955 research outputs found
The TRENDS High-Contrast Imaging Survey. V. Discovery of an Old and Cold Benchmark T-dwarf Orbiting the Nearby G-star HD 19467
The nearby Sun-like star HD 19467 shows a subtle radial velocity (RV)
acceleration of -1.37+/-0.09 m/s/yr over an 16.9 year time baseline (an RV
trend), hinting at the existence of a distant orbiting companion. We have
obtained high-contrast adaptive optics images of the star using NIRC2 at Keck
Observatory and report the direct detection of the body that causes the
acceleration. The companion, HD 19467 B, is dK=12.57+/-0.09 mag fainter than
its parent star (contrast ratio of 9.4e-6), has blue colors J-K_s=-0.36+/-0.14
(J-H=-0.29+/-0.15), and is separated by 1.653+/-0.004" (51.1+/-1.0 AU).
Follow-up astrometric measurements obtained over an 1.1 year time baseline
demonstrate physical association through common parallactic and proper motion.
We calculate a firm lower-limit of m>51.9^{+3.6}_{-4.3}Mjup for the companion
mass from orbital dynamics using a combination of Doppler observations and
imaging. We estimate a model-dependent mass of m=56.7^{+4.6}_{-7.2}Mjup from a
gyrochronological age of 4.3^{+1.0}_{-1.2} Gyr. Isochronal analysis suggests a
much older age of Gyr, which corresponds to a mass of
m=67.4^{+0.9}_{-1.5}Mjup. HD 19467 B's measured colors and absolute magnitude
are consistent with a late T-dwarf [~T5-T7]. We may infer a low metallicity of
[Fe/H]=-0.15+/-0.04 for the companion from its G3V parent star. HD 19467 B is
the first directly imaged benchmark T-dwarf found orbiting a Sun-like star with
a measured RV acceleration.Comment: Updated to reflect ApJ versio
Fourteen New Companions from the Keck & Lick Radial Velocity Survey Including Five Brown Dwarf Candidates
We present radial velocities for 14 stars on the California & Carnegie Planet
Search target list that reveal new companions. One star, HD 167665, was fit
with a definitive Keplerian orbit leading to a minimum mass for the companion
of 50.3 Mjup at a separation from its host of ~5.5 AU. Incomplete or limited
phase coverage for the remaining 13 stars prevents us from assigning to them
unique orbital parameters. Instead, we fit their radial velocities with
Keplerian orbits across a grid of fixed values for Msini and period, P, and use
the resulting reduced chi-square surface to place constraints on Msini, P, and
semimajor axis, a. This technique allowed us to restrict Msini below the brown
dwarf -- stellar mass boundary for an additional 4 companions (HD 150554, HD
8765, HD 72780, HD 74014). If the combined 5 companions are confirmed as brown
dwarfs, these results would comprise the first major catch of such objects from
our survey beyond ~3 AU.Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures, accepted to Ap
Retired A Stars and Their Companions: Exoplanets Orbiting Three Intermediate-Mass Subgiants
We report precision Doppler measurements of three intermediate-mass subgiants
from Lick and Keck Observatories. All three stars show variability in their
radial velocities consistent with planet-mass companions in Keplerian orbits.
We find a planet with a minimum mass of 2.5 Mjup in a 351.5 day orbit around HD
192699, a planet with a minimum mass of 2.0 Mjup in a 341.1 day orbit around HD
210702, and a planet with a minimum mass of 0.61 Mjup in a 297.3 day orbit
around HD 175541. Stellar mass estimates from evolutionary models indicate that
all of these stars were formerly A-type dwarfs with masses ranging from 1.65 to
1.85 Msun. These three long-period planets would not have been detectable
during their stars' main-sequence phases due to the large rotational velocities
and stellar jitter exhibited by early-type dwarfs. There are now 9 "retired"
(evolved) A-type stars (Mstar > 1.6 Msun) with known planets. All 9 planets
orbit at distances a \geq 0.78 AU, which is significantly different than the
semimajor axis distribution of planets around lower-mass stars. We examine the
possibility that the observed lack of close-in planets is due to engulfment by
their expanding host stars, but we find that this explanation is inadequate
given the relatively small stellar radii of K giants (Rstar < 32 Rsun = 0.15
AU) and subgiants (Rstar < 7 Rsun = 0.03 AU). Instead, we conclude that planets
around intermediate-mass stars reside preferentially beyond ~0.8 AU, which may
be a reflection of different formation and migration histories of planets
around A-type stars.Comment: 31 pages, 9 figures, 6 tables, ApJ accepted, corrected minor typo
A New Planet Around an M Dwarf: Revealing a Correlation Between Exoplanets and Stellar Mass
We report precise Doppler measurements of GJ317 (M3.5V) that reveal the
presence of a planet with a minimum mass Msini = 1.2 Mjup in an eccentric,
692.9 day orbit. GJ317 is only the third M dwarf with a Doppler-detected Jovian
planet. The residuals to a single-Keplerian fit show evidence of a possible
second orbital companion. The inclusion of an additional Jupiter-mass planet (P
= 2700 days, Msini = 0.83 Mjup) improves the quality of fit significantly,
reducing the rms from 12.5 m/s to 6.32 m/s. A false-alarm test yields a 1.1%
probability that the curvature in the residuals of the single-planet fit is due
to random fluctuations, lending additional credibility to the two-planet model.
However, our data only marginally constrain a two-planet fit and further
monitoring is necessary to fully characterize the properties of the second
planet. To study the effect of stellar mass on Jovian planet occurrence we
combine our samples of M stars, Solar-mass dwarfs and intermediate-mass
subgiants. We find a positive correlation between stellar mass and the
occurrence rate of Jovian planets within 2.5 AU; the former A-type stars in our
sample are nearly 5 times more likely than the M dwarfs to harbor a giant
planet. Our analysis shows that the correlation between Jovian planet
occurrence and stellar mass remains even after accounting for the effects of
stellar metallicity.Comment: ApJ accepted, 27 pages, 6 figures, 3 table
Two Jovian-Mass Planets in Earthlike Orbits
We report the discovery of two new planets: a 1.94 M_Jup planet in a 1.8-year
orbit of HD 5319, and a 2.51 M_Jup planet in a 1.1-year orbit of HD 75898. The
measured eccentricities are 0.12 for HD 5319 b and 0.10 for HD 75898 b, and
Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations based on derived orbital parameters
indicate that the radial velocities of both stars are consistent with circular
planet orbits. With low eccentricity and 1 < a < 2 AU, our new planets have
orbits similar to terrestrial planets in the solar system. The radial velocity
residuals of both stars have significant trends, likely arising from substellar
or low-mass stellar companions.Comment: 32 pages, including 11 figures and 5 tables. Accepted by Ap
Evidence for the Direct Detection of the Thermal Spectrum of the Non-Transiting Hot Gas Giant HD 88133 b
We target the thermal emission spectrum of the non-transiting gas giant HD
88133 b with high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy, by treating the planet
and its host star as a spectroscopic binary. For sufficiently deep summed flux
observations of the star and planet across multiple epochs, it is possible to
resolve the signal of the hot gas giant's atmosphere compared to the brighter
stellar spectrum, at a level consistent with the aggregate shot noise of the
full data set. To do this, we first perform a principal component analysis to
remove the contribution of the Earth's atmosphere to the observed spectra.
Then, we use a cross-correlation analysis to tease out the spectra of the host
star and HD 88133 b to determine its orbit and identify key sources of
atmospheric opacity. In total, six epochs of Keck NIRSPEC L band observations
and three epochs of Keck NIRSPEC K band observations of the HD 88133 system
were obtained. Based on an analysis of the maximum likelihood curves calculated
from the multi-epoch cross correlation of the full data set with two
atmospheric models, we report the direct detection of the emission spectrum of
the non-transiting exoplanet HD 88133 b and measure a radial projection of the
Keplerian orbital velocity of 40 15 km/s, a true mass of
1.02, a nearly face-on orbital inclination of
15, and an atmosphere opacity structure at high
dispersion dominated by water vapor. This, combined with eleven years of radial
velocity measurements of the system, provides the most up-to-date ephemeris for
HD 88133.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in Ap
The Dynamical Mass and Three-Dimensional Orbit of HR7672B: A Benchmark Brown Dwarf with High Eccentricity
The companion to the G0V star HR7672 directly imaged by Liu et al. (2002) has
moved measurably along its orbit since the discovery epoch, making it possible
to determine its dynamical properties. Originally targeted with adaptive optics
because it showed a long-term radial velocity acceleration (trend), we have
monitored this star with precise Doppler measurements and have now established
a 24 year time baseline. The radial velocity variations show significant
curvature (change in the acceleration) including an inflection point. We have
also obtained a recent image of HR7672B with NIRC2 at Keck. The astrometry also
shows curvature. In this paper, we use jointly-fitted Doppler and astrometric
models to calculate the three-dimensional orbit and dynamical mass of the
companion. The mass of the host star is determined using a direct radius
measurement from CHARA interferometry in combination with high resolution
spectroscopic modeling. We find that HR7672B has a highly eccentric,
, near edge-on, deg, orbit with
semimajor axis, AU. The mass of the companion is
at the 68.2% confidence level. HR7672B thus resides
near the substellar boundary, just below the hydrogen-fusing limit. These
measurements of the companion mass are independent of its brightness and
spectrum and establish HR7672B as a rare and precious "benchmark" brown dwarf
with a well-determined mass, age, and metallicity essential for testing
theoretical evolutionary models and synthetic spectral models. It is presently
the only directly imaged L,T,Y-dwarf known to produce an RV trend around a
solar-type star.Comment: accepted to Ap
Five Planets Orbiting 55 Cancri
We report 18 years of Doppler shift measurements of a nearby star, 55 Cancri,
that exhibit strong evidence for five orbiting planets. The four previously
reported planets are strongly confirmed here. A fifth planet is presented, with
an apparent orbital period of 260 days, placing it 0.78 AU from the star in the
large empty zone between two other planets. The velocity wobble amplitude of
4.9 \ms implies a minimum planet mass \msini = 45.7 \mearthe. The orbital
eccentricity is consistent with a circular orbit, but modest eccentricity
solutions give similar \chisq fits. All five planets reside in low eccentricity
orbits, four having eccentricities under 0.1. The outermost planet orbits 5.8
AU from the star and has a minimum mass, \msini = 3.8 \mjupe, making it more
massive than the inner four planets combined. Its orbital distance is the
largest for an exoplanet with a well defined orbit. The innermost planet has a
semi-major axis of only 0.038 AU and has a minimum mass, \msinie, of only 10.8
\mearthe, one of the lowest mass exoplanets known. The five known planets
within 6 AU define a {\em minimum mass protoplanetary nebula} to compare with
the classical minimum mass solar nebula. Numerical N-body simulations show this
system of five planets to be dynamically stable and show that the planets with
periods of 14.65 and 44.3 d are not in a mean-motion resonance. Millimagnitude
photometry during 11 years reveals no brightness variations at any of the
radial velocity periods, providing support for their interpretation as
planetary.Comment: accepted to Ap
The Prograde Orbit of Exoplanet TrES-2b
We monitored the Doppler shift of the G0V star TrES-2 throughout a transit of
its giant planet. The anomalous Doppler shift due to stellar rotation (the
Rossiter-McLaughlin effect) is discernible in the data, with a signal-to-noise
ratio of 2.9, even though the star is a slow rotator. By modeling this effect
we find that the planet's trajectory across the face of the star is tilted by
-9 +/- 12 degrees relative to the projected stellar equator. With 98%
confidence, the orbit is prograde.Comment: ApJ, in press [15 pages
- …