Deuterium toward the WD0621-376 sight line: Results from the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) Mission

Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer observations are presented for WD0621-376, a DA white dwarf star in the local interstellar medium (LISM) at a distance of about 78 pc. The data have a signal-to-noise ratio of about 20-40 per 20 km/s resolution element and cover the wavelength range 905-1187 \AA. LISM absorption is detected in the lines of D I, C II, C II*, C III, N I, N II, N III, O I, Ar I, and Fe II. This sight line is partially ionized, with an ionized nitrogen fraction of > 0.23. We determine the ratio $D/O = (3.9 \pm ^{1.3}_{1.0})\times 10^{-2}$ (2$\sigma$). Assuming a standard interstellar oxygen abundance, we derive ${\rm D/H} \approx 1. 3 \times 10^{-5}$. Using the value of N(H I) derived from EUVE data gives a similar D/H ratio. The D I/N I ratio is $(3.3 \pm ^{1.0}_{0.8})\times 10^{-1}$ (2$\sigma$).Comment: accepted for publication in the ApJ

Exoplanet HD 209458b : Evaporation strengthened

Following re-analysis of Hubble Space Telescope observations of primary transits of the extrasolar planet HD209458b at Lyman-alpha, Ben-Jaffel (2007, BJ007) claims that no sign of evaporation is observed. Here we show that, in fact, this new analysis is consistent with the one of Vidal-Madjar et al. (2003, VM003) and supports the detection of evaporation. The apparent disagreement is mainly due to the disparate wavelength ranges that are used to derive the transit absorption depth. VM003 derives a (15+/-4)% absorption depth during transit over the core of the stellar Lyman-alpha line (from -130 km/s to +100 km/s), and this result agrees with the (8.9+/-2.1)% absorption depth reported by BJ007 from a slightly expanded dataset but over a larger wavelength range (+/-200 km/s). These measurements agree also with the (5+/-2)% absorption reported by Vidal-Madjar et al. (2004) over the whole Lyman-alpha line from independent, lower-resolution data. We show that stellar Lyman-alpha variability is unlikely to significantly affect those detections. The HI atoms must necessarily have velocities above the escape velocities and/or be outside the Roche lobe, given the lobe shape and orientation. Absorption by HI in HD209458b's atmosphere has thus been detected with different datasets, and now with independent analyses. All these results strengthen the concept of evaporating hot-Jupiters, as well as the modelization of this phenomenon.Comment: To be published in ApJ

Osteochondral transfer using a transmalleolar approach for arthroscopic management of talus posteromedial lesions

SummaryCharacterizing osteochondral lesions of the talus has enabled the strategies of surgical management to be better specified. The main technical problem is one of access for arthroscopy instruments to posteromedial lesions. A range of techniques and approaches has been described in ankle arthroscopy in general, and a transmalleolar approach provides reliable and efficient access in these cases. It is frequently used for transchondral drilling, but also enables satisfactory implant positioning in autologous osteochondral mosaicplasty procedures. We report our technique and results on five cases with a minimum 1.2 years’ follow-up

Characterization of the four new transiting planets KOI-188b, KOI-195b, KOI-192b, and KOI-830b

The characterization of four new transiting extrasolar planets is presented here. KOI-188b and KOI-195b are bloated hot Saturns, with orbital periods of 3.8 and 3.2 days, and masses of 0.25 and 0.34 M_Jup. They are located in the low-mass range of known transiting, giant planets. KOI-192b has a similar mass (0.29 M_Jup) but a longer orbital period of 10.3 days. This places it in a domain where only a few planets are known. KOI-830b, finally, with a mass of 1.27 M_Jup and a period of 3.5 days, is a typical hot Jupiter. The four planets have radii of 0.98, 1.09, 1.2, and 1.08 R_Jup, respectively. We detected no significant eccentricity in any of the systems, while the accuracy of our data does not rule out possible moderate eccentricities. The four objects were first identified by the Kepler Team as promising candidates from the photometry of the Kepler satellite. We establish here their planetary nature thanks to the radial velocity follow-up we secured with the HARPS-N spectrograph at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. The combined analyses of the datasets allow us to fully characterize the four planetary systems. These new objects increase the number of well-characterized exoplanets for statistics, and provide new targets for individual follow-up studies. The pre-screening we performed with the SOPHIE spectrograph at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence as part of that study also allowed us to conclude that a fifth candidate, KOI-219.01, is not a planet but is instead a false positive.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 6 tables, final version accepted for publication in A&

CoRoT 101186644: A transiting low-mass dense M-dwarf on an eccentric 20.7-day period orbit around a late F-star

We present the study of the CoRoT transiting planet candidate 101186644, also named LRc01_E1_4780. Analysis of the CoRoT lightcurve and the HARPS spectroscopic follow-up observations of this faint (m_V = 16) candidate revealed an eclipsing binary composed of a late F-type primary (T_eff = 6090 +/- 200 K) and a low-mass, dense late M-dwarf secondary on an eccentric (e = 0.4) orbit with a period of ~20.7 days. The M-dwarf has a mass of 0.096 +/- 0.011 M_Sun, and a radius of 0.104 +0.026/-0.006 R_Sun, which possibly makes it the smallest and densest late M-dwarf reported so far. Unlike the claim that theoretical models predict radii that are 5%-15% smaller than measured for low-mass stars, this one seems to have a radius that is consistent and might even be below the radius predicted by theoretical models.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, 8 pages, 10 figure

SOPHIE velocimetry of Kepler transit candidates XIV. A joint photometric, spectroscopic, and dynamical analysis of the Kepler-117 system

As part of our follow-up campaign of Kepler planets, we observed Kepler-117 with the SOPHIE spectrograph at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence. This F8-type star hosts two transiting planets in non-resonant orbits. The planets, Kepler-117 b and c, have orbital periods $\simeq 18.8$ and $\simeq 50.8$ days, and show transit-timing variations (TTVs) of several minutes. We performed a combined Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) fit on transits, radial velocities, and stellar parameters to constrain the characteristics of the system. We included the fit of the TTVs in the MCMC by modeling them with dynamical simulations. In this way, consistent posterior distributions were drawn for the system parameters. According to our analysis, planets b and c have notably different masses ($0.094 \pm 0.033$ and $1.84 \pm 0.18$ M$_{\rm J}$) and low orbital eccentricities ($0.0493 \pm 0.0062$ and $0.0323 \pm 0.0033$). The uncertainties on the derived parameters are strongly reduced if the fit of the TTVs is included in the combined MCMC. The TTVs allow measuring the mass of planet b, although its radial velocity amplitude is poorly constrained. Finally, we checked that the best solution is dynamically stable.Comment: 16 pages, of whom 5 of online material.12 figures, of whom 2 in the online material. 7 tables, of whom 4 in the online material. Published in A&