407 research outputs found
Detection limits for close eclipsing and transiting sub-stellar and planetary companions to white dwarfs in the WASP survey
We used photometric data from the WASP (Wide-Angle Search for Planets) survey
to explore the possibility of detecting eclipses and transit signals of brown
dwarfs, gas giants and terrestrial companions in close orbit around white
dwarfs. We performed extensive Monte Carlo simulations and we found that for
Gaussian random noise WASP is sensitive to companions as small as the Moon
orbiting a 12 white dwarf. For fainter stars WASP is sensitive to
increasingly larger bodies. Our sensitivity drops in the presence of co-variant
noise structure in the data, nevertheless Earth-size bodies remain readily
detectable in relatively low S/N data. We searched for eclipses and transit
signals in a sample of 194 white dwarfs in the WASP archive however, no
evidence for companions was found. We used our results to place tentative upper
limits to the frequency of such systems. While we can only place weak limits on
the likely frequency of Earth-sized or smaller companions; brown dwarfs and gas
giants (radius R) with periods 0.2 days must certainly be
rare (). More stringent constraints requires significantly larger white
dwarf samples, higher observing cadence and continuous coverage. The short
duration of eclipses and transits of white dwarfs compared to the cadence of
WASP observations appears to be one of the main factors limiting the detection
rate in a survey optimised for planetary transits of main sequence stars.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
WASP-44b, WASP-45b and WASP-46b: three short-period, transiting extrasolar planets
We report the discovery of three extrasolar planets that transit their
moderately bright (Vmag = 12-13) host stars. WASP-44b is a 0.89-MJup planet in
a 2.42-day orbit around a G8V star. WASP-45b is a 1.03-MJup planet which passes
in front of the limb of its K2V host star every 3.13 days. Weak Ca II H+K
emission seen in the spectra of WASP-45 suggests the star is chromospherically
active. WASP-46b is a 2.10-MJup planet in a 1.43-day orbit around a G6V star.
Rotational modulation of the light curves of WASP-46 and weak Ca II H+K
emission in its spectra show the star to be photospherically and
chromospherically active.
We imposed circular orbits in our analyses as the radial velocity data are
consistent with (near-)circular orbits, as could be expected from both
empirical and tidal-theory perspectives for such short-period, Jupiter-mass
planets. We discuss the impact of fitting for eccentric orbits for such planets
when not supported by the data. The derived planetary and stellar radii depend
on the fitted eccentricity and these parameters inform intense theoretical
efforts concerning tidal circularisation and heating, bulk planetary
composition and the observed systematic errors in planetary and stellar radii.
As such, we recommend exercising caution in fitting the orbits of short period,
Jupiter-mass planets with an eccentric model when there is no evidence of
non-circularity.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 6 tables. As accepted for publication in MNRA
A transiting companion to the eclipsing binary KIC002856960
We present an early result from an automated search of Kepler eclipsing
binary systems for circumbinary companions. An intriguing tertiary signal has
been discovered in the short period eclipsing binary KIC002856960. This third
body leads to transit-like features in the light curve occurring every 204.2
days, while the two other components of the system display eclipses on a 6.2
hour period. The variations due to the tertiary body last for a duration of
\sim1.26 days, or 4.9 binary orbital periods. During each crossing of the
binary orbit with the tertiary body, multiple individual transits are observed
as the close binary stars repeatedly move in and out of alignment with the
tertiary object. We are at this stage unable to distinguish between a planetary
companion to a close eclipsing binary, or a hierarchical triply eclipsing
system of three stars. Both possibilities are explored, and the light curves
presented.Comment: Accepted into A&A Letters (5 pages & 3 figures
The EBLM project. II. A very hot, low-mass M dwarf in an eccentric and long period eclipsing binary system from SuperWASP
In this paper, we derive the fundamental properties of
1SWASPJ011351.29+314909.7 (J0113+31), a metal-poor (-0.40 +/- 0.04 dex),
eclipsing binary in an eccentric orbit (~0.3) with an orbital period of ~14.277
d. Eclipsing M dwarfs orbiting solar-type stars (EBLMs), like J0113+31, have
been identified from WASP light curves and follow-up spectroscopy in the course
of the transiting planet search. We present the first binary of the EBLM sample
to be fully analysed, and thus, define here the methodology. The primary
component with a mass of 0.945 +/- 0.045 Msun has a large radius (1.378 +/-
0.058 Rsun) indicating that the system is quite old, ~9.5 Gyr. The M-dwarf
secondary mass of 0.186 +/- 0.010 Msun and radius of 0.209 +/- 0.011 Rsun are
fully consistent with stellar evolutionary models. However, from the
near-infrared secondary eclipse light curve, the M dwarf is found to have an
effective temperature of 3922 +/- 42 K, which is ~600 K hotter than predicted
by theoretical models. We discuss different scenarios to explain this
temperature discrepancy. The case of J0113+31 for which we can measure mass,
radius, temperature and metallicity, highlights the importance of deriving
mass, radius and temperature as a function of metallicity for M dwarfs to
better understand the lowest mass stars. The EBLM Project will define the
relationship between mass, radius, temperature and metallicity for M dwarfs
providing important empirical constraints at the bottom of the main sequence.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
Temozolomide as salvage treatment in primary brain lymphomas
Methotrexate (MTX)-based chemotherapy extends survival in patients with primary brain lymphomas, but it is not clear whether multiagent chemotherapy is superior to MTX alone. Treatment options for patients with recurrent primary brain lymphoma are limited; there is no standard second-line chemotherapy. New chemotherapeutic agents with clear activity in brain lymphoma are needed for treatment of recurrent disease. We report the results of a phase II trial assessing activity of the alkylating agent temozolomide in immunocompetent patients with recurrent primary brain lymphomas, previously treated with high-dose MTX-containing chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. A median of two courses (range 1–12) of temozolomide 150 mg m−2 day−1, for 5 days every 4 weeks was administered to 36 patients yielding nine complete and two partial responses (response rate: 31%; 95% confidence interval 16–46%). One-year survival was 31% (95% confidence interval 16–46%). Toxicity was negligible. We conclude that temozolomide is active in recurrent primary brain lymphomas and should further be evaluated in this disease, perhaps in combination with MTX as initial treatment
WASP-50b: a hot Jupiter transiting a moderately active solar-type star
We report the discovery by the WASP transit survey of a giant planet in a
close orbit (0.0295+-0.0009 AU) around a moderately bright (V=11.6, K=10) G9
dwarf (0.89+-0.08 M_sun, 0.84+-0.03 R_sun) in the Southern constellation
Eridanus. Thanks to high-precision follow-up photometry and spectroscopy
obtained by the telescopes TRAPPIST and Euler, the mass and size of this
planet, WASP-50b, are well constrained to 1.47+-0.09 M_jup and 1.15+-0.05
R_jup, respectively. The transit ephemeris is 2455558.6120 (+-0.0002) + N x
1.955096 (+-0.000005) HJD_UTC. The size of the planet is consistent with basic
models of irradiated giant planets. The chromospheric activity (log R'_HK =
-4.67) and rotational period (P_rot = 16.3+-0.5 days) of the host star suggest
an age of 0.8+-0.4 Gy that is discrepant with a stellar-evolution estimate
based on the measured stellar parameters (rho_star = 1.48+-0.10 rho_sun, Teff =
5400+-100 K, [Fe/H]= -0.12+-0.08) which favours an age of 7+-3.5 Gy. This
discrepancy could be explained by the tidal and magnetic influence of the
planet on the star, in good agreement with the observations that stars hosting
hot Jupiters tend to show faster rotation and magnetic activity (Pont 2009;
Hartman 2010). We measure a stellar inclination of 84 (-31,+6) deg,
disfavouring a high stellar obliquity. Thanks to its large irradiation and the
relatively small size of its host star, WASP-50b is a good target for
occultation spectrophotometry, making it able to constrain the relationship
between hot Jupiters' atmospheric thermal profiles and the chromospheric
activity of their host stars proposed by Knutson et al. (2010).Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
WASP-86b and WASP-102b: super-dense versus bloated planets
We report the discovery of two transiting planetary systems: a super dense, sub-Jupiter mass planet WASP-86b (Mpl = 0.82 ± 0.06 MJ; Rpl = 0.63 ± 0.01 RJ), and a bloated, Saturn-like planet WASP-102b (Mpl = 0.62 ± 0.04 MJ; Rpl = 1.27 ± 0.03 RJ). They orbit their
host star every ∼5.03, and ∼2.71 days, respectively. The planet hosting WASP-86 is a F7 star (Teff = 6330±110 K, [Fe/H] = +0.23 ± 0.14 dex, and age ∼0.8–1 Gyr); WASP-102 is a G0 star (Teff = 5940±140 K, [Fe/H] = −0.09± 0.19 dex, and age ∼1 Gyr). These two systems highlight the diversity of planetary radii over similar masses for giant planets with masses between Saturn and Jupiter. WASP-102b shows a larger than model-predicted radius, indicating that the planet is receiving a strong incident flux which contributes to the inflation of its radius. On the other hand, with a density of ρpl = 3.24± 0.3 ρJ, WASP-86b is the densest gas giant planet among
planets with masses in the range 0.05 Mpl J. With a stellar mass of 1.34 M⊙ and [Fe/H]= +0.23 dex, WASP-86 could host additional massive and dense planets given that its protoplanetary disc is expected to also have been enriched with heavy elements. In order to match WASP-86b’s density, an extrapolation of theoretical models predicts a planet composition of more than 80% in heavy elements (whether confined in a core or mixed in the envelope). This fraction corresponds to a core mass of approximately 210M⊕ for WASP-86b’s mass of Mpl∼260 M⊕. Only planets with masses larger than about 2 MJ have larger densities than that of WASP-86b, making it exceptional in its mass range
WASP-42 b and WASP-49 b: two new transiting sub-Jupiters
We report the discovery of two new transiting planets from the WASP survey.
WASP-42 b is a 0.500 +/- 0.035 M_jup planet orbiting a K1 star at a separation
of 0.0548 +/- 0.0017 AU with a period of 4.9816872 +/- 7.3 x 10^-6 days. The
radius of WASP-42 b is 1.080 +/- 0.057 R_jup while its equilibrium temperature
is T_eq = 995 +/- 34 K. We detect some evidence for a small but non-zero
eccentricity of e=0.060 +/- 0.013. WASP-49 b is a 0.378 +/- 0.027 M_jup planet
around an old G6 star. It has a period of 2.7817387 +/- 5.6 x 10^-6 days and a
separation of 0.0379 +/- 0.0011 AU. This planet is slightly bloated, having a
radius of 1.115 +/- 0.047 R_jup and an equilibrium temperature of T_eq = 1369
+/- 39 K. Both planets have been followed up photometrically, and in total we
have obtained 5 full and one partial transit light curves of WASP-42 and 4 full
and one partial light curves of WASP-49 using the Euler-Swiss, TRAPPIST and
Faulkes South telescopes
The discovery of WASP-151b, WASP-153b, WASP-156b: Insights on giant planet migration and the upper boundary of the Neptunian desert
To investigate the origin of the features discovered in the exoplanet population, the knowledge of exoplanets’ mass and radius with a good precision (≲10%) is essential. To achieve this purpose the discovery of transiting exoplanets around bright stars is of prime interest. In this paper, we report the discovery of three transiting exoplanets by the SuperWASP survey and the SOPHIE spectrograph with mass and radius determined with a precision better than 15%. WASP-151b and WASP-153b are two hot Saturns with masses, radii, densities and equilibrium temperatures of 0.31−0.03+0.04 MJ, 1.13−0.03+0.03 RJ, 0.22−0.02+0.03 ρJ and 1290−10+20 K, and 0.39−0.02+0.02 MJ, 1.55−0.08+0.10 RJ, 0.11−0.02+0.02 ρJ and 1700−40+40 K, respectively. Their host stars are early G type stars (with mag V ~ 13) and their orbital periods are 4.53 and 3.33 days, respectively. WASP-156b is a super-Neptune orbiting a K type star (mag V = 11.6). It has a mass of 0.128−0.009+0.010 MJ, a radius of 0.51−0.02+0.02 RJ, a density of 1.0−0.1+0.1 ρJ, an equilibrium temperature of 970−20+30 K and an orbital period of 3.83 days. The radius of WASP-151b appears to be only slightly inflated, while WASP-153b presents a significant radius anomaly compared to a recently published model. WASP-156b, being one of the few well characterized super-Neptunes, will help to constrain the still debated formation of Neptune size planets and the transition between gas and ice giants. The estimates of the age of these three stars confirms an already observed tendency for some stars to have gyrochronological ages significantly lower than their isochronal ages. We propose that high eccentricity migration could partially explain this behavior for stars hosting a short period planet. Finally, these three planets also lie close to (WASP-151b and WASP-153b) or below (WASP-156b) the upper boundary of the Neptunian desert. Their characteristics support that the ultra-violet irradiation plays an important role in this depletion of planets observed in the exoplanet population
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