Three planets around HD 27894. A close-in pair with a 2:1 period ratio and an eccentric Jovian planet at 5.4 AU
Authors:
Trifonov et al
Abstract:
Aims.
Our new program with HARPS aims to detect mean motion resonant planetary systems around stars which were previously reported to have a single bona fide planet, often based only on sparse radial velocity data.
Methods.
Archival and new HARPS radial velocities for the K2V star HD 27894 were combined and fitted with a three-planet self-consistent dynamical model. The best-fit orbit was tested for long-term stability.
Results.
We find clear evidence that HD 27894 is hosting at least three massive planets. In addition to the already known Jovian planet with a period Pb ≈ 18 days we discover a Saturn-mass planet with Pc ≈ 36 days, likely in a 2:1 mean motion resonance with the first planet, and a cold massive planet (≈ 5.3 MJup) with a period Pd ≈ 5170 days on a moderately eccentric orbit (ed = 0.39).
Conclusions.
HD 27894 is hosting a massive, eccentric giant planet orbiting around a tightly packed inner pair of massive planets likely involved in an asymmetric 2:1 mean motion resonance. HD 27894 may be an important milestone for probing planetary formation and evolution scenarios.
Disentangling 2:1 resonant radial velocity orbits from eccentric ones and a case study for HD 27894
Authors:
Kürster et al
Abstract:
In radial velocity observations, a pair of extrasolar planets near a 2:1 orbital resonance can be misinterpreted as a single eccentric planet, if data are sparse and measurement precision insufficient to distinguish between these models. We determine the fraction of alleged single-planet RV detected systems for which a 2:1 resonant pair of planets is also a viable model and address the question of how the models can be disentangled. By simulation we quantified the mismatch arising from applying the wrong model. Model alternatives are illustrated using the supposed single-planet system HD 27894 for which we also study the dynamical stability of near-2:1 resonant solutions. From the data scatter around the fitted single-planet Keplerians, we find that for 74% of the 254 putative single-planet systems, a 2:1 resonant pair cannot be excluded as a viable model, since the error due to the wrong model is smaller than the scatter. For 187 stars χ2-probabilities can be used to reject the Keplerian models with a confidence of 95% for 54% of the stars and with 99.9% for 39% of the stars. For HD 27894 a considerable fit improvement is obtained when adding a low-mass planet near half the orbital period of the known Jovian planet. Dynamical analysis demonstrates that this system is stable when both planets are initially placed on circular orbits. For fully Keplerian orbits a stable system is only obtained if the eccentricity of the inner planet is constrained to less than 0.3. A large part of the allegedly RV detected single-planet systems should be scrutinized in order to determine the fraction of systems containing near-2:1 resonant pairs of planets. Knowing the abundance of such systems will allow us to revise the eccentricity distribution for extrasolar planets and provide direct constraints for planetary system formation.
