Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment (PRIDE) technique: A test case of the Mars Express Phobos fly-by

Context. The closest ever fly-by of the Martian moon Phobos, performed by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft, gives a unique opportunity to sharpen and test the Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiments (PRIDE) technique in the interest of studying planet–satellite systems. Aims. The aim of this work is to demonstrate a technique of providing high precision positional and Doppler measurements of planetary spacecraft using the Mars Express spacecraft. The technique will be used in the framework of Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiments in various planetary missions, in particular in fly-by mode. Methods. We advanced a novel approach to spacecraft data processing using the techniques of Doppler and phase-referenced very long baseline interferometry spacecraft tracking. Results. We achieved, on average, mHz precision (30 μm/s at a 10 s integration time) for radial three-way Doppler estimates and sub-nanoradian precision for lateral position measurements, which in a linear measure (at a distance of 1.4 AU) corresponds to ~50 m

Probing the gravitational redshift with an Earth-orbiting satellite

We present an approach to testing the gravitational redshift effect using the RadioAstron satellite. The experiment is based on a modification of the Gravity Probe A scheme of nonrelativistic Doppler compensation and benefits from the highly eccentric orbit and ultra-stable atomic hydrogen maser frequency standard of the RadioAstron satellite. Using the presented techniques we expect to reach an accuracy of the gravitational redshift test of order 10^(−5), a magnitude better than that of Gravity Probe A. Data processing is ongoing, our preliminary results agree with the validity of the Einstein Equivalence Principle

Spacecraft VLBI and Doppler tracking: algorithms and implementation

We present the results of several multi-station Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) experiments conducted with the ESA spacecraft Venus Express as a target. To determine the true capabilities of VLBI tracking for future planetary missions in the solar system, it is necessary to demonstrate the accuracy of the method for existing operational spacecraft. We describe the software pipeline for the processing of phase referencing near-field VLBI observations and present results of the ESA Venus Express spacecraft observing campaign conducted in 2010-2011. We show that a highly accurate determination of spacecraft state-vectors is achievable with our method. The consistency of the positions indicates that an internal rms accuracy of 0.1 mas has been achieved. However, systematic effects produce offsets up to 1 mas, but can be reduced by better modelling of the troposphere and ionosphere and closer target-calibrator configurations.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures. Astronomy and Astrophysics, accepte

Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment (PRIDE) technique: A test case of the Mars Express Phobos fly-by

Context. The closest ever fly-by of the Martian moon Phobos, performed by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft, gives a unique opportunity to sharpen and test the Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiments (PRIDE) technique in the interest of studying planet–satellite systems. Aims. The aim of this work is to demonstrate a technique of providing high precision positional and Doppler measurements of planetary spacecraft using the Mars Express spacecraft. The technique will be used in the framework of Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiments in various planetary missions, in particular in fly-by mode. Methods. We advanced a novel approach to spacecraft data processing using the techniques of Doppler and phase-referenced very long baseline interferometry spacecraft tracking. Results. We achieved, on average, mHz precision (30 μm/s at a 10 s integration time) for radial three-way Doppler estimates and sub-nanoradian precision for lateral position measurements, which in a linear measure (at a distance of 1.4 AU) corresponds to ~50 m

The Performance of the Robo-AO Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics System at the Kitt Peak 2.1-m Telescope

Robo-AO is an autonomous laser guide star adaptive optics system recently commissioned at the Kitt Peak 2.1-m telescope. Now operating every clear night, Robo-AO at the 2.1-m telescope is the first dedicated adaptive optics observatory. This paper presents the imaging performance of the adaptive optics system in its first eighteen months of operations. For a median seeing value of $1.31^{\prime\prime}$, the average Strehl ratio is 4\% in the $i^\prime$ band and 29\% in the J band. After post-processing, the contrast ratio under sub-arcsecond seeing for a $2\leq i^{\prime} \leq 16$ primary star is five and seven magnitudes at radial offsets of $0.5^{\prime\prime}$ and $1.0^{\prime\prime}$, respectively. The data processing and archiving pipelines run automatically at the end of each night. The first stage of the processing pipeline shifts and adds the data using techniques alternately optimized for stars with high and low SNRs. The second "high contrast" stage of the pipeline is eponymously well suited to finding faint stellar companions.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figures, to be submitted to PAS

Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment (PRIDE) Technique: a Test Case of the Mars Express Phobos Fly-by. 2. Doppler tracking: Formulation of observed and computed values, and noise budget

Context. Closed-loop Doppler data obtained by deep space tracking networks (e.g., NASA's DSN and ESA's Estrack) are routinely used for navigation and science applications. By "shadow tracking" the spacecraft signal, Earth-based radio telescopes involved in Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment (PRIDE) can provide open-loop Doppler tracking data when the dedicated deep space tracking facilities are operating in closed-loop mode only. Aims. We explain in detail the data processing pipeline, discuss the capabilities of the technique and its potential applications in planetary science. Methods. We provide the formulation of the observed and computed values of the Doppler data in PRIDE tracking of spacecraft, and demonstrate the quality of the results using as a test case an experiment with ESA's Mars Express spacecraft. Results. We find that the Doppler residuals and the corresponding noise budget of the open-loop Doppler detections obtained with the PRIDE stations are comparable to the closed-loop Doppler detections obtained with the dedicated deep space tracking facilities

Robo-AO Kepler Survey IV: the effect of nearby stars on 3857 planetary candidate systems

We present the overall statistical results from the Robo-AO Kepler planetary candidate survey, comprising of 3857 high-angular resolution observations of planetary candidate systems with Robo-AO, an automated laser adaptive optics system. These observations reveal previously unknown nearby stars blended with the planetary candidate host star which alter the derived planetary radii or may be the source of an astrophysical false positive transit signal. In the first three papers in the survey, we detected 440 nearby stars around 3313 planetary candidate host stars. In this paper, we present observations of 532 planetary candidate host stars, detecting 94 companions around 88 stars; 84 of these companions have not previously been observed in high-resolution. We also report 50 more-widely-separated companions near 715 targets previously observed by Robo-AO. We derive corrected planetary radius estimates for the 814 planetary candidates in systems with a detected nearby star. If planetary candidates are equally likely to orbit the primary or secondary star, the radius estimates for planetary candidates in systems with likely bound nearby stars increase by a factor of 1.54, on average. We find that 35 previously-believed rocky planet candidates are likely not rocky due to the presence of nearby stars. From the combined data sets from the complete Robo-AO KOI survey, we find that 14.5\pm0.5% of planetary candidate hosts have a nearby star with 4", while 1.2% have two nearby stars and 0.08% have three. We find that 16% of Earth-sized, 13% of Neptune-sized, 14% of Saturn-sized, and 19% of Jupiter-sized planet candidates have detected nearby stars.Comment: Accepted to the Astronomical Journa

Robo-AO Kepler Survey V: The effect of physically associated stellar companions on planetary systems

The Kepler light curves used to detect thousands of planetary candidates are susceptible to dilution due to blending with previously unknown nearby stars. With the automated laser adaptive optics instrument, Robo-AO, we have observed 620 nearby stars around 3857 planetary candidates host stars. Many of the nearby stars, however, are not bound to the KOI. In this paper, we quantify the association probability between each KOI and detected nearby stars through several methods. Galactic stellar models and the observed stellar density are used to estimate the number and properties of unbound stars. We estimate the spectral type and distance to 145 KOIs with nearby stars using multi-band observations from Robo-AO and Keck-AO. We find most nearby stars within 1" of a Kepler planetary candidate are likely bound, in agreement with past studies. We use likely bound stars as well as the precise stellar parameters from the California Kepler Survey to search for correlations between stellar binarity and planetary properties. No significant difference between the binarity fraction of single and multiple planet systems is found, and planet hosting stars follow similar binarity trends as field stars, many of which likely host their own non-aligned planets. We find that hot Jupiters are ~4x more likely than other planets to reside in a binary star system. We correct the radius estimates of the planet candidates in characterized systems and find that for likely bound systems, the estimated planetary candidate radii will increase on average by a factor of 1.77, if either star is equally likely to host the planet. We find that the planetary radius gap is robust to the impact of dilution, and find an intriguing 95%-confidence discrepancy between the radius distribution of small planets in single and binary systems.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, submitted to AAS Journal

Probing the gravitational redshift with an Earth-orbiting satellite

We present an approach to testing the gravitational redshift effect using the RadioAstron satellite. The experiment is based on a modification of the Gravity Probe A scheme of nonrelativistic Doppler compensation and benefits from the highly eccentric orbit and ultra-stable atomic hydrogen maser frequency standard of the RadioAstron satellite. Using the presented techniques we expect to reach an accuracy of the gravitational redshift test of order 10^(−5), a magnitude better than that of Gravity Probe A. Data processing is ongoing, our preliminary results agree with the validity of the Einstein Equivalence Principle

Two Small Planets Transiting HD 3167

We report the discovery of two super-Earth-sized planets transiting the bright (V = 8.94, K = 7.07) nearby late G-dwarf HD 3167, using data collected by the K2 mission. The inner planet, HD 3167 b, has a radius of 1.6 R_e and an ultra-short orbital period of only 0.96 days. The outer planet, HD 3167 c, has a radius of 2.9 R_e and orbits its host star every 29.85 days. At a distance of just 45.8 +/- 2.2 pc, HD 3167 is one of the closest and brightest stars hosting multiple transiting planets, making HD 3167 b and c well suited for follow-up observations. The star is chromospherically inactive with low rotational line-broadening, ideal for radial velocity observations to measure the planets' masses. The outer planet is large enough that it likely has a thick gaseous envelope which could be studied via transmission spectroscopy. Planets transiting bright, nearby stars like HD 3167 are valuable objects to study leading up to the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.Comment: Accepted by ApJL. 6 pages, 1 figure, 2 table