709 research outputs found
The Smallest Mass Ratio Young Star Spectroscopic Binaries
Using high resolution near-infrared spectroscopy with the Keck telescope, we
have detected the radial velocity signatures of the cool secondary components
in four optically identified pre-main-sequence, single-lined spectroscopic
binaries. All are weak-lined T Tauri stars with well-defined center of mass
velocities. The mass ratio for one young binary, NTTS 160905-1859, is M2/M1 =
0.18+/-0.01, the smallest yet measured dynamically for a pre-main-sequence
spectroscopic binary. These new results demonstrate the power of infrared
spectroscopy for the dynamical identification of cool secondaries. Visible
light spectroscopy, to date, has not revealed any pre-main-sequence secondary
stars with masses <0.5 M_sun, while two of the young systems reported here are
in that range. We compare our targets with a compilation of the published young
double-lined spectroscopic binaries and discuss our unique contribution to this
sample.Comment: Accepted for publication in the April, 2002, ApJ; 6 figure
The Hipparcos observations and the mass of sub-stellar objects
The Hipparcos Intermediate Astrometric Data have been used lately to estimate
the inclination of the orbital plane of candidate extrasolar planets. Whereas
most of these investigations derive almost face-on orbits, we show that the
astrometric data are seldom precise enough to undertake such studies and that
the `face-on' result might be just a spurious effect of the method.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letter
HD 80606 b, a planet on an extremely elongated orbit
We report the detection of a planetary companion orbiting the solar-type star
HD 80606, the brighter component of a wide binary with a projected separation
of about 2000 AU. Using high-signal spectroscopic observations of the two
components of the visual binary, we show that they are nearly identical. The
planet has an orbital period of 111.8 days and a minimum mass of 3.9 M_Jup.
With e=0.927, this planet has the highest orbital eccentricity among the
extrasolar planets detected so far. We finally list several processes this
extreme eccentricity could result from.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure included, submitted to A&A, final versio
Hubble Space Telescope Transmission Spectroscopy of the Exoplanet HD 189733b: High-altitude atmospheric haze in the optical and near-UV with STIS
We present Hubble Space Telescope optical and near-ultraviolet transmission
spectra of the transiting hot-Jupiter HD189733b, taken with the repaired Space
Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument. The resulting spectra cover
the range 2900-5700 Ang and reach per-exposure signal-to-noise levels greater
than 11,000 within a 500 Ang bandwidth. We used time series spectra obtained
during two transit events to determine the wavelength dependance of the
planetary radius and measure the exoplanet's atmospheric transmission spectrum
for the first time over this wavelength range. Our measurements, in conjunction
with existing HST spectra, now provide a broadband transmission spectrum
covering the full optical regime. The STIS data also shows unambiguous evidence
of a large occulted stellar spot during one of our transit events, which we use
to place constraints on the characteristics of the K dwarf's stellar spots,
estimating spot temperatures around Teff~4250 K. With contemporaneous
ground-based photometric monitoring of the stellar variability, we also measure
the correlation between the stellar activity level and transit-measured
planet-to-star radius contrast, which is in good agreement with predictions. We
find a planetary transmission spectrum in good agreement with that of Rayleigh
scattering from a high-altitude atmospheric haze as previously found from HST
ACS camera. The high-altitude haze is now found to cover the entire optical
regime and is well characterised by Rayleigh scattering. These findings suggest
that haze may be a globally dominant atmospheric feature of the planet which
would result in a high optical albedo at shorter optical wavelengths.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables, accepted to MNRAS, revised version
has minor change
The `666' collaboration on OGLE transits: I. Accurate radius of the planets OGLE-TR-10b and OGLE-TR-56b with VLT deconvolution photometry
Transiting planets are essential to study the structure and evolution of
extra-solar planets. For that purpose, it is important to measure precisely the
radius of these planets. Here we report new high-accuracy photometry of the
transits of OGLE-TR-10 and OGLE-TR-56 with VLT/FORS1. One transit of each
object was covered in Bessel V and R filters, and treated with the
deconvolution-based photometry algorithm DECPHOT, to ensure accurate
millimagnitude light curves. Together with earlier spectroscopic measurements,
the data imply a radius of 1.22 +0.12-0.07 R_J for OGLE-TR-10b and 1.30 +- 0.05
R_J for OGLE-TR-56b. A re-analysis of the original OGLE photometry resolves an
earlier discrepancy about the radius of OGLE-TR-10. The transit of OGLE-TR-56
is almost grazing, so that small systematics in the photometry can cause large
changes in the derived radius. Our study confirms both planets as inflated hot
Jupiters, with large radii comparable to that of HD 209458 and at least two
other recently discovered transiting gas giants.Comment: Fundamental updates compared to previous version; accepted for
publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Dynamical Measurements of the Young Upper Scorpius Triple NTTS 155808-2219
The young, low-mass, triple system NTTS 155808-2219 (ScoPMS 20) was
previously identified as a ~17-day period single-lined spectroscopic binary
with a tertiary component at 0.21 arcseconds. Using high-resolution infrared
spectra, acquired with NIRSPEC on Keck II, both with and without adaptive
optics, we measured radial velocities of all three components. Reanalysis of
the single-lined visible light observations, made from 1987 to 1993, also
yielded radial velocity detections of the three stars. Combining visible light
and infrared data to compute the orbital solution produces orbital parameters
consistent with the single-lined solution and a mass ratio of q = 0.78 +/- 0.01
for the SB. We discuss the consistency between our results and previously
published data on this system, our radial-velocity analysis with both observed
and synthetic templates, and the possibility that this system is eclipsing,
providing a potential method for the determination of the stars' absolute
masses. Over the ~20 year baseline of our observations, we have measured the
acceleration of the SB's center-of-mass in its orbit with the tertiary.
Long-term, adaptive optics imaging of the tertiary will eventually yield
dynamical data useful for component mass estimates.Comment: 6 Tables, 8 Figures, updated to match published tex
A massive exoplanet candidate around KOI-13: Independent confirmation by ellipsoidal variations
We present an analysis of the KOI-13.01 candidate exoplanet system included
in the September 2011 Kepler data release. The host star is a known and
relatively bright visual binary with a separation
significantly smaller (0.8 arcsec) than the size of a Kepler pixel (4 arcsec
per pixel). The Kepler light curve shows both primary and secondary eclipses,
as well as significant out-of-eclipse light curve variations. We confirm that
the transit occurs round the brighter of the two stars. We model the relative
contributions from (i) thermal emission from the companion, (ii) planetary
reflected light, (iii) Doppler beaming, and (iv) ellipsoidal variations in the
host-star arising from the tidal distortion of the host star by its companion.
Our analysis, based on the light curve alone, enables us to constrain the mass
of the KOI-13.01 companion to be and thus
demonstrates that the transiting companion is a planet (rather than a brown
dwarf which was recently proposed by \cite{b7}). The high temperature of the
host star (Spectral Type A5-7V, K), combined with the
proximity of its companion KOI-13.01, may make it one of the hottest exoplanets
known, with a detectable thermal contribution to the light curve even in the
Kepler optical passband. However, the single passband of the Kepler light curve
does not enable us to unambiguously distinguish between the thermal and
reflected components of the planetary emission. Infrared observations may help
to break the degeneracy, while radial velocity follow-up with 100
m s precision should confirm the mass of the planet.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
A pair of planets around HD 202206 or a circumbinary planet?
Long-term precise Doppler measurements with the CORALIE spectrograph reveal
the presence of a second planet orbiting the solar-type star HD202206. The
radial-velocity combined fit yields companion masses of m_2\sini = 17.4 M_Jup
and 2.44 M_Jup, semi-major axes of a = 0.83 AU and 2.55 AU, and eccentricities
of e = 0.43 and 0.27, respectively. A dynamical analysis of the system further
shows a 5/1 mean motion resonance between the two planets. This system is of
particular interest since the inner planet is within the brown-dwarf limits
while the outer one is much less massive. Therefore, either the inner planet
formed simultaneously in the protoplanetary disk as a superplanet, or the outer
Jupiter-like planet formed in a circumbinary disk. We believe this singular
planetary system will provide important constraints on planetary formation and
migration scenarios.Comment: 9 pages, 14 figures, accepted in A&A, 12-May-200
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