Multiband Transit Light Curve Modeling of WASP-4

We report on the simultaneous g′,r′,i′,z′ multiband, high time sampling (18-24s) ground-based photometric observations, which we use to measure the planetary radius and orbital inclination of the extrasolar transiting hot Jupiter WASP-4b. We recorded 987 images during three complete transits with the GROND instrument, mounted on the MPG/ESO-2.2m telescope at La Silla Observatory. Assuming a quadratic law for the stellar limb darkening we derive system parameters by fitting a composite transit light curve over all bandpasses simultaneously. To compute uncertainties of the fitted parameters we employ the Bootstrap Monte Carlo Method. The three central transit times are measured with precision down to 6 s. We find a planetary radius Rp = 1.413 ± 0.020RJup, an orbital inclination i = 88.°57 ± 0.45° and calculate new ephemeris, a period P = 1.33823144 ± 0.00000032 days and reference transit epoch T0 = 2454697.798311 ± 0.000046 (BJD). The analysis of the new transit mid-times in combination with previous measurements imply a constant orbital period and no compelling evidence for TTVs due to additional bodies in the syste

Transit observations at the observatory in Grossschwabhausen: XO-1b and TrES-1

We report on observations of transit events of the transiting planets XO-1b and TrES-1 with the AIU Jena telescope in Grossschwabhausen. Based on our IR photometry (in March 2007) and available transit timings (SuperWASP, XO and TLC-project-data) we improved the orbital period of XO-1b (P = 3.941497$\pm$0.000006) and TrES-1 (P = 3.0300737$\pm$0.000006), respectively. The new ephemeris for the both systems are presented.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Search for giant planets in M67 IV: survey results

We present the results of a seven-year-long radial velocity survey of a sample of 88 main-sequence and evolved stars to reveal signatures of Jupiter-mass planets in the solar-age and solar-metallicity open cluster M67. We aim at studying the frequency of giant planets in this cluster with respect to the field stars. In addition, our sample is also ideal to perform a long-term study to compare the chemical composition of stars with and without giant planets in detail. We analyzed precise radial velocity (RV) measurements obtained with five different instruments. We conducted Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the occurrence rate of giant planets in our radial velocity survey. All the planets previously announced in this RV campaign with their properties are summarized here: 3 hot Jupiters around the main-sequence stars YBP1194, YBP1514, and YBP401, and 1 giant planet around the evolved star S364. Two additional planet candidates around the stars YBP778 and S978 are also analyzed in the present work. We discuss stars that exhibit large RV variability or trends individually. For 2 additional stars, long-term trends are compatible with new binary candidates or substellar objects, which increases the total number of binary candidates detected in our campaign to 14. Based on the Doppler-detected planets discovered in this survey, we find an occurrence of giant planets of ~18.0%(+12.0/-8.0%) in the selected period-mass range. This frequency is slightly higher but consistent within the errors with the estimate for the field stars, which leads to the general conclusion that open cluster and field statistics agree. However, we find that the rate of hot Jupiters in the cluster (~5.7%(+5.5/-3.0%)) is substantially higher than in the field.Comment: Accepted by A&

WASP-4b Transit Observations With GROND

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from EDP Sciences via the DOI in this recordGround-based simultaneous multiband transit observations allow an accurate system parameters determination and may lead to the detection and characterization of additional bodies via the transit timing variations (TTVs) method. We aimed to (i) characterize the heavily bloated WASP-4b hot Jupiter and its star by measuring system parameters and the dependence of the planetary radius as a function of four (Sloan g', r', i', z') wavelengths and (ii) search for TTVs. We recorded 987 images during three complete transits with the GROND instrument, mounted on the MPG/ESO-2.2m telescope at La Silla Observatory. Assuming a quadratic law for the stellar limb darkening we derive system parameters by fitting a composite transit light curve over all bandpasses simultaneously. To compute uncertainties of the fitted parameters, we employ the Bootstrap Monte Carlo Method. The three central transit times are measured with precision down to 6 s. We find a planetary radius Rp = 1.413+/-0.020 RJup, an orbital inclination i = 88deg57'+/-0.45deg and calculate a new ephemeris, a period P = 1.33823144+/-0.00000032days and a reference transit epoch T0 = 2454697.798311+/-0.000046 (BJD). Analysis of the new transit mid-times in combination with previous measurements shows no sign of a TTV signal greater than 20s. We perform simplified numerical simulations to place upper-mass limits of a hypothetical perturber in the WASP-4b system.Part of the funding for GROND (both hardware as well as personnel) was generously granted from the Leibniz-Prize to Prof. G. Hasinger (DFG grant HA 1850/28-1). N.N. acknowledges the Klaus Tschira Stiftung (KTS) and the Heidelberg Graduate School of Fundamental Physics (HGSFP) for the financial support of his Ph.D. research. G.M. acknowledges the financial support from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education through the Iuventus Plus grant IP2010 023070

A hot Jupiter transiting a mid-K dwarf found in the pre-OmegaCam Transit Survey

We describe the pre-OmegaTranS project, a deep survey for transiting extra-solar planets in the Carina region of the Galactic Disk. In 2006-2008 we observed a single dense stellar field with a very high cadence of ~2min using the ESO Wide Field Imager at the La Silla Observatory. Using the Astronomical Wide-field System for Europe and the Munich Difference Imaging Analysis pipeline, a module that has been developed for this project, we created the light curves of 16000 stars with more than 4000 data points which we searched for periodic transit signals using a box-fitting least-squares detection algorithm. All light curves are publicly available. In the course of the pre-OmegaTranS project we identified two planet candidates - POTS-1b and POTS-C2b - which we present in this work. With extensive follow-up observations we were able to confirm one of them, POTS-1b, a hot Jupiter transiting a mid-K dwarf. The planet has a mass of 2.31+-0.77M_Jup and a radius of 0.94+-0.04R_Jup and a period of P=3.16d. The host star POTS-1 has a radius of 0.59+-0.02R_Sun and a mass of 0.70+-0.05M_Sun. Due to its low apparent brightness of I=16.1mag the follow-up and confirmation of POTS-1b was particularly challenging and costly.Comment: 18 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Supersoft X-rays reveal a classical nova in the M 31 globular cluster Bol 126

[Abridged] Classical novae (CNe) represent the main class of supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) in the central region of our neighbouring galaxy M 31. Only three confirmed novae and three SSSs have been discovered in globular clusters (GCs) of any galaxy so far, of which one nova and two SSSs (including the nova) were found in M 31 GCs. To study the SSS state of CNe we carried out a high-cadence X-ray monitoring of the M 31 central area with XMM-Newton and Chandra. We analysed X-ray and optical data of a new transient X-ray source in the M 31 GC Bol 126, discovered serendipitously in Swift observations. Our optical data set was based on regular M 31 monitoring programmes from five different small telescopes. Additionally, we made use of Pan-STARRS 1 data obtained during the PAndromeda survey. Our observations reveal that the X-ray source in Bol 126 is the third SSS in an M 31 GC and can be confirmed as the second CN in the M 31 GC system. This nova is named M31N 2010-10f. Its properties in the X-ray and optical regimes agree with a massive white dwarf (M_WD >~ 1.3 M_sun) in the binary system. Incorporating the data on previously found (suspected) novae in M 31 GCs we used our high-cadence X-ray monitoring observations to estimate a tentative nova rate in the M 31 GC system of 0.05 /yr/GC. An optical estimate, based on the recent 10.5-year WeCAPP survey, gives a lower nova rate, which is compatible with the X-ray rate on the 95% confidence level. There is growing evidence that the nova rate in GCs is higher than expected from primordial binary formation and under conditions as in the field. Dynamical binary formation and/or additional accretion from the intracluster medium are possible scenarios for an increased nova rate, but observational confirmation for this enhancement has been absent, so far. Regular X-ray monitoring observations of M 31 provide a promising strategy to find these novae.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables; accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic

Supersoft X-rays Reveal a Classical Nova in the M31 Globular Cluster Bol 126

Context. Classical novae (CNe) represent the main class of supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) in the central region of our neighbouring galaxy M 31. Only three confirmed novae and three SSSs have been discovered in globular clusters (GCs) of any galaxy so far, of which one nova and two SSSs (including the nova) were found in M 31 GCs. Aims. To study the SSS state of CNe we carried out a high-cadence X-ray monitoring of the M 31 central area with XMM-Newton and Chandra. This project is supplemented by regular optical monitoring programmes at various observatories. Methods. We analysed X-ray and optical monitoring data of a new transient X-ray source in the M 31 GC Bol 126, discovered serendipitously in Swift observations. Our optical data set was based on regular M 31 monitoring programmes from five different small telescopes and was reduced using a homogeneous method. Additionally, we made use of Pan-STARRS 1 data obtained during the PAndromeda survey. We extracted light curves of the source in the optical and X-rays, as well as X-ray spectra. Results. Our observations reveal that the X-ray source in Bol 126 is the third SSS in an M 31 GC and can be confirmed as the sec-ond CN in the M 31 GC system. This nova is named M31N 2010-10f. Its properties in the X-ray (high black-body temperature, short SSS phase) and optical (relatively high maximum magnitude, fast decline) regimes agree with a massive white dwarf (MWD 1.3 M) in the binary system. Incorporating the data on previously found (suspected) novae in M 31 GCs we used our high-cadence X-ray monitoring observations to estimate a tentative nova rate in the M 31 GC system of 0.05 yr−1 GC−1. An optical estimate, based on the recent 10.5-year WeCAPP survey, gives a lower nova rate, which is compatible with the X-ray rate on the 95% confidence level. Conclusions. Although still based on small-number statistics, there is growing evidence that the nova rate in GCs is higher than ex-pected from primordial binary formation and under conditions as in the field. Dynamical binary formation and/or additional accretion from the intracluster medium are possible scenarios for an increased nova rate, but observational confirmation for this enhancement has been absent, so far. Regular X-ray monitoring observations of M 31 provide a promising strategy to find these novae

Transit observation at the observatory in Großschwabhausen: XO-1b and TrES-1

We report on observations of transit events of the transiting planets XO-1b and TrES-1 with the AIU Jena telescope in Großschwabhausen. Based on our (IR) photometry (in March 2007) and available transit timings (SuperWASP, XO and TLC-project-data) we improved the orbital period of XO-1b (P = 3.941497 ± 0.000006) and TrES-1 (P = 3.0300737 ± 0.000006), respectively. The new ephemeris for the both systems are presente

Observations of the transiting planet TrES-2 with the AIU Jena telescope in Großschwabhausen

We have started high precision photometric monitoring observations at the AIU Jena observatory in Großschwabhausen near Jena in fall 2006. We used a 25.4cm Cassegrain telescope equipped with a CCD-camera mounted piggyback on a 90cm telescope. To test the attainable photometric precision, we observed stars with known transiting planets. We could recover all planetary transits observed by us. We observed the parent star of the transiting planet TrES-2 over a longer period in Großschwabhausen. Between March and November 2007 seven different transits and almost a complete orbital period were analyzed. Overall, in 31 nights of observation 3423 exposures (in total 57.05h of observation) of the TrES-2 parent star were taken. Here, we present our methods and the resulting light curves. Using our observations we could improve the orbital parameters of the syste

Searching for transits in the Wide Field Camera Transit Survey with difference-imaging light curves

The Wide Field Camera Transit Survey is a pioneer program aiming at for searching extra-solar planets in the near-infrared. The images from the survey are processed by a data reduction pipeline, which uses aperture photometry to construct the light curves. We produce an alternative set of light curves using the difference-imaging method for the most complete field in the survey and carry out a quantitative comparison between the photometric precision achieved with both methods. The results show that differencephotometry light curves present an important improvement for stars with J > 16. We report an implementation on the box-fitting transit detection algorithm, which performs a trapezoid-fit to the folded light curve, providing more accurate results than the boxfitting model. We describe and optimize a set of selection criteria to search for transit candidates, including the V-shape parameter calculated by our detection algorithm. The optimized selection criteria are applied to the aperture photometry and difference-imaging light curves, resulting in the automatic detection of the best 200 transit candidates from a sample of ~475 000 sources. We carry out a detailed analysis in the 18 best detections and classify them as transiting planet and eclipsing binary candidates. We present one planet candidate orbiting a late G-type star. No planet candidate around M-stars has been found, confirming the null detection hypothesis and upper limits on the occurrence rate of short-period giant planets around M-dwarfs presented in a prior study. We extend the search for transiting planets to stars with J ≤ 18, which enables us to set a stricter upper limit of 1.1%. Furthermore, we present the detection of five faint extremely-short period eclipsing binaries and three M-dwarf/M-dwarf binary candidates. The detections demonstrate the benefits of using the difference-imaging light curves, especially when going to fainter magnitudes.Peer reviewe