256 research outputs found
Wavelength Dependence of Activity-Induced Photometric Variations for Young Cool Stars in Hyades
We investigate photometric variations due to stellar activity which induce
systematic radial-velocity errors (so-called "jitter") for the four targets in
the Hyades open cluster observed by the K2 mission (EPIC 210721261, EPIC
210923016, EPIC 247122957, and EPIC 247783757). Applying Gaussian process
regressions to the K2 light curves and the near-infrared (NIR) light curves
observed with the IRSF 1.4-m telescope, we derive the wavelength dependences of
the photometric signals due to stellar activity. To estimate the temporal
variations in the photometric variability amplitudes between the two
observation periods of K2 and IRSF, separated by more than 2 years, we analyze
a number of K2 targets in Hyades that have also been observed in Campaigns 4
and 13 and find a representative variation rate over 2 years of 38%pm71%.
Taking this temporal variation into account, we constrain projected sizes and
temperature contrast properties of the starspots in the stellar photosphere to
be approximately 10% and 0.95, respectively. These starspot properties can
induce relatively large differences in the variability amplitude over different
observational passbands, and we find that radial-velocity jitter may be more
suppressed in the NIR than previously expected. Our result supports profits of
on-going exoplanet search projects that are attempting to detect or confirm
young planets in open clusters via radial-velocity measurements in the NIR.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables; Accepted for publication to A
Microlensing Results Challenge the Core Accretion Runaway Growth Scenario for Gas Giants
We compare the planet-to-star mass-ratio distribution measured by
gravitational microlensing to core accretion theory predictions from population
synthesis models. The core accretion theory's runaway gas accretion process
predicts a dearth of intermediate-mass giant planets that is not seen in the
microlensing results. In particular, the models predict fewer
planets at mass ratios of than inferred
from microlensing observations. This tension implies that gas giant formation
may involve processes that have hitherto been overlooked by existing core
accretion models or that the planet-forming environment varies considerably as
a function of host-star mass. Variation from the usual assumptions for the
protoplanetary disk viscosity and thickness could reduce this discrepancy, but
such changes might conflict with microlensing results at larger or smaller mass
ratios, or with other observations. The resolution of this discrepancy may have
important implications for planetary habitability because it has been suggested
that the runaway gas accretion process may have triggered the delivery of water
to our inner solar system. So, an understanding of giant planet formation may
help us to determine the occurrence rate of habitable planets.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ
Shallow Ultraviolet Transits of WD 1145+017
WD 1145+017 is a unique white dwarf system that has a heavily polluted
atmosphere, an infrared excess from a dust disk, numerous broad absorption
lines from circumstellar gas, and changing transit features, likely from
fragments of an actively disintegrating asteroid. Here, we present results from
a large photometric and spectroscopic campaign with Hubble, Keck , VLT,
Spitzer, and many other smaller telescopes from 2015 to 2018. Somewhat
surprisingly, but consistent with previous observations in the u' band, the UV
transit depths are always shallower than those in the optical. We develop a
model that can quantitatively explain the observed "bluing" and the main
findings are: I. the transiting objects, circumstellar gas, and white dwarf are
all aligned along our line of sight; II. the transiting object is blocking a
larger fraction of the circumstellar gas than of the white dwarf itself.
Because most circumstellar lines are concentrated in the UV, the UV flux
appears to be less blocked compared to the optical during a transit, leading to
a shallower UV transit. This scenario is further supported by the strong
anti-correlation between optical transit depth and circumstellar line strength.
We have yet to detect any wavelength-dependent transits caused by the
transiting material around WD 1145+017.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, 6 tables, ApJ, in pres
Unc93B1 Restricts Systemic Lethal Inflammation by Orchestrating Toll-like Receptor 7 and 9 Trafficking
SummaryToll-like receptor-7 (TLR7) and 9, innate immune sensors for microbial RNA or DNA, have been implicated in autoimmunity. Upon activation, TLR7 and 9 are transported from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to endolysosomes for nucleic acid sensing by an ER-resident protein, Unc93B1. Little is known, however, about a role for sensor transportation in controlling autoimmunity. TLR9 competes with TLR7 for Unc93B1-dependent trafficking and predominates over TLR7. TLR9 skewing is actively maintained by Unc93B1 and reversed to TLR7 if Unc93B1 loses preferential binding via a D34A mutation. We here demonstrate that mice harboring a D34A mutation showed TLR7-dependent, systemic lethal inflammation. CD4+ TÂ cells showed marked differentiation toward T helper 1 (Th1) or Th17 cell subsets. B cell depletion abolished TÂ cell differentiation and systemic inflammation. Thus, Unc93B1 controls homeostatic TLR7 activation by balancing TLR9 to TLR7 trafficking
The K2-ESPRINT Project III: A Close-in Super-Earth around a Metal-rich Mid-M Dwarf
We validate a planet on a close-in orbit
( days) around K2-28 (EPIC 206318379), a metal-rich
M4-type dwarf in the Campaign 3 field of the K2 mission. Our follow-up
observations included multi-band transit observations from the optical to the
near infrared, low-resolution spectroscopy, and high-resolution adaptive-optics
(AO) imaging. We perform a global fit to all the observed transits using a
Gaussian process-based method and show that the transit depths in all passbands
adopted for the ground-based transit follow-ups () are within of the K2 value. Based on a model of
the background stellar population and the absence of nearby sources in our AO
imaging, we estimate the probability that a background eclipsing binary could
cause a false positive to be . We also show that K2-28
cannot have a physically associated companion of stellar type later than M4,
based on the measurement of almost identical transit depths in multiple
passbands. There is a low probability for a M4 dwarf companion (), but even if this were the case, the size of K2-28b
falls within the planetary regime. K2-28b has the same radius (within
) and experiences a similar irradiation from its host star as the
well-studied GJ~1214b. Given the relative brightness of K2-28 in the near
infrared ( mag and mag) and relatively deep
transit (), a comparison between the atmospheric properties of these
two planets with future observations would be especially interesting.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted to Ap
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