448 research outputs found
Exoplanet Characterization by Multi-Observatory Transit Photometry with TESS and CHEOPS
Space-based photometric surveys have discovered large numbers of planets
transiting other stars, but these observe in a single band-pass and yield only
the planet radius, orbital period, and transit duration. Information on the
masses, compositions, and any atmospheres of these planets requires additional
observations from the ground or space. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey
Satellite (TESS) will yield thousands of planets around bright stars suitable
for such follow-up. In the absence of spectroscopy or spectrophotometry from
space, observations through the different pass-bands of multiple space
telescopes provide some spectral information useful for identifying false
positive signals, distinguishing between reflected light and thermal emission
from hot Jupiters, and detecting Rayleigh scattering by planetary atmospheres.
We calculated the expected difference in transit depths measured by the TESS
and Characterizing Exoplanets Satellites (CHEOPS) missions, which will be more
sensitive to redder and bluer optical wavelengths, respectively. The difference
due to companion or background stars is small (<3% for main sequence
companions) and likely to be negligible and undetectable. For only a few "hot"
Jupiters, can combined photometry disambiguate between the reflected and
thermal signals from planets. However, Rayleigh scattering by hazy atmospheres
with particles sizes near 0.04 m and at pressure altitudes above ~1 mbar
can be detected for ~100 transiting planets, assuming every planet has such an
atmosphere. Hazes with this characteristic particle size do not obscure
observations at longer (near-infrared) wavelengths; CHEOPS follow-up of
TESS-detected planets could thus identify candidates suitable for further study
with the James Webb Space Telescope.Comment: MNRAS, in pres
They are Small Worlds After All: Revised Properties of Kepler M Dwarf Stars and their Planets
We classified the reddest () stars observed by the NASA
mission into main sequence dwarf or evolved giant stars and determined the
properties of 4216 M dwarfs based on a comparison of available photometry with
that of nearby calibrator stars, as well as available proper motions and
spectra. We revised the properties of candidate transiting planets using the
stellar parameters, high-resolution imaging to identify companion stars, and,
in the case of binaries, fitting light curves to identify the likely planet
host. In 49 of 54 systems we validated the primary as the host star. We
inferred the intrinsic distribution of M dwarf planets using the method of
iterative Monte Carlo simulation. We compared several models of planet orbital
geometry and clustering and found that one where planets are exponentially
distributed and almost precisely coplanar best describes the distribution of
multi-planet systems. We determined that M dwarfs host an average of
planets with radii of 1-4 and orbital periods of
1.5-180 d. The radius distribution peaks at and is
essentially zero at , although we identify three giant planet
candidates other than the previously confirmed Kepler-45b. There is suggestive
but not significant evidence that the radius distribution varies with orbital
period. The distribution with logarithmic orbital period is flat except for a
decline for orbits less than a few days. Twelve candidate planets, including
two Jupiter-size objects, experience an irradiance below the threshold level
for a runaway greenhouse on an Earth-like planet and are thus in a "habitable
zone".Comment: MNRAS, in press. Tables 1, 3, and 4 are available in electronic form
in the "anc" director
The post-disk (or primordial) spin distribution of M dwarf stars
We investigate the influence of an accretion disk on the angular momentum
(AM) evolution of young M dwarfs, which parameters govern the AM distribution
after the disk phase, and whether this leads to a mass-independent distribution
of SAM. We find that above an initial rate accretion "erases" the initial SAM of M dwarfs
during the disk lifetime, and stellar rotation converges to values of SAM that
are largely independent of initial conditions. For stellar masses , we find that observed initial accretion rates
are comparable to or exceed .
Furthermore, stellar SAM after the disk phase scales with the stellar magnetic
field strength as a power-law with an exponent of . For lower stellar
masses, is predicted to be smaller than
and the initial conditions are imprinted in the stellar
SAM after the disk phase. To explain the observed mass-independent distribution
of SAM, the stellar magnetic field strength has to range between 20~G and 500~G
(700~G and 1500~G) for a 0.1~ (0.6~) star.
These values match observed large-scale magnetic field measurements of young
M~dwarfs and the positive relation between stellar mass and magnetic field
strength agrees with a theoretically-motivated scaling relation. The scaling
law between stellar SAM, mass, and the magnetic field strength is consistent
for young stars, where these parameters are constrained by observations. Due to
the very limited number of available data, we advocate for efforts to obtain
more such measurements. Our results provide new constraints on the relation
between stellar mass and magnetic field strength and can be used as initial
conditions for future stellar spin models, starting after the disk phase.
(shortened)Comment: accepted for publication in A&
New Worlds on the Horizon: Earth-Sized Planets Close to Other Stars
The search for habitable planets like Earth around other stars fulfils an
ancient imperative to understand our origins and place in the cosmos. The past
decade has seen the discovery of hundreds of planets, but nearly all are gas
giants like Jupiter and Saturn. Recent advances in instrumentation and new
missions are extending searches to planets the size of the Earth, but closer to
their host stars. There are several possible ways such planets could form, and
future observations will soon test those theories. Many of these planets we
discover may be quite unlike Earth in their surface temperature and
composition, but their study will nonetheless inform us about the process of
planet formation and the frequency of Earth-like planets around other stars.Comment: to appear in Science, October 12, 200
Objects in Kepler's mirror may be larger than they appear: BIAS and selection effects in transiting planet surveys
Statistical analyses of large surveys for transiting planets such as the Kepler mission must account for systematic errors and biases. Transit detection depends not only on the planet's radius and orbital period, but also on host star properties. Thus, a sample of stars with transiting planets may not accurately represent the target population. Moreover, targets are selected using criteria such as a limiting apparent magnitude. These selection effects, combined with uncertainties in stellar radius, lead to biases in the properties of transiting planets and their host stars. We quantify possible biases in the Kepler survey. First, Eddington bias produced by a steep planet radius distribution and uncertainties in stellar radius results in a 15%-20% overestimate of planet occurrence. Second, the magnitude limit of the Kepler target catalog induces Malmquist bias toward large, more luminous stars and underestimation of the radii of about one-third of candidate planets, especially those larger than Neptune. Third, because metal-poor stars are smaller, stars with detected planets will be very slightly (<0.02 dex) more metal-poor than the target average. Fourth, uncertainties in stellar radii produce correlated errors in planet radius and stellar irradiation. A previous finding, that highly irradiated giants are more likely to have "inflated" radii, remains significant, even accounting for this effect. In contrast, transit depth is negatively correlated with stellar metallicity even in the absence of any intrinsic correlation, and a previous claim of a negative correlation between giant planet transit depth and stellar metallicity is probably an artifact
M dwarf stars in the light of (future) exoplanet searches
We present a brief overview of a splinter session on M dwarf stars as planet
hosts that was organized as part of the Cool Stars 17 conference. The session
was devoted to reviewing our current knowledge of M dwarf stars and exoplanets
in order to prepare for current and future exoplanet searches focusing in low
mass stars. We review the observational and theoretical challenges to
characterize M dwarf stars and the importance of accurate fundamental
parameters for the proper characterization of their exoplanets and our
understanding on planet formation.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Summary of the splinter session "M dwarf stars in
the light of (future) exoplanet searches" held at the 17th Cambridge Workshop
on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun, June 28th 2012, Barcelona,
Spain. Submitted for publication in Astronomische Nachrichten - Astronomical
Notes (AN) 334, Issue 1-2, Eds Klaus Strassmeier and Mercedes L\'opez-Morale
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