. Our result of a flat transmission spectrum is consistent with a previous ground-based study of the optical spectrum of this planet. This agreement between independent results demonstrates that ground-based measurements of exoplanet atmospheres can give reliable and reproducible results despite the fact that the data often is heavily affected by systematic noise, as long as the noise source is well understood and properly corrected. We also extract an optical spectrum of the M-dwarf companion HAT-P-32B. Using PHOENIX stellar atmosphere models we determine an effective temperature of Teff=3187+60−71 K, slightly colder than previous studies relying only on broadband infra-red data.

OGLE-2012-BLG-0724Lb: a Saturn Class Gas Giant Orbitng a M Dwarf Star

OGLE-2012-BLG-0724Lb: A Saturn-mass Planet around an M-dwarf

Authors:

Hirao et al

Abstract:

We report the discovery of a planet by the microlensing method, OGLE-2012-BLG-0724Lb. Although the duration of the planetary signal for this event was one of the shortest seen for a planetary event, the anomaly was well covered thanks to high cadence observations taken by the survey groups OGLE and MOA. By analyzing the light curve, this planetary system is found to have a mass ratio q=(1.58±0.15)×10−3. By conducting a Bayesian analysis, we estimate that the host star is an M-dwarf star with a mass of ML=0.29+0.33−0.16 M⊙ located at DL=6.7+1.1−1.2 kpc away from the Earth and the companion's mass is mP=0.47+0.54−0.26 MJup. The projected planet-host separation is a⊥=1.6+0.4−0.3 AU. Because the lens-source relative proper motion is relatively high, future high resolution images would detect the lens host star and determine the lens properties uniquely. This system is likely a Saturn-mass exoplanet around an M-dwarf and such systems are commonly detected by gravitational microlensing. This adds an another example of a possible pileup of sub-Jupiters (0.2 less than mP/MJup less than 1) in contrast to a lack of Jupiters (∼1−2 MJup) around M-dwarfs, supporting the prediction by core accretion models that Jupiter-mass or more massive planets are unlikely to form around M-dwarfs.

EPIC 205117205b: a Neptune Class Exoplanet Orbiting a pre Main Sequence Star

Zodiacal Exoplanets in Time (ZEIT) III: A Neptune-sized planet orbiting a pre-main-sequence star in the Upper Scorpius OB Association

Authors:

Mann et al

Abstract:

We confirm and characterize a close-in (Porb = 5.425 days), super-Neptune sized (5.04+0.34−0.37 Earth radii) planet transiting EPIC 205117205 (2MASS J16101473-1919095), a late-type (M3) pre-main sequence (≃11 Myr-old) star in the Upper Scorpius subgroup of the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association. The host star has the kinematics of a member of the Upper Scorpius OB association, and its spectrum contains lithium absorption, an unambiguous sign of youth (less than 20 Myr) in late-type dwarfs. We combine photometry from K2 and the ground-based MEarth project to refine the planet's properties and constrain the average stellar density. We determine EPIC 205117205's bolometric flux and effective temperature from moderate resolution spectra. By utilizing isochrones that include the effects of magnetic fields, we derive a precise (6-7%) radius and mass for the host star, and a stellar age consistent with the established value for Upper Scorpius. Follow-up high-resolution imaging and Doppler spectroscopy confirm that the transiting object is not a stellar companion or a background eclipsing binary blended with the target. The shape of the transit, the constancy of the transit depth and periodicity over 1.5 years, and the independence with wavelength rules out stellar variability, or a dust cloud or debris disk partially occulting the star as the source of the signal; we conclude it must instead be planetary in origin. The existence of EPIC 205117205b suggests close-in planets can form in situ or migrate within ≃10 Myr, e.g., via interactions with a disk, and that long-timescale dynamical migration such as by Lidov-Kozai or planet-planet scattering is not responsible for all short-period planets.

Long-term orbital stability of exosolar planetary systems with highly eccentric orbits

Long-term orbital stability of exosolar planetary systems with highly eccentric orbits

Authors:

Antoniadou et al

Abstract:

Nowadays, many extrasolar planetary systems possessing at least one planet on a highly eccentric orbit have been discovered. In this work, we study the possible long-term stability of such systems. We consider the general three body problem as our model. Highly eccentric orbits are out of the Hill stability regions. However, mean motion resonances can provide phase protection and orbits with long-term stability exist. We construct maps of dynamical stability based on the computation of chaotic indicators and we figure out regions in phase space, where the long-term stability is guaranteed. We focus on regions where at least one planet is highly eccentric and attempt to associate them with the existence of stable periodic orbits. The values of the orbital elements, which are derived from observational data, are often given with very large deviations. Generally, phase space regions of high eccentricities are narrow and thus, our dynamical analysis may restrict considerably the valid domain of the system's location.

Long-Term Stability of Planets in the α Centauri System

Long-Term Stability of Planets in the α Centauri System

Authors:

Quarles et al

Abstract:

We evaluate the extent of the regions within the α Centauri AB star system where small planets are able to orbit for billion-year timescales, and we calculate the positions on the sky plane where planets on stable orbits about either stellar component may appear. We confirm the qualitative results of Wiegert and Holman (AJ 113, 1445, 1997) regarding the approximate size of the regions of stable orbits, which are larger for retrograde orbits relative to the binary than for prograde orbits. Additionally, we find that mean motion resonances with the binary orbit leave an imprint on the limits of orbital stability, and the effects of the Lidov-Kozai mechanism are also readily apparent.

Formation, Orbital and Internal Evolutions of Young Planetary Systems

Formation, Orbital and Internal Evolutions of Young Planetary Systems

Authors:

Baruteau et al

Abstract:

The growing body of observational data on extrasolar planets and protoplanetary disks has stimulated intense research on planet formation and evolution in the past few years. The extremely diverse, sometimes unexpected physical and orbital characteristics of exoplanets lead to frequent updates on the mainstream scenarios for planet formation and evolution, but also to the exploration of alternative avenues. The aim of this review is to bring together classical pictures and new ideas on the formation, orbital and internal evolutions of planets, highlighting the key role of the protoplanetary disk in the various parts of the theory. We begin by briefly reviewing the conventional mechanism of core accretion by the growth of planetesimals, and discuss a relatively recent model of core growth through the accretion of pebbles. We review the basic physics of planet-disk interactions, recent progress in this area, and discuss their role in observed planetary systems. We address the most important effects of planets internal evolution, like cooling and contraction, the mass-luminosity relation, and the bulk composition expressed in the mass-radius and mass-mean density relations.

197 Candidates and 104 Validated Planets in K2's First Five Fields

197 Candidates and 104 Validated Planets in K2's First Five Fields

Authors:

Crossfield et al

Abstract:

We present 197 planet candidates discovered using data from the first year of the NASA K2 mission (Campaigns 0-4), along with the results of an intensive program of photometric analyses, stellar spectroscopy, high-resolution imaging, and statistical validation. We distill these candidates into sets of 104 validated planets (57 in multi-planet systems), 30 false positives, and 63 remaining candidates. Our validated systems span a range of properties, with median values of R_P = 2.3 R_E, P=8.6 d, Tef = 5300 K, and Kp=12.7 mag. Stellar spectroscopy provides precise stellar and planetary parameters for most of these systems. We show that K2 has increased by 30% the number of small planets known to orbit moderately bright stars (1-4 R_E, Kp=9-13 mag). Of particular interest are 37 planets smaller than 2 R_E, 15 orbiting stars brighter than Kp=11.5, five receiving Earth-like irradiation levels, and several multi-planet systems -- including four planets orbiting the M dwarf K2-72 near mean-motion resonances. By quantifying the likelihood that each candidate is a planet we demonstrate that our candidate sample has an overall false positive rate of 15-30%, with rates substantially lower for small candidates (< 2 R_E) and larger for candidates with radii > 8 R_E and/or with P < 3 d. Extrapolation of the current planetary yield suggests that K2 will discover between 500-1000 planets in its planned four-year mission -- assuming sufficient follow-up resources are available. Efficient observing and analysis, together with an organized and coherent follow-up strategy, is essential to maximize the efficacy of planet-validation efforts for K2, TESS, and future large-scale surveys.

TRAPPIST-1 System Worlds Confirmed to be Rocky, Terrestrial

On May 2, scientists from MIT, the University of Liège, and elsewhere announced they had discovered a planetary system, a mere 40 light years from Earth, that hosts three potentially habitable, Earth-sized worlds. Judging from the size and temperature of the planets, the researchers determined that regions of each planet may be suitable for life.

Now, in a paper published today in Nature, that same group reports that the two innermost planets in the system are primarily rocky, unlike gas giants such as Jupiter. The findings further strengthen the case that these planets may indeed be habitable. The researchers also determined that the atmospheres of both planets are likely not large and diffuse, like that of the Jupiter, but instead compact, similar to the atmospheres of Earth, Venus, and Mars.

The scientists, led by first author Julien de Wit, a postdoc in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, came to their conclusion after making a preliminary screening of the planets' atmospheres, just days after announcing the discovery of the planetary system.

On May 4, the team commandeered NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and pointed it at the system's star, TRAPPIST-1, to catch a rare event: a double transit, the moment when two planets almost simultaneously pass in front of their star. The researchers realized the planets would transit just two weeks before the event, thanks to refined estimates of the planets' orbital configuration, made by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, which had already started to observe the TRAPPIST-1 system.

"We thought, maybe we could see if people at Hubble would give us time to do this observation, so we wrote the proposal in less than 24 hours, sent it out, and it was reviewed immediately," de Wit recalls. "Now for the first time we have spectroscopic observations of a double transit, which allows us to get insight on the atmosphere of both planets at the same time."

link.

Gliese 832d: a Venus Analog Terrestrial World

An Earth-Like Planet in GJ 832 System

Authors:

Satyal et al

Abstract:

Stability of planetary orbits around GJ 832 star system, which contains inner (GJ 832c) and outer (GJ 832b) planets, is investigated numerically and the detailed phase-space analysis are performed. The stability of the system is de?ned in terms of its lifetime, which is its survival time during the orbital integration period, and the maximum eccentricity, emax attained by the orbits during the evolution processes. A special emphasis is given to the existence of stable orbits for an Earth-like planet that is injected between the inner and outer planets. Thus, numerical simulations are performed for three and four bodies in elliptical orbits (or circular for special cases), and a large number of initial conditions that covers the whole phase-space of the existing bodies are used. The results presented in the phase-space maps for GJ 832c indicates the least deviation of the eccentricity from its nominal value, which is then used to determine its inclination regime. Also, the Earth-like planet displays stable orbital con?gurations for at least one billion years. Then, the radial velocity curves based on the signature from the Keplerian motion are generated for the Earth-like planet to estimate its distance from the star and its mass-limit. The synthetic RV signal suggests that an additional planet (1M? ? mass ? 15M?) with dynamically stable con?guration may be residing between 0.25 - 2.0 AU from the star. We have provided an estimated number of RV observations for the additional planet for further observational veri?cation.

A Probabilistic Analysis of the Fermi Paradox

A Probabilistic Analysis of the Fermi Paradox

Authors:

Solomonides et al

Abstract:

The fermi paradox uses an appeal to the mediocrity principle to make it seem counter-intuitive that humanity has not been contacted by extraterrestrial intelligence. A numerical, statistical analysis was conducted to determine whether this apparent loneliness is, in fact, unexpected. An inequality was derived to relate the frequency of life arising and developing technology on a suitable planet in the galaxy, the average length of time since the first broadcast of such a civilization, and a constant term. An analysis of the sphere reached thus far by human communication was also conducted, considering our local neighborhood and planets of particular interest. We clearly show that human communication has not reached a number of stars and planets adequate to expect an answer. These analyses both conclude that the Fermi paradox is not, in fact, unexpected. By the mediocrity principle and numerical modeling, it is actually unlikely that the Earth would have been reached by extraterrestrial communication at this point. We predict that under 1 percent of the galaxy has been reached at all thus far, and we do not anticipate to be reached until approximately half of the stars/planets have been reached. We offer a prediction that we should not expect this until at least 1,500 years in the future. Thus the Fermi paradox is not a shocking observation, and humanity may very well be contacted within our species' lifespan.

Toward a List of Molecules as Potential Biosignature Gases

Toward a List of Molecules as Potential Biosignature Gases for the Search for Life on Exoplanets and Applications to Terrestrial Biochemistry

Authors:

Seager et al

Abstract:

Thousands of exoplanets are known to orbit nearby stars. Plans for the next generation of space-based and ground-based telescopes are fueling the anticipation that a precious few habitable planets can be identified in the coming decade. Even more highly anticipated is the chance to find signs of life on these habitable planets by way of biosignature gases. But which gases should we search for? Although a few biosignature gases are prominent in Earth's atmospheric spectrum (O2, CH4, N2O), others have been considered as being produced at or able to accumulate to higher levels on exo-Earths (e.g., dimethyl sulfide and CH3Cl). Life on Earth produces thousands of different gases (although most in very small quantities). Some might be produced and/or accumulate in an exo-Earth atmosphere to high levels, depending on the exo-Earth ecology and surface and atmospheric chemistry.

To maximize our chances of recognizing biosignature gases, we promote the concept that all stable and potentially volatile molecules should initially be considered as viable biosignature gases. We present a new approach to the subject of biosignature gases by systematically constructing lists of volatile molecules in different categories. An exhaustive list up to six non-H atoms is presented, totaling about 14,000 molecules. About 2500 of these are CNOPSH compounds. An approach for extending the list to larger molecules is described. We further show that about one-fourth of CNOPSH molecules (again, up to N = 6 non-H atoms) are known to be produced by life on Earth. The list can be used to study classes of chemicals that might be potential biosignature gases, considering their accumulation and possible false positives on exoplanets with atmospheres and surface environments different from Earth's. The list can also be used for terrestrial biochemistry applications, some examples of which are provided. We provide an online community usage database to serve as a registry for volatile molecules including biogenic compounds.

Effect of Be Disk Evolution on Global One-Armed Oscillations

Effect of Be Disk Evolution on Global One-Armed Oscillations

Authors:

Oktariani et al

Abstract:

We study the effect of density distribution evolution on the global one-armed oscillation modes in low viscosity disks around isolated and binary Be stars. Observations show that some Be stars exhibit evidence of formation and dissipation of the equatorial disk. In this paper, we first calculate the density evolution in disks around isolated Be stars. To model the formation stage of the disk, we inject mass at a radius just outside the star at a constant rate for 30-50 years. As the disk develops, the density distribution approaches the form of the steady disk solution. Then, we turn off the mass injection to model the disk dissipation stage. The innermost part of the disk starts accretion, and a gap forms between the star and the disk. Next, we calculate the one-armed modes at several epochs. We neglect the effect of viscosity because the time-scale of oscillations is much shorter than the disk evolution time-scale for low viscosity. In the disk formation stage, the eigenfrequency increases with time toward the value for the steady state disk. On the other hand, one-armed eigenmodes in dissipating Be disks have significantly higher eigenfrequencies and narrower propagation regions. Observationally, such a change of mode characteristics can be taken as an evidence for gap opening around the star. In binary Be stars, the characteristics of the disk evolution and the eigenmodes are qualitatively the same as in isolated Be stars, but quantitatively they have shorter evolution time-scales and higher eigenfrequencies, which is in agreement with the observed trend.

Oxygen Detected in beta Pictoris' Protoplanetary Disk

Herschel detects oxygen in the beta Pictoris debris disk

Authors:

Brandeker et al

Abstract:

The young star beta Pictoris is well known for its dusty debris disk, produced through the grinding down by collisions of planetesimals, kilometre-sized bodies in orbit around the star. In addition to dust, small amounts of gas are also known to orbit the star, likely the result from vaporisation of violently colliding dust grains. The disk is seen edge on and from previous absorption spectroscopy we know that the gas is very rich in carbon relative to other elements. The oxygen content has been more difficult to assess, however, with early estimates finding very little oxygen in the gas at a C/O ratio 20x higher than the cosmic value. A C/O ratio that high is difficult to explain and would have far-reaching consequences for planet formation. Here we report on observations by the far-infrared space telescope Herschel, using PACS, of emission lines from ionised carbon and neutral oxygen. The detected emission from C+ is consistent with that previously reported being observed by the HIFI instrument on Herschel, while the emission from O is hard to explain without assuming a higher-density region in the disk, perhaps in the shape of a clump or a dense torus, required to sufficiently excite the O atoms. A possible scenario is that the C/O gas is produced by the same process responsible for the CO clump recently observed by ALMA in the disk, and that the re-distribution of the gas takes longer than previously assumed. A more detailed estimate of the C/O ratio and the mass of O will have to await better constraints on the C/O gas spatial distribution.

The Correlation Between Metallicity and Debris Disk mass

The Correlation Between Metallicity and Debris Disk mass

Authors:

Gaspar et al

Abstract:

We find that the initial dust masses in planetary debris disks are correlated with the metallicities of their central stars. We compiled a large sample of systems, including Spitzer, the Herschel DUNES and DEBRIS surveys, and WISE debris disk candidates. We also merged 33 metallicity catalogs to provide homogeneous [Fe/H] and σ[Fe/H] values. We analyzed this merged sample, including 222 detected disks (74 warm and 148 cold) around a total of 187 systems (some with multiple components) and 440 disks with only upper limits (125 warm and 315 cold), around a total of 360 systems. The disk dust masses at a common early evolutionary point in time were determined using our numerical disk evolutionary code, evolving a unique model for each of the 662 disks backward to an age of 1 Myr. We find that disk-bearing stars seldom have metallicities less than [Fe/H] = -0.2 and that the distribution of warm component masses lacks examples with large mass around stars of low metallicity ([Fe/H] less than -0.085). Previous efforts to find a correlation have been largely unsuccessful; the primary improvements supporting our result are: 1.) basing the study on dust masses, not just infrared excess detections; 2.) including upper limits on dust mass in a quantitative way; 3.) accounting for the evolution of debris disk excesses as systems age; 4.) accounting fully for the range of uncertainties in metallicity measurements; and 5.) having a statistically large enough sample.

Confronting Standard Models of ProtoPlanetary Disks With New Mid Infrared Sizes from the Keck Interferometer

Confronting Standard Models of Proto--Planetary Disks With New Mid--Infrared Sizes from the Keck Interferometer

Authors:

Millan-Gabet et al

Abstract:

We present near and mid-infrared interferometric observations made with the Keck Interferometer Nuller and near-contemporaneous spectro-photometry from the IRTF of 11 well known young stellar objects, several observed for the first time in these spectral and spatial resolution regimes. With AU-level spatial resolution, we first establish characteristic sizes of the infrared emission using a simple geometrical model consisting of a hot inner rim and mid-infrared disk emission. We find a high degree of correlation between the stellar luminosity and the mid-infrared disk sizes after using near-infrared data to remove the contribution from the inner rim. We then use a semi-analytical physical model to also find that the very widely used "star + inner dust rim + flared disk" class of models strongly fails to reproduce the SED and spatially-resolved mid-infrared data simultaneously; specifically a more compact source of mid-infrared emission is required than results from the standard flared disk model. We explore the viability of a modification to the model whereby a second dust rim containing smaller dust grains is added, and find that the two-rim model leads to significantly improved fits in most cases. This complexity is largely missed when carrying out SED modelling alone, although detailed silicate feature fitting by McClure et al. 2013 recently came to a similar conclusion. As has been suggested recently by Menu et al. 2015, the difficulty in predicting mid-infrared sizes from the SED alone might hint at "transition disk"-like gaps in the inner AU; however, the relatively high correlation found in our mid-infrared disk size vs. stellar luminosity relation favors layered disk morphologies and points to missing disk model ingredients instead.

The Detection of Dust around NN Serpentis

The Detection of Dust around NN Ser

Authors:

Hardy et al

Abstract:

Eclipse timing variations observed from the post common-envelope binary (PCEB) NN Ser offer strong evidence in favour of circumbinary planets existing around PCEBs. If real, these planets may be accompanied by a disc of dust. We here present the ALMA detection of flux at 1.3 mm from NN Ser, which is likely due to thermal emission from a dust disc of mass ∼0.8 ± 0.2 M⊕. We performed simulations of the history of NN Ser to determine possible origins of this dust, and conclude that the most likely origin is, in fact, common-envelope material which was not expelled from the system and instead formed a circumbinary disc. These discs have been predicted by theory but previously remained undetected. While the presence of this dust does not prove the existence of planets around NN Ser, it adds credibility to the possibility of planets forming from common-envelope material in a ‘second-generation’ scenario.

The Evolving Magnetic Topology of Exoplanet Host Star τ Boötis

The Evolving Magnetic Topology of τ Boötis

Authors:

Fares et al

Abstract:

We present six epochs of spectropolarimetric observations of the hot-Jupiter-hosting star τ Boötis that extend the exceptional previous multi-year data set of its large-scale magnetic field. Our results confirm that the large-scale magnetic field of τ Boötis varies cyclicly, with the observation of two further magnetic reversals; between December 2013 and May 2014 and between January and March 2015. We also show that the field evolves in a broadly solar-type manner in contrast to other F-type stars. We further present new results which indicate that the chromospheric activity cycle and the magnetic activity cycles are related, which would indicate a very rapid magnetic cycle. As an exemplar of long-term magnetic field evolution, τ Boötis and this long-term monitoring campaign presents a unique opportunity for studying stellar magnetic cycles.

Gray transits of WD 1145+017 over the visible band⋆

Gray transits of WD 1145+017 over the visible band⋆

Authors:

Alonso et al

Abstract:

We have observed several relatively deep transits of the white dwarf WD 1145+017 with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) in the wavelength range 480 to 920 nm. The observations covered approximately one hour on 2016 January 18 and two hours on 2016 January 20. There was variable extinction of the white dwarf during much of that time, but this extinction was punctuated by four sharp transits with depths ranging from 25% to 40%. The spectrum was dispersed with a grism and the flux data were ultimately summed into four bands centered at 0.53, 0.62, 0.71, and 0.84 μm. After careful normalization, we find that the flux light curves in all four bands are consistently the same, including through the deepest dips. We use these results to compute Ångström exponents, α, for the particles responsible for the extinction and find |⟨ α ⟩| ≲ 0.06, assuming that the extinction is relatively optically thin. We use the complex indices of refraction for common minerals to set constraints on the median sizes of possible dust grains and find that particle sizes ≲0.5 μm can be excluded for most common minerals.

OGLE-2013-BLG-0723: The Circum Brown Dwarf Orbiting Venus Might be a False Positive

A New Non-Planetary Interpretation of the Microlensing Event OGLE-2013-BLG-0723

Authors:

Han et al

Abstract:

Recently, the discovery of a Venus-mass planet orbiting a brown-dwarf host in a binary system was reported from the analysis of the microlensing event OGLE-2013-BLG-0723. We reanalyze the event considering the possibility of other interpretations. From this, we find a new solution where the lens is composed of 2 bodies in contrast to the 3-body solution of the previous analysis. The new solution better explains the observed light curve than the previous solution with Δχ2∼202, suggesting that the new solution is a correct model for the event. From the estimation of the physical parameters based on the new interpretation, we find that the lens system is composed of two low-mass stars with ∼0.2 M⊙ and ∼0.1 M⊙ and located at a distance ∼3 kpc. The fact that the physical parameters correspond to those of the most common lens population located at a distance with a large lensing probability further supports the likelihood of the new interpretation. Considering that two dramatically different solutions can approximately explain the observed light curve, the event suggests the need of carefully testing all possible lens-system geometries.

Radio Flaring from the T6 Dwarf WISEPC J112254.73+255021.5 with A Possible Ultra-short Periodicity

Radio Flaring from the T6 Dwarf WISEPC J112254.73+255021.5 with A Possible Ultra-short Periodicity

Authors:

Route et al

Abstract:

We present new results from a continuing 5 GHz search for flaring radio emission from a sample of L and T brown dwarfs, conducted with the 305-m Arecibo radio telescope. In addition to the previously reported flaring from the T6.5-dwarf 2MASS J10475385+212423, we have detected and confirmed circularly polarized flares from another T6-dwarf, WISEPC J112254.73+255021.5. Although the flares are sporadic, they appear to occur at a stable period of 0.288 hours. Given the current constraints, periods equal to its second and third subharmonic cannot be ruled out. The stability of this period over the 8-month timespan of observations indicates that, if real, it likely reflects the star's rapid rotation. If confirmed, any of the three inferred periodicities would be much shorter than the shortest, 1.41-hour rotation period of a brown dwarf measured so far. This finding would place a new observational constraint on the angular momentum evolution and rotational stability of substellar objects. The detection of radio emission from the sixth ~1000 K dwarf further demonstrates that the coolest brown dwarfs and, possibly, young giant planets, can be efficiently investigated using radio observations at centimeter wavelengths as a tool.

Hot planetary winds near a star: dynamics, wind-wind interactions, and observational signatures

Hot planetary winds near a star: dynamics, wind-wind interactions, and observational signatures

Authors:

Carroll-Nellenback et al

Abstract:

Signatures of "evaporative" winds from exo-planets on short (hot) orbits around their host star have been observed in a number of systems. In this paper we present global AMR simulations that track the launching of the winds, their expansion through the circumstellar environment, and their interaction with a stellar wind. We focus on purely hydrodynamic flows including the anisotropy of the wind launching and explore the orbital/fluid dynamics of the resulting flows in detail. In particular we find that a combination of the tidal and Coriolis forces strongly distorts the planetary "Parker" wind creating "up-orbit" and "down-orbit" streams. We characterize the flows in terms of their orbital elements which change depending on their launch position on the planet. We find that the anisotropy in the atmospheric temperature leads to significant backflow on to the planet. The planetary wind interacts strongly with the stellar wind creating instabilities that cause eventual deposition of planetary gas onto the star. We present synthetic observations of both transit and absorption line-structure for our simulations. For our initial conditions, we find that the orbiting wind material produces absorption signatures at significant distances from the planet and substantial orbit to orbit variability. Ly-{\alpha} absorption shows red and blueshifted features out to 70 km/s. Finally, using semi-analytic models we constrain the effect of radiation pressure, given the approximation of uniform stellar absorption.

Modeling the Thermal Escape of Gases From Planetary Atmospheres

On the hydrodynamic model of thermal escape from planetary atmospheres and its comparison with kinetic simulations

Author:

Volkov

Abstract:

Parkers’ model of thermal escape implies the search of solutions of one-dimensional hydrodynamic equations for an inviscid but thermally conducting gas with a critical point and vanishing temperature far from the source. The properties of solutions of this model are studied for neutral mon- and diatomic gases with the viscosity index varying from 1/2 to 1. The domains of existence and uniqueness of solutions in terms of the source Jeans escape parameter and Knudsen number are established. The solutions are found to exist only in a narrow range of the critical point Jeans parameter. The lower and upper limits of this range correspond to solutions that are dominated by either heat conduction or adiabatic expansion. Thermal escape described by Parker's model occurs in two asymptotic regimes: the low-density (LD) regime, when escape is dominated by heat conduction, and the high-density (HD) regime, when escape is dominated by adiabatic expansion. Expressions for the mass and energy escape rates in these regimes are found theoretically. The comparison of results of hydrodynamic and kinetic simulations performed in identical conditions shows that Parker's model is capable of describing thermal escape only in the HD regime, providing decent agreement with the kinetic model in terms of the atmospheric structure below the exobase and the mass and energy escape rates. In the LD regime, Parker's model predicts a much faster drop in atmospheric temperature and less extended atmospheres, and can both over- and underestimate the escape rates in orders of magnitude.

analyzing the impact of the host star on the planet parameters

Characterization of transiting exoplanets: analyzing the impact of the host star on the planet parameters

Authors:

Bruno et al

Abstract:

In this PhD dissertation, I discuss issues of the Radial Velocities (RV) and transit methods. These techniques allow us to derive the mass and radius of an exoplanet, necessary to model its bulk structure and to have insight on its formation. To do this, however, also the same parameters of its host star are needed. By using spectroscopy, I participated in TRANSITS, an RV follow-up program of Kepler Objects of Interest. I determined the parameters of nine host stars, enabling the characterization of their companions. With the same method, I participated in two studies which aim at exploring the mass-radius relationship of low-mass stars and at improving the statistics of star-planet interactions. I also inspected the behavior of SOPHIE/OHP spectra for instrumental effects which can affect the measure of the stellar parameters. From a different perspective, I studied Kepler-117, a multi-planetary system which presents Transit Timing Variations (TTV). A specific approach was developed in order to realize a simultaneous fit of transits, RV, and TTV, used to measure the mass of the lightest planet of the system, which was poorly constrained by RV alone. Finally, I focused on the impact of stellar activity in transit photometry and RV. This phenomenon affects the determination of the planet radius and mass, as well as other key parameters. I implemented two starspot modeling codes into a Markov Chain Monte Carlo software, and added spot evolution to one of them. I applied the codes to observations of the Sun, CoRoT-2, and CoRoT-7. In particular, I carried out an extensive study on the light curve of CoRoT-2, and explored the effects of the spots on the transit parameters. The planetary systems studied in this work provide further constraints on models of planet interior and formation. With the techniques here developed, they help in the preparation of future exoplanet surveys.

Photolytic Hazes in the Atmosphere of 51 Eri b

Photolytic Hazes in the Atmosphere of 51 Eri b

Authors:

Zahnle et al

Abstract:

We use a 1D model to address photochemistry and possible haze formation in the irradiated warm Jupiter, 51 Eridani b. The intended focus was to be carbon, but sulfur photochemistry turns out to be important. The case for organic photochemical hazes is intriguing but falls short of being compelling. If organic hazes form, they are likeliest to do so if vertical mixing in 51 Eri b is weaker than in Jupiter, and they would be found below the altitudes where methane and water are photolyzed. The more novel result is that photochemistry turns H2S into elemental sulfur, here treated as S8. In the cooler models, S8 is predicted to condense in optically thick clouds of solid sulfur particles, whilst in the warmer models S8 remains a vapor along with several other sulfur allotropes that are both visually striking and potentially observable. For 51 Eri b, the division between models with and without condensed sulfur is at an effective temperature of 700 K, which is within error its actual effective temperature; the local temperature where sulfur condenses is between 280 and 320 K. The sulfur photochemistry we have discussed is quite general and ought to be found in a wide variety of worlds over a broad temperature range, both colder and hotter than the 650-750 K range studied here, and we show that products of sulfur photochemistry will be nearly as abundant on planets where the UV irradiation is orders of magnitude weaker than it is on 51 Eri b.

Three new companions and an orbit update: Giant planets in the habitable zone

The SOPHIE search for northern extrasolar planets. XI. Three new companions and an orbit update: Giant planets in the habitable zone

Authors:

Diaz et al

Abstract:

We report the discovery of three new substellar companions to solar-type stars, HD191806, HD214823, and HD221585, based on radial velocity measurements obtained at the Haute-Provence Observatory. Data from the SOPHIE spectrograph are combined with observations acquired with its predecessor, ELODIE, to detect and characterise the orbital parameters of three new gaseous giant and brown dwarf candidates. Additionally, we combine SOPHIE data with velocities obtained at the Lick Observatory to improve the parameters of an already known giant planet companion, HD16175 b. Thanks to the use of different instruments, the data sets of all four targets span more than ten years. Zero-point offsets between instruments are dealt with using Bayesian priors to incorporate the information we possess on the SOPHIE/ELODIE offset based on previous studies.

The reported companions have orbital periods between three and five years and minimum masses between 1.6 Mjup and 19 Mjup. Additionally, we find that the star HD191806 is experiencing a secular acceleration of over 11 \ms\ per year, potentially due to an additional stellar or substellar companion. A search for the astrometric signature of these companions was carried out using Hipparcos data. No orbit was detected, but a significant upper limit to the companion mass can be set for HD221585, whose companion must be substellar.

With the exception of HD191806 b, the companions are located within the habitable zone of their host star. Therefore, satellites orbiting these objects could be a propitious place for life to develop.

Doppler Monitoring of five K2 Transiting Planetary Systems

Doppler Monitoring of five K2 Transiting Planetary Systems

Authors:

Dai et al

Abstract:

In an effort to measure the masses of planets discovered by the NASA {\it K2} mission, we have conducted precise Doppler observations of five stars with transiting planets. We present the results of a joint analysis of these new data and previously published Doppler data. The first star, an M dwarf known as K2-3 or EPIC~201367065, has three transiting planets ("b", with radius 2.1 R⊕; "c", 1.7 R⊕; and "d", 1.5 R⊕). Our analysis leads to the mass constraints: Mb=8.1+2.0−1.9 M⊕ and Mc less than 4.2 M⊕~(95\%~conf.). The mass of planet d is poorly constrained because its orbital period is close to the stellar rotation period, making it difficult to disentangle the planetary signal from spurious Doppler shifts due to stellar activity. The second star, a G dwarf known as K2-19 or EPIC~201505350, has two planets ("b", 7.7 R⊕; and "c", 4.9 R⊕) in a 3:2 mean-motion resonance, as well as a shorter-period planet ("d", 1.1 R⊕). We find Mb= 28.5+5.4−5.0 M⊕, Mc= 25.6+7.1−7.1 M⊕ and Md less than 14.0 M⊕~(95\%~conf.). The third star, a G dwarf known as K2-24 or EPIC~203771098, hosts two transiting planets ("b", 5.7 R⊕; and "c", 7.8 R⊕) with orbital periods in a nearly 2:1 ratio. We find Mb= 19.8+4.5−4.4 M⊕ and Mc = 26.0+5.8−6.1 M⊕.

Hunting for Life Bearing Exoplanets

Secular models and Kozai resonance for planets in coorbital non-coplanar motion

Secular models and Kozai resonance for planets in coorbital non-coplanar motion

Authors:

Giuppone et al

Abstract:

In this work, we construct and test an analytical and a semianalytical secular models for two planets locked in a coorbital non-coplanar motion, comparing some results with the case of restricted three body problem. The analytical average model replicates the numerical N-body integrations, even for moderate eccentricities (≲ 0.3) and inclinations (≲ 10°), except for the regions corresponding to quasi-satellite and Lidov-Kozai configurations. Furthermore, this model is also useful in the restricted three body problem, assuming very low mass ratio between the planets. We also describe a four-degree-of-freedom semianalytical model valid for any type of coorbital configuration in a wide range of eccentricities and inclinations. Using a N-body integrator, we have found that the phase space of the General Three Body Problem is different to the restricted case for inclined systems, and establish the location of the Lidov-Kozai equilibrium configurations depending on mass ratio. We study the stability of periodic orbits in the inclined systems, and find that apart from the robust configurations L4, AL4, and QS is possible to have two Earth-like planets in orbits previously identified as unstable U and also in Euler L3 configurations, with bounded chaos.

The Correlation Between Host Star Rotation and Exoplanet Orbits

Star-planet interactions: I. Stellar rotation and planetary orbits

Authors:

Privitera et al

Abstract:

Context.

As a star evolves, the planet orbits change with time due to tidal interactions, stellar mass losses, friction and gravitational drag forces, mass accretion and evaporation on/by the planet. Stellar rotation modifies the structure of the star and therefore the way these different processes occur. Changes of the orbits, at their turn, have an impact on the rotation of the star.

Aims.

Models accounting in a consistent way for these interactions between the orbital evolution of the planet and the evolution of the rotation of the star are still missing. The present work is a first attempt to fill this gap.

Methods.

We compute the evolution of stellar models including a comprehensive treatment of rotational effects together with the evolution of planetary orbits, so that the exchanges of angular momentum between the star and the planetary orbit are treated in a self-consistent way. The evolution of the rotation of the star accounts for the angular momentum exchange with the planet and also follows the effects of the internal transport of angular momentum and chemicals.

Results.

We show that rotating stellar models without tidal interactions can well reproduce the surface rotations of the bulk of the red giants. However, models without any interactions cannot account for fast rotating red giants in the upper part of the red giant branch, where, such models, whatever the initial rotation considered on the ZAMS, always predict very low velocities. For those stars some interaction with a companion is highly probable and the present rotating stellar models with planets confirm that tidal interaction can reproduce their high surface velocities. We show also that the minimum distance between the planet and the star on the ZAMS that will allow the planet to avoid engulfment and survive is decreased around faster rotating stars.

Resonant capture of multiple planet systems under dissipation and stable orbital configurations

Resonant capture of multiple planet systems under dissipation and stable orbital configurations

Authors:

Voytazis et al

Abstract:

Migration of planetary systems caused by the action of dissipative forces may lead the planets to be trapped in a resonance. In this work we study the conditions and the dynamics of such resonant trapping. Particularly, we are interested in finding out whether resonant capture ends up in a long-term stable planetary configuration. For two planet systems we associate the evolution of migration with the existence of families of periodic orbits in the phase space of the three-body problem. The family of circular periodic orbits exhibits a gap at the 2:1 resonance and an instability and bifurcation at the 3:1 resonance. These properties explain the high probability of 2:1 and 3:1 resonant capture at low eccentricities. Furthermore, we study the resonant capture of three-planet systems. We show that such a resonant capture is possible and can occur under particular conditions. Then, from the migration path of the system, stable three-planet configurations, either symmetric or asymmetric, can be determined.

Understanding the Chemistry, Formation Conditions and Habitability of Exoplanetary Atmospheres

Exoplanetary Atmospheres - Chemistry, Formation Conditions, and Habitability

Authors:

Madhusudhan et al

Abstract:

Characterizing the atmospheres of extrasolar planets is the new frontier in exoplanetary science. The last two decades of exoplanet discoveries have revealed that exoplanets are very common and extremely diverse in their orbital and bulk properties. We now enter a new era as we begin to investigate the chemical diversity of exoplanets, their atmospheric and interior processes, and their formation conditions. Recent developments in the field have led to unprecedented advancements in our understanding of atmospheric chemistry of exoplanets and the implications for their formation conditions. We review these developments in the present work. We review in detail the theory of atmospheric chemistry in all classes of exoplanets discovered to date, from highly irradiated gas giants, ice giants, and super-Earths, to directly imaged giant planets at large orbital separations. We then review the observational detections of chemical species in exoplanetary atmospheres of these various types using different methods, including transit spectroscopy, doppler spectroscopy, and direct imaging. In addition to chemical detections, we discuss the advances in determining chemical abundances in these atmospheres and how such abundances are being used to constrain exoplanetary formation conditions and migration mechanisms. Finally, we review recent theoretical work on the atmospheres of habitable exoplanets, followed by a discussion of future outlook of the field.

Habitability of planets on eccentric orbits: the limits of the mean flux approximation

Habitability of planets on eccentric orbits: the limits of the mean flux approximation

Authors:

Bolmont et al

Abstract:

Contrary to Earth, which has a small orbital eccentricity, some exoplanets discovered in the insolation habitable zone (HZ) have high orbital eccentricities (e.g., up to an eccentricity of ∼0.97 for HD~20782~b). This raises the question of the capacity of these planets to host surface liquid water. In order to assess the habitability of an eccentric planet, the mean flux approximation is often used. It states that a planet on an eccentric orbit is called habitable if it receives on average a flux compatible with the presence of surface liquid water. However, as the planets do experience important insolation variations over one orbit and even spend some time outside the HZ for high eccentricities, the question of their habitability might not be as straightforward. We performed a set of simulations using the Global Climate Model LMDz, exploring the limits of the mean flux approximation when varying the luminosity of the host star and the eccentricity of the planet. We computed the climate of tidally locked ocean covered planets with orbital eccentricity from 0 to 0.9 receiving a mean flux equal to Earth's, around stars of luminosity ranging from L⊙ to 10−4 L⊙. Using here a definition of habitability based on the presence of surface liquid water, we find that most of the planets considered can sustain surface liquid water on the dayside with an ice cap on the nightside. However, for high eccentricity and high luminosity, planets cannot sustain surface liquid water during the whole orbital period. They completely freeze at apoastron and when approaching periastron an ocean appears around the substellar point. We conclude that the higher the eccentricity and the higher the luminosity of the star, the less reliable the mean flux approximation.

How Difficult is it to Detect Habitable Planets Around M Dwarfs?

The Impact of Stellar Rotation on the Detectability of Habitable Planets Around M Dwarfs

Authors:

Newton et al

Abstract:

Stellar activity and rotation frustrate the detection of exoplanets through the radial velocity technique. This effect is particularly of concern for M dwarfs, which can remain magnetically active for billions of years. We compile rotation periods for late-type stars and for the M dwarf planet-host sample in order to investigate the rotation periods of older field stars across the main sequence. We show that for stars with masses between 0.25 and 0.5 solar masses (M4V to M1V), the stellar rotation period typical of field stars coincides with the orbital periods of planets in the habitable zone. This will pose a fundamental challenge to the discovery and characterization of potentially habitable planets around early M dwarfs. Due to the longer rotation periods reached by mid M dwarfs and the shorter orbital period at which the planetary habitable zone is found, stars with masses between 0.1 and 0.25 solar masses (M6V to M4V) offer better opportunities for the detection of habitable planets via radial velocities.

An Estimate of the Formation, Evolution and Dispersal of Protoplanetary Disks

From Birth to Death of Protoplanetary Disks: Modeling Their Formation, Evolution, and Dispersal

Authors:

Kimura et al

Abstract:

Formation, evolution, and dispersal processes of protoplanetary disks are investigated and the disk lifetime is estimated. Gravitational collapse of a pre-stellar core forms both a central star and a protoplanetary disk. The central star grows by accretion from the disk, and irradiation by the central star heats up the disk and generates thermal wind, which results in the disk dispersal. We calculate the evolution of protoplanetary disks from their parent pre-stellar cores to dispersal of the disks. We find that the disk lifetimes of typical pre-stellar cores are around 2--4 million years (Myr). A pre-stellar core with high angular momentum forms a larger disk whose lifetime is long, while a disk around a X-ray luminous star has a short lifetime. Integrating the disk lifetimes under various mass and angular velocity of prestellar cores and X-ray luminosities of young stellar objects, we obtain disk fraction at a given stellar age and mean lifetime of the disks. Our model indicates that the mean lifetime of protoplanetary disks is 3.7 Myr, which is consistent with the observational estimate from young stellar clusters. We also find that the dispersion of X-ray luminosity is needed to reproduce the observed disk fraction.

Intrinsic Lyman Alpha and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectra of K and M Dwarfs with Exoplanets

The MUSCLES Treasury Survey II: Intrinsic Lyman Alpha and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectra of K and M Dwarfs with Exoplanets

Authors:

Youngblood et al

Abstract:

The ultraviolet (UV) spectral energy distributions of low-mass (K- and M-type) stars play a critical role in the heating and chemistry of exoplanet atmospheres, but are not observationally well-constrained. Direct observations of the intrinsic flux of the Lyman alpha line (the dominant source of UV photons from low-mass stars) are challenging, as interstellar HI absorbs the entire line core for even the closest stars. To address the existing gap in empirical constraints on the UV flux of K and M dwarfs, the MUSCLES HST Treasury Survey has obtained UV observations of 11 nearby M and K dwarfs hosting exoplanets. This paper presents the Lyman alpha and extreme-UV spectral reconstructions for the MUSCLES targets. Most targets are optically inactive, but all exhibit significant UV activity. We use a Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique to correct the observed Lyman alpha profiles for interstellar absorption, and we employ empirical relations to compute the extreme-UV spectral energy distribution from the intrinsic Lyman alpha flux in ~100 {\AA} bins from 100-1170 {\AA}. The reconstructed Lyman alpha profiles have 300 km/s broad cores, while greater than 1% of the total intrinsic Lyman alpha flux is measured in extended wings between 300 km/s to 1200 km/s. The Lyman alpha surface flux positively correlates with the MgII surface flux and negatively correlates with the stellar rotation period. Stars with larger Lyman alpha surface flux also tend to have larger surface flux in ions formed at higher temperatures, but these correlations remain statistically insignificant in our sample of 11 stars. We also present HI column density measurements for 10 new sightlines through the local interstellar medium.

Studying V1331 Cygni's Circumstellar Structures

Hubble imaging of V1331 Cygni: Proper motion study of its circumstellar structures

Authors:

Choudhary et al

Abstract:

The young star V1331 Cyg received previous attention because it is surrounded by an optical, arc-like reflection nebula. V1331 Cyg is commonly considered to be a candidate for an object that has undergone an FU-Ori (FUOR) the outbreak in the past. This in turn could lead to a time-varying appearance of the dusty arcs that may be revealed by multi-epoch imaging. In particular, a radial colour analysis of the dust arcs can then be attempted to check whether radial grain size distribution was modified by a previous FUOR wind. Second-epoch imaging of V1331 Cyg was obtained by us in 2009 using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). By comparing this to archival HST data from 2000, we studied the time evolution of the circumstellar nebulae. After a point spread function subtraction using model point spread functions, we used customised routines to perform a proper motion analysis. The nebula expansion was first derived by deconvolving and correlating the two-epoch radial brightness profiles. Additional data from other facilities TLS, UKIDSS, SPITZER, and HERSCHEL were also incorporated to improve our understanding of the star in terms of environment, viewing angle, bipolar outflow length, and the FUOR phenomenon. The derived radial colour profiles do not indicate a spatial separation of the dust grain sizes. The HERSCHEL 160 micron images show for the time thermal emission from dust probably residing in the outer arc. By viewing V1331 Cyg almost pole-on, the length of the bipolar outflow exceeds previous estimates by far. The outer arc expansion timescale is consistent with the implantation time of the CO torus, which supports the hypothesis of an outburst that occurred a few thousand years ago. The azimuthal colour variation of the outer arc is probably due to changes of the scattering angle, imposed by a tilt or helical geometry of the dust configuration.

Protoplanetary Disks in the Orion OMC1 Region Imaged with ALMA

Protoplanetary Disks in the Orion OMC1 Region Imaged with ALMA

Authors:

Eisner et al

Abstract:

We present ALMA observations of the Orion Nebula that cover the OMC1 outflow region. Our focus in this paper is on compact emission from protoplanetary disks. We mosaicked a field containing ∼600 near-IR-identified young stars, around which we can search for sub-mm emission tracing dusty disks. Approximately 100 sources are known proplyds identified with HST. We detect continuum emission at 1 mm wavelengths towards ∼20% of the proplyd sample, and ∼8% of the larger sample of near-IR objects. The noise in our maps allows 4σ detection of objects brighter than ∼1.5 mJy, corresponding to protoplanetary disk masses larger than 1.5 MJ (using standard assumptions about dust opacities and gas-to-dust ratios). None of these disks are detected in contemporaneous CO(2-1) or C18O(2-1) observations, suggesting that the gas-to-dust ratios may be substantially smaller than the canonical value of 100. Furthermore, since dust grains may already be sequestered in large bodies in ONC disks, the inferred masses of disk solids may be underestimated. Our results suggest that the distribution of disk masses in this region is compatible with the detection rate of massive planets around M dwarfs, which are the dominant stellar constituent in the ONC.

Radial Velocity Planet Detection Biases at the Stellar Rotational Period

Radial Velocity Planet Detection Biases at the Stellar Rotational Period

Authors:

Venderburg et al

Abstract:

Future generations of precise radial velocity (RV) surveys aim to achieve sensitivity sufficient to detect Earth mass planets orbiting in their stars’ habitable zones. A major obstacle to this goal is astrophysical radial velocity noise caused by active areas moving across the stellar limb as a star rotates. In this paper, we quantify how stellar activity impacts exoplanet detection with radial velocities as a function of orbital and stellar rotational periods. We perform data-driven simulations of how stellar rotation affects planet detectability and compile and present relations for the typical timescale and amplitude of stellar radial velocity noise as a function of stellar mass. We show that the characteristic timescales of quasi-periodic radial velocity jitter from stellar rotational modulations coincides with the orbital period of habitable zone exoplanets around early M-dwarfs. These coincident periods underscore the importance of monitoring the targets of RV habitable zone planet surveys through simultaneous photometric measurements for determining rotation periods and activity signals, and mitigating activity signals using spectroscopic indicators and/or RV measurements at different wavelengths.

Discovery of an activity cycle in the solar-analog HD 45184

Discovery of an activity cycle in the solar-analog HD 45184. Exploring Balmer and metallic lines as activity proxy candidates

Authors:

Flores et al

Abstract:

Most stellar activity cycles similar to that found in the Sun have been detected by using the chromospheric Ca II H&K lines as stellar activity proxies. However, it is unclear if such activity cycles could be identified using other optical lines. Aims. To detect activity cycles in solar-analog stars and determine if these can be identified through other optical lines, such as Fe II and Balmer lines. We study the solar-analog star HD 45184. Methods. We analyse the activity signatures of HD 45184 by using 291 HARPS spectra obtained between 2003 and 2014. In order to search for line-core fluxes variations, we focus on Ca II H&K and Balmer Hα, Hβ lines, which are usually used as optical chromospheric activity indicators. We calculate the HARPS-S index from Ca II H&K lines and convert it to the Mount-Wilson scale. In addition, we also consider as activity indicators the equivalent widths of Balmer lines. Moreover, we analyse the possible variability of Fe II and other metallic lines in the optical spectra. Results. We report for the first time a long-term 5.14-yr activity cycle in the solar-analog star HD 45184. This makes HD 45184 one of most similar stars to the Sun with known activity cycle. Such variation is also evident in the first lines of the Balmer series, which not always show a correlation with activity in solar-type stars. Notably, unlike the solar case, we also found that the equivalent widths of the high photospheric Fe II lines (4924 \AA, 5018 {\AA} and 5169 \AA) are modulated (± 2 m\AA) by the chromospheric cycle of the star. From short-term modulation of the S index we calculate a rotational period of 19.98 days, which agrees with its mean chromospheric activity level.

Warm Jupiters Seem to Have Companion Exoplanets

After analyzing four years of Kepler space telescope observations, astronomers from the University of Toronto have given us our clearest understanding yet of a class of exoplanets called "Warm Jupiters", showing that many have unexpected planetary companions.

The team's analysis, published July 10th in the Astrophysical Journal, provides strong evidence of the existence of two distinct types of Warm Jupiters, each with their own formation and dynamical history.

The two types include those that have companions and thus, likely formed where we find them today; and those with no companions that likely migrated to their current positions.

According to lead-author Chelsea Huang, a Dunlap Fellow at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto, "Our findings suggest that a big fraction of Warm Jupiters cannot have migrated to their current positions dynamically and that it would be a good idea to consider more seriously that they formed where we find them."

Warm Jupiters are large, gas-giant exoplanets--planets found around stars other than the Sun. They are comparable in size to the gas-giants in our Solar System. But unlike the Sun's family of giant planets, Warm Jupiters orbit their parent stars at roughly the same distance that Mercury, Venus and the Earth circle the Sun. They take 10 to two hundred days to complete a single orbit.

Because of their proximity to their parent stars, they are warmer than our system's cold gas giants--though not as hot as Hot Jupiters, which are typically closer to their parent stars than Mercury.

link.

Huting for Free Floating Planets & Brown Dwarfs in Young Stellar Associations

Search for associations containing young stars (SACY) VII. New stellar and substellar candidate members in the young associations

Authors:

Elliott et al

Abstract:

The young associations offer us one of the best opportunities to study the properties of young stellar and substellar objects and to directly image planets thanks to their proximity (less than 200 pc) and age (≈5-150 Myr). However, many previous works have been limited to identifying the brighter, more active members (≈1 M⊙) owing to photometric survey sensitivities limiting the detections of lower mass objects. We search the field of view of 542 previously identified members of the young associations to identify wide or extremely wide (1000-100,000 au in physical separation) companions. We combined 2MASS near-infrared photometry (J, H, K) with proper motion values (from UCAC4, PPMXL, NOMAD) to identify companions in the field of view of known members. We collated further photometry and spectroscopy from the literature and conducted our own high-resolution spectroscopic observations for a subsample of candidate members. This complementary information allowed us to assess the efficiency of our method. We identified 84 targets (45: 0.2-1.3 M⊙, 17: 0.08-0.2 M⊙, 22: less than 0.08 M⊙) in our analysis, ten of which have been identified from spectroscopic analysis in previous young association works. For 33 of these 84, we were able to further assess their membership using a variety of properties (X-ray emission, UV excess, Hα, lithium and K I equivalent widths, radial velocities, and CaH indices). We derive a success rate of 76-88% for this technique based on the consistency of these properties. Once confirmed, the targets identified in this work would significantly improve our knowledge of the lower mass end of the young associations. Additionally, these targets would make an ideal new sample for the identification and study of planets around nearby young stars.

Extrasolar comets: the origin of dust in exozodiacal disks?

Extrasolar comets : the origin of dust in exozodiacal disks?

Authors:

Marboeuf et al

Abstract:

Comets have been invoked in numerous studies as a potentially important source of dust and gas around stars, but none has studied the thermo-physical evolution, out-gassing rate, and dust ejection of these objects in such stellar systems. We investigate the thermo-physical evolution of comets in exo-planetary systems in order to provide valuable theoretical data required to interpret observations of gas and dust. We use a quasi 3D model of cometary nucleus to study the thermo-physical evolution of comets evolving around a single star from 0.1 to 50 AU, whose homogeneous luminosity varies from 0.1 to 70 solar luminosities. This paper provides mass ejection, lifetimes, and the rate of dust and water gas mass productions for comets as a function of the distance to the star and stellar luminosity. Results show significant physical changes to comets at high stellar luminosities. The models are presented in such a manner that they can be readily applied to any planetary system. By considering the examples of the Solar System, Vega and HD 69830, we show that dust grains released from sublimating comets have the potential to create the observed (exo)zodiacal emission. We show that observations can be reproduced by 1 to 2 massive comets or by a large number of comets whose orbits approach close to the star. Our conclusions depend on the stellar luminosity and the uncertain lifetime of the dust grains. We find, as in previous studies, that exozodiacal dust disks can only survive if replenished by a population of typically sized comets renewed from a large and cold reservoir of cometary bodies beyond the water ice line. These comets could reach the inner regions of the planetary system following scattering by a (giant) planet.

HD 4747B: Discovery of a Mass, Age, and Metallicity Benchmark Brown Dwarf

The TRENDS High-Contrast Imaging Survey. VI. Discovery of a Mass, Age, and Metallicity Benchmark Brown Dwarf

Authors:

Crepp et al

Abstract:

The mass and age of substellar objects are degenerate parameters leaving the evolutionary state of brown dwarfs ambiguous without additional information. Theoretical models are normally used to help distinguish between old, massive brown dwarfs and young, low mass brown dwarfs but these models have yet to be properly calibrated. We have carried out an infrared high-contrast imaging program with the goal of detecting substellar objects as companions to nearby stars to help break degeneracies in inferred physical properties such as mass, age, and composition. Rather than using imaging observations alone, our targets are pre-selected based on the existence of dynamical accelerations informed from years of stellar radial velocity (RV) measurements. In this paper, we present the discovery of a rare benchmark brown dwarf orbiting the nearby (d=18.69±0.19 pc), solar-type (G9V) star HD 4747 ([Fe/H]=−0.22±0.04) with a projected separation of only ρ=11.3±0.2 AU (θ≈ 0.6''). Precise Doppler measurements taken over 18 years reveal the companion's orbit and allow us to place strong constraints on its mass using dynamics (msin(i)=55.3±1.9MJ). Relative photometry (ΔKs=9.05±0.14, MKs=13.00±0.14, Ks−L′=1.34±0.46) indicates that HD 4747 B is most-likely a late-type L-dwarf and, if near the L/T transition, an intriguing source for studying cloud physics, variability, and polarization. We estimate a model-dependent mass of m=72+3−13MJ for an age of 3.3+2.3−1.9 Gyr based on gyrochronology. Combining astrometric measurements with RV data, we calculate the companion dynamical mass (m=60.2±3.3MJ) and orbit (e=0.740±0.002) directly. As a new mass, age, and metallicity benchmark, HD 4747 B will serve as a laboratory for precision astrophysics to test theoretical models that describe the emergent radiation of brown dwarfs.

Whether or not a Tidally Locked Exoplanet is Habitable Depends on its Surface Composition

Astronomers from KU Leuven, Belgium, have shown that the interaction between the surface and the atmosphere of an exoplanet has major consequences for the temperature on the planet. This temperature, in turn, is a crucial element in the quest for habitable planets outside our Solar System.

In the quest for habitable planets outside our Solar System - also known as exoplanets - astronomers are currently focusing on rocky planets that don't look like Earth. These planets orbit so-called M dwarfs - stars that are smaller than our Sun. In our universe, there are many more M dwarfs than there are sun-like stars, making it more likely that astronomers will discover the first habitable exoplanet around an M dwarf. Most planets orbiting these M dwarfs always face their star with the same side. As a result, they have permanent day and night sides. The day side is too hot to make life possible, while the night side is too cold.

Last year, KU Leuven researchers Ludmila Carone, Professor Rony Keppens, and Professor Leen Decin already showed that planets with permanent day sides may still be habitable depending on their 'air conditioning' system. Two out of three possible 'air conditioning' systems on these exoplanets use the cold air of the night side to cool down the day side. And with the right atmosphere and temperature, planets with permanent day and night sides are potentially habitable.

Whether the 'air conditioning' system is actually effective depends on the interaction between the surface of the planet and its atmosphere, Ludmila Carone's new study shows.

Carone: "We built hundreds of computer models to examine this interaction. In an ideal situation, the cool air is transported from the night to the day side. On the latter side, the air is gradually heated by the star. This hot air rises to the upper layers of the atmosphere, where it is transported to the night side of the planet again."

But this is not always the case: on the equator of many of these rocky planets, a strong air current in the upper layers of the atmosphere interferes with the circulation of hot air to the night side. The 'air conditioning' system stops working, and the planet becomes uninhabitable because the temperatures are too extreme.

link.

Observations, Thermochemical Calculations, and Modeling of hot Jupiter Atmospheres

Observations, Thermochemical Calculations, and Modeling of Exoplanetary Atmospheres

Author:

Blecic

Abstract:

This dissertation as a whole aims to provide means to better understand hot-Jupiter planets through observing, performing thermochemical calculations, and modeling their atmospheres. We used Spitzer multi-wavelength secondary-eclipse observations and targets with high signal-to-noise ratios, as their deep eclipses allow us to detect signatures of spectral features and assess planetary atmospheric structure and composition with greater certainty. Chapter 1 gives a short introduction. Chapter 2 presents the Spitzer secondary-eclipse analysis and atmospheric characterization of WASP-14b. WASP-14b is a highly irradiated, transiting hot Jupiter. By applying a Bayesian approach in the atmospheric analysis, we found an absence of thermal inversion contrary to theoretical predictions. Chapter 3 describes the infrared observations of WASP-43b Spitzer secondary eclipses, data analysis, and atmospheric characterization. WASP-43b is one of the closest-orbiting hot Jupiters, orbiting one of the coolest stars with a hot Jupiter. The atmospheric analysis ruled out a strong thermal inversion in its dayside atmosphere. Chapter 4 presents an open-source Thermochemical Equilibrium Abundances (TEA) code and its application to several hot Jupiters. TEA calculates the abundances of gaseous species using the Gibbs free-energy minimization method within an iterative Lagrangian optimization scheme. The code is written in Python and available to the community via this http URL Chapter 5 presents my contributions to an open-source Bayesian Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (BART) code, and its application to WASP-43b. BART characterizes planetary atmospheres based on the observed spectroscopic information. It initializes a planetary atmospheric model, performs radiative-transfer calculations to produce models of planetary spectra, and using a statistical module compares models with observations.

No asymmetries in the transit of hot Jupiter CoRoT-29b

The GTC exoplanet transit spectroscopy survey III. No asymmetries in the transit of CoRoT-29b

Authors:

Pallé et al

Abstract:

Context.

The launch of the exoplanet space missions obtaining exquisite photometry from space has resulted in the discovery of thousands of planetary systems with very different physical properties and architectures. Among them, the exoplanet CoRoT-29b was identified in the light curves the mission obtained in summer 2011, and presented an asymmetric transit light curve, which was tentatively explained via the effects of gravity darkening.

Aims.

Transits of CoRoT-29b are measured with precision photometry, to characterize the reported asymmetry in their transit shape.

Methods.

Using the OSIRIS spectrograph at the 10-m GTC telescope, we perform spectro-photometric differential observations, which allow us to both calculate a high-accuracy photometric light curve, and a study of the color-dependence of the transit.

Results.

After careful data analysis, we find that the previously reported asymmetry is not present in either of two transits, observed in July 2014 and July 2015 with high photometric precisions of 300 ppm over 5 min. Due to the relative faintness of the star, we do not reach the precision necessary to perform transmission spectroscopy of its atmosphere, but we see no signs of color-dependency of the transit depth or duration.

Conclusions.

We conclude that the previously reported asymmetry may have been a time-dependent phenomenon, which did not occur in more recent epochs. Alternatively, instrumental effects in the discovery data may need to be reconsidered.