38 research outputs found
A ground-based NUV secondary eclipse observation of KELT-9b
KELT-9b is a recently discovered exoplanet with a 1.49 d orbit around a
B9.5/A0-type star. The unparalleled levels of UV irradiation it receives from
its host star put KELT-9b in its own unique class of ultra-hot Jupiters, with
an equilibrium temperature > 4000 K. The high quantities of dissociated
hydrogen and atomic metals present in the dayside atmosphere of KELT-9b bear
more resemblance to a K-type star than a gas giant. We present a single
observation of KELT-9b during its secondary eclipse, taken with the Wide Field
Camera on the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). This observation was taken in the
U-band, a window particularly sensitive to Rayleigh scattering. We do not
detect a secondary eclipse signal, but our 3 upper limit of 181 ppm on
the depth allows us to constrain the dayside temperature of KELT-9b at
pressures of ~30 mbar to 4995 K (3). Although we can place an
observational constraint of 0.14, our models suggest that the actual
value is considerably lower than this due to H opacity. This places KELT-9b
squarely in the albedo regime populated by its cooler cousins, almost all of
which reflect very small components of the light incident on their daysides.
This work demonstrates the ability of ground-based 2m-class telescopes like the
INT to perform secondary eclipse studies in the NUV, which have previously only
been conducted from space-based facilities.Comment: Accepted in ApJL. 7 pages, 3 figure
Extreme asteroids in the Pan-STARRS 1 Survey
Using the first 18 months of the Pan-STARRS 1 survey we have identified 33
candidate high-amplitude objects for follow-up observations and carried out
observations of 22 asteroids. 4 of the observed objects were found to have
observed amplitude mag. We find that these high amplitude
objects are most simply explained by single rubble pile objects with some
density-dependent internal strength, allowing them to resist mass shedding even
at their highly elongated shapes. 3 further objects although below the cut-off
for 'high-amplitude' had a combination of elongation and rotation period which
also may require internal cohesive strength, depending on the density of the
body. We find that none of the 'high-amplitude asteroids' identified here
require any unusual cohesive strengths to resist rotational fission. 3
asteroids were sufficiently observed to allow for shape and spin pole models to
be determined through light curve inversion. 45864 was determined to have
retrograde rotation with spin pole axes and asteroid 206167 was found to have best fit spin
pole axes , . An additional
object not initially measured with mag, 49257, was determined to
have a shape model which does suggest a high-amplitude object. Its spin pole
axes were best fit for values .
In the course of this project to date no large super-fast rotators ( h) have been identified.Comment: 31 pages; accepted by A
Spectroscopic Transit Search: a self-calibrating method for detecting planets around bright stars
We search for transiting exoplanets around the star Pictoris using
high resolution spectroscopy and Doppler imaging that removes the need for
standard star observations. These data were obtained on the VLT with UVES
during the course of an observing campaign throughout 2017 that monitored the
Hill sphere transit of the exoplanet Pictoris b. We utilize line
profile tomography as a method for the discovery of transiting exoplanets. By
measuring the exoplanet distortion of the stellar line profile, we remove the
need for reference star measurements. We demonstrate the method with white
noise simulations, and then look at the case of Pictoris, which is a
Scuti pulsator. We describe a method to remove the stellar pulsations
and perform a search for any transiting exoplanets in the resultant data set.
We inject fake planet transits with varying orbital periods and planet radii
into the spectra and determine the recovery fraction. In the photon noise
limited case we can recover planets down to a Neptune radius with an 80%
success rate, using an 8 m telescope with a spectrograph and 20
minutes of observations per night. The pulsations of Pictoris limit our
sensitivity to Jupiter-sized planets, but a pulsation removal algorithm
improves this limit to Saturn-sized planets. We present two planet candidates,
but argue that their signals are most likely caused by other phenomena. We have
demonstrated a method for searching for transiting exoplanets that (i) does not
require ancillary calibration observations, (ii) can work on any star whose
rotational broadening can be resolved with a high spectral dispersion
spectrograph and (iii) provides the lowest limits so far on the radii of
transiting Jupiter-sized exoplanets around Pictoris with orbital
periods from 15 days to 200 days with >50% coverage.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 8 pages, 8 figures. The Github
repository can be found at
https://github.com/lennartvansluijs/Spectroscopic-Transit-Searc
A long-period transiting substellar companion in the super-Jupiters to brown dwarfs mass regime and a prototypical warm-Jupiter detected by TESS
We report on the confirmation and follow-up characterization of two long-period transiting substellar companions on low-eccentricity orbits around TIC 4672985 and TOI-2529, whose transit events were detected by the TESS space mission. Ground-based photometric and spectroscopic follow up from different facilities, confirmed the substellar nature of TIC 4672985 b, a massive gas giant, in the transition between the super-Jupiters and brown-dwarfs mass regime. From the joint analysis we derived the following orbital parameters: P = 69.0480+0.0004−0.0005 d, Mp = 12.74+1.01−1.01 MJ, Rp =1.026+0.065−0.067 RJ and e = 0.018+0.004−0.004 . In addition, the RV time series revealed a significant trend at the ∼ 350 m s−1 yr−1level, which is indicative of the presence of a massive outer companion in the system. TIC 4672985 b is a unique example of a transiting substellar companion with a mass above the deuterium-burning limit, located beyond 0.1 AU and in a nearly circular orbit. These planetary properties are difficult to reproduce from canonical planet formation and evolution models. For TOI-2529 b, we obtained the following orbital parameters: P = 64.5949+0.0003−0.0003 d, Mp =2.340+0.197−0.195 MJ, Rp = 1.030+0.050−0.050 RJ and e = 0.021+0.024−0.015 , making this object a new example of a growing population of transiting warm giant planets
An M dwarf accompanied by a close-in giant orbiter with SPECULOOS
In the last decade, a dozen close-in giant planets have been discovered
orbiting stars with spectral types ranging from M0 to M4, a mystery since known
formation pathways do not predict the existence of such systems. Here, we
confirm TOI-4860 b, a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting an M4.5 host, a star at the
transition between fully and partially convective interiors. First identified
with TESS data, we validate the transiting companion's planetary nature through
multicolour photometry from the TRAPPIST-South/North, SPECULOOS, and MuSCAT3
facilities. Our analysis yields a radius of for
the planet, a mass of for the star, and an orbital period of
1.52 d. Using the newly commissioned SPIRIT InGaAs camera at the
SPECULOOS-South Observatory, we collect infrared photometry in zYJ that spans
the time of secondary eclipse. These observations do not detect a secondary
eclipse, placing an upper limit on the brightness of the companion. The
planetary nature of the companion is further confirmed through high-resolution
spectroscopy obtained with the IRD spectrograph at Subaru Telescope, from which
we measure a mass of . Based on its overall
density, TOI-4860 b appears to be rich in heavy elements, like its host star.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter
NGTS-28Ab:a short period transiting brown dwarf
We report the discovery of a brown dwarf orbiting a M1 host star. We first identified the brown dwarf within the Next Generation Transit Survey data, with supporting observations found in TESS sectors 11 and 38. We confirmed the discovery with follow-up photometry from the South African Astronomical Observatory, SPECULOOS-S, and TRAPPIST-S, and radial velocity measurements from HARPS, which allowed us to characterize the system. We find an orbital period of ∼1.25 d, a mass of 69.0+5.3-4.8 MJ, close to the hydrogen burning limit, and a radius of 0.95 ± 0.05 RJ. We determine the age to be >0.5 Gyr, using model isochrones, which is found to be in agreement with spectral energy distribution fitting within errors. NGTS-28Ab is one of the shortest period systems found within the brown dwarf desert, as well as one of the highest mass brown dwarfs that transits an M dwarf. This makes NGTS-28Ab another important discovery within this scarcely populated region.</div
A massive hot Jupiter orbiting a metal-rich early-M star discovered in the TESS full frame images
Observations and statistical studies have shown that giant planets are rare
around M dwarfs compared with Sun-like stars. The formation mechanism of these
extreme systems remains under debate for decades. With the help of the TESS
mission and ground based follow-up observations, we report the discovery of
TOI-4201b, the most massive and densest hot Jupiter around an M dwarf known so
far with a radius of and a mass of ,
about 5 times heavier than most other giant planets around M dwarfs. It also
has the highest planet-to-star mass ratio () among such
systems. The host star is an early-M dwarf with a mass of $0.61\pm0.02\
M_{\odot}0.63\pm0.02\ R_{\odot}0.52\pm 0.08$ dex). However, interior
structure modeling suggests that its planet TOI-4201b is metal-poor, which
challenges the classical core-accretion correlation of stellar-planet
metallicity, unless the planet is inflated by additional energy sources.
Building on the detection of this planet, we compare the stellar metallicity
distribution of four planetary groups: hot/warm Jupiters around G/M dwarfs. We
find that hot/warm Jupiters show a similar metallicity dependence around G-type
stars. For M dwarf host stars, the occurrence of hot Jupiters shows a much
stronger correlation with iron abundance, while warm Jupiters display a weaker
preference, indicating possible different formation histories.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables, submitted to A
An ultrahot Neptune in the Neptune desert
About 1 out of 200 Sun-like stars has a planet with an orbital period shorter than one day: an ultrashort-period planet. All of the previously known ultrashort-period planets are either hot Jupiters, with sizes above 10 Earth radii (R⊕), or apparently rocky planets smaller than 2 R⊕. Such lack of planets of intermediate size (the ‘hot Neptune desert’) has been interpreted as the inability of low-mass planets to retain any hydrogen/helium (H/He) envelope in the face of strong stellar irradiation. Here we report the discovery of an ultrashort-period planet with a radius of 4.6 R⊕ and a mass of 29 M⊕, firmly in the hot Neptune desert. Data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite revealed transits of the bright Sun-like star LTT 9779 every 0.79 days. The planet’s mean density is similar to that of Neptune, and according to thermal evolution models, it has a H/He-rich envelope constituting 9.0^(+2.7)_(−2.9)% of the total mass. With an equilibrium temperature around 2,000 K, it is unclear how this ‘ultrahot Neptune’ managed to retain such an envelope. Follow-up observations of the planet’s atmosphere to better understand its origin and physical nature will be facilitated by the star’s brightness (V_(mag) = 9.8)
TOI-836 : a super-Earth and mini-Neptune transiting a nearby K-dwarf
Funding: TGW, ACC, and KH acknowledge support from STFC consolidated grant numbers ST/R000824/1 and ST/V000861/1, and UKSA grant ST/R003203/1.We present the discovery of two exoplanets transiting TOI-836 (TIC 440887364) using data from TESS Sector 11 and Sector 38. TOI-836 is a bright (T = 8.5 mag), high proper motion (∼200 mas yr−1), low metallicity ([Fe/H]≈−0.28) K-dwarf with a mass of 0.68 ± 0.05 M⊙ and a radius of 0.67 ± 0.01 R⊙. We obtain photometric follow-up observations with a variety of facilities, and we use these data-sets to determine that the inner planet, TOI-836 b, is a 1.70 ± 0.07 R⊕ super-Earth in a 3.82 day orbit, placing it directly within the so-called ‘radius valley’. The outer planet, TOI-836 c, is a 2.59 ± 0.09 R⊕ mini-Neptune in an 8.60 day orbit. Radial velocity measurements reveal that TOI-836 b has a mass of 4.5 ± 0.9 M⊕, while TOI-836 c has a mass of 9.6 ± 2.6 M⊕. Photometric observations show Transit Timing Variations (TTVs) on the order of 20 minutes for TOI-836 c, although there are no detectable TTVs for TOI-836 b. The TTVs of planet TOI-836 c may be caused by an undetected exterior planet.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
TOI-836: A super-Earth and mini-Neptune transiting a nearby K-dwarf
We present the discovery of two exoplanets transiting TOI-836 (TIC 440887364)
using data from TESS Sector 11 and Sector 38. TOI-836 is a bright (
mag), high proper motion ( mas yr), low metallicity
([Fe/H]) K-dwarf with a mass of M and a
radius of R. We obtain photometric follow-up
observations with a variety of facilities, and we use these data-sets to
determine that the inner planet, TOI-836 b, is a R
super-Earth in a 3.82 day orbit, placing it directly within the so-called
'radius valley'. The outer planet, TOI-836 c, is a R
mini-Neptune in an 8.60 day orbit. Radial velocity measurements reveal that
TOI-836 b has a mass of M , while TOI-836 c has a mass
of M. Photometric observations show Transit Timing
Variations (TTVs) on the order of 20 minutes for TOI-836 c, although there are
no detectable TTVs for TOI-836 b. The TTVs of planet TOI-836 c may be caused by
an undetected exterior planet