593 research outputs found
The M4 Core Project with HST - IV. Internal Kinematics from Accurate Radial Velocities of 2771 Cluster Members
We present a detailed study of the internal kinematics of the Galactic
Globular Cluster M 4 (NGC 6121), by deriving the radial velocities from 7250
spectra for 2771 stars distributed from the upper part of the Red Giant Branch
down to the Main Sequence. We describe new approaches to determine the
wavelength solution from day-time calibrations and to determine the radial
velocity drifts that can occur between calibration and science observations
when observing with the GIRAFFE spectrograph at VLT. Two techniques to
determine the radial velocity are compared, after a qualitative description of
their advantages with respect to other commonly used algorithm, and a new
approach to remove the sky contribution from the spectra obtained with
fibre-fed spectrograph and further improve the radial velocity precision is
presented. The average radial velocity of the cluster is km s with an average dispersion of km
s. Using the same dataset and the same statistical approach of previous
analyses, 20 additional binary candidates are found, for a total of 87
candidates. A new determination of the internal radial velocity dispersion as a
function of cluster distance is presented, resulting in a dispersion of
km s within 2 from the center of cluster and steadily
decreasing outward. We statistically confirm the small amplitude of the cluster
rotation, as suggested in the past by several authors. This new analysis
represents a significant improvement with respect to previous results in
literature and provides a fundamental observational input for the modeling of
the cluster dynamics.Comment: 17 pages, 17 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS on September
15, 201
The blue sky of GJ3470b: the atmosphere of a low-mass planet unveiled by ground-based photometry
GJ3470b is a rare example of a "hot Uranus" transiting exoplanet orbiting a
nearby M1.5 dwarf. It is of crucial interest for atmospheric studies because it
is one of the most inflated low-mass planets known, bridging the boundary
between "super-Earths" and Neptunian planets. We present two new ground-based
light curves of GJ3470b gathered by the LBC camera at the Large Binocular
Telescope. Simultaneous photometry in the ultraviolet (lambda_c = 357.5 nm) and
optical infrared (lambda_c = 963.5 nm) allowed us to detect a significant
change of the effective radius of GJ3470b as a function of wavelength. This can
be interpreted as a signature of scattering processes occurring in the
planetary atmosphere, which should be cloud-free and with a low mean molecular
weight. The unprecedented accuracy of our measurements demonstrates that the
photometric detection of Earth-sized planets around M dwarfs is achievable
using 8-10m size ground-based telescopes. We provide updated planetary
parameters, and a greatly improved orbital ephemeris for any forthcoming study
of this planet.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 1 table; accepted for publication in A&
TASTE IV. Refining ephemeris and orbital parameters for HAT-P-20b and WASP-1b
We present four new light curves of transiting exoplanets WASP-1b and
HAT-P-20b, observed within the TASTE (The Asiago Search for Transit timing
variations of Exoplanets) project. We re-analyzed light curves from the
literature in a homogeneous way, calculating a refined ephemeris and
orbital-physical parameters for both objects. WASP-1b does not show any
significant Transit Timing Variation signal at the 120 s-level. As for
HAT-P-20b, we detected a deviation from our re-estimated linear ephemeris that
could be ascribed to the presence of a perturber or, more probably, to a
previously unnoticed high level of stellar activity. The rotational period of
HAT-P-20 A we obtained from archival data (P_rot ~ 14.5 days), combined with
its optical variability and strong emission of CaII H&K lines, is consistent
with a young stellar age (< 1 Gyr) and support the hypothesis that stellar
activity may be responsible of the measured deviations of the transit times.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, accepted to Astronomische Nachrichte
Ocular Refraction at Birth and Its Development During the First Year of Life in a Large Cohort of Babies in a Single Center in Northern Italy
The purpose of this study was to investigate refraction at birth and during the first year of life in a large cohort of babies born in a single center in Northern Italy. We also aimed to analyze refractive errors in relation to the gestational age at birth. An observational ophthalmological assessment was performed within 24 h of birth on 12,427 newborns. Refraction was examined using streak retinoscopy after the administration of tropicamide (1%). Values in the range of between +0.50 ≤ D ≤ +4.00 were defined as physiological refraction at birth. Newborns with refraction values outside of the physiological range were followed up during the first year of life. Comparative analyses were conducted in a subgroup of babies with known gestational ages. The following distribution of refraction at birth was recorded: 88.03% of the babies had physiological refraction, 5.03% had moderate hyperopia, 2.14% had severe hyperopia, 3.4%, had emmetropia, 0.45%, had myopia, 0.94% had astigmatism, and 0.01% had anisometropia. By the end of the first year of life, we observed reductions in hyperopia and astigmatism, and stabilization of myopia. Preterm babies had a four-fold higher risk of congenital myopia and a three-fold higher risk of congenital emmetropia as compared to term babies. Refraction profiles obtained at birth changed during the first year of life, leading to a normalization of the refraction values. Gestational age at birth affected the incidence of refractive errors and amblyopia
Exploiting the transit timing capabilities of Ariel
The Transit Timing Variation (TTV) technique is a powerful dynamical tool to
measure exoplanetary masses by analysing transit light curves. We assessed the
transit timing performances of the Ariel Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS1/2) based
on the simulated light curve of a bright, 55 Cnc, and faint, K2-24,
planet-hosting star. We estimated through a Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo analysis
the transit time uncertainty at the nominal cadence of 1 second and, as a
comparison, at a 30 and 60-s cadence. We found that at the nominal cadence
Ariel will be able to measure the transit time with a precision of about 12s
and 34s, for a star as bright as 55 Cnc and K2-24, respectively. We then ran
dynamical simulations, also including the Ariel timing errors, and we found an
improvement on the measurement of planetary masses of about in a
K2-24-like planetary system through TTVs. We also simulated the conditions that
allow us to detect the TTV signal induced by an hypothetical external perturber
within the mass range between Earth and Neptune using 10 transit light curves
by Ariel.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Experimental
Astronomy - Ariel Special Issu
High-precision astrometry with VVV. I. An independent reduction pipeline for VIRCAM@VISTA
We present a new reduction pipeline for the VIRCAM@VISTA detector and
describe the method developed to obtain high-precision astrometry with the
VISTA Variables in the V\'ia L\'actea (VVV) data set. We derive an accurate
geometric-distortion correction using as calibration field the globular cluster
NGC 5139, and showed that we are able to reach a relative astrometric precision
of about 8 mas per coordinate per exposure for well-measured stars over a field
of view of more than 1 square degree. This geometric-distortion correction is
made available to the community. As a test bed, we chose a field centered
around the globular cluster NGC 6656 from the VVV archive and computed proper
motions for the stars within. With 45 epochs spread over four years, we show
that we are able to achieve a precision of 1.4 mas/yr and to isolate each
population observed in the field (cluster, Bulge and Disk) using proper
motions. We used proper-motion-selected field stars to measure the motion
difference between Galactic disk and bulge stars. Our proper-motion
measurements are consistent with UCAC4 and PPMXL, though our errors are much
smaller. Models have still difficulties in reproducing the observations in this
highly-reddened Galactic regions.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures (some in low res), 1 table. Accepted for
publication in MNRAS on March 25, 2015. The FORTRAN routine will be soon made
available at http://groups.dfa.unipd.it/ESPG/ , and via email request to the
first autho
TASTE. III. A homogeneous study of transit time variations in WASP-3b
The TASTE project is searching for low-mass planets with the Transit Timing
Variation (TTV) technique, by gathering high-precision, short-cadence light
curves for a selected sample of transiting exoplanets. It has been claimed that
the "hot Jupiter" WASP-3b could be perturbed by a second planet. Presenting
eleven new light curves (secured at the IAC80 and UDEM telescopes) and
re-analyzing thirty-eight archival light curves in a homogeneous way, we show
that new data do not confirm the previously claimed TTV signal. However, we
bring evidence that measurements are not consistent with a constant orbital
period, though no significant periodicity can be detected. Additional dynamical
modeling and follow-up observations are planned to constrain the properties of
the perturber or to put upper limits to it. We provide a refined ephemeris for
WASP-3b and improved orbital/physical parameters. A contact eclipsing binary,
serendipitously discovered among field stars, is reported here for the first
time.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables; accepted for publication in A&
Large Binocular Telescope view of the atmosphere of GJ1214b
The atmospheric composition and vertical structure of the super-Earth GJ1214b
has been a subject of debate since its discovery in 2009. Recent studies have
indicated that high-altitude clouds might mask the lower layers. However, some
data points that were gathered at different times and facilities do not fit
this picture, probably because of a combination of stellar activity and
systematic errors. We observed two transits of GJ1214b with the Large Binocular
Camera, the dual-channel camera at the Large Binocular Telescope. For the first
time, we simultaneously measured the relative planetary radius
at blue and red optical wavelengths (), thus
constraining the Rayleigh scattering on GJ1214b after correcting for stellar
activity effects. To the same purpose, a long-term photometric follow-up of the
host star was carried out with WiFSIP at STELLA, revealing a rotational period
that is significantly longer than previously reported. Our new unbiased
estimates of yield a flat transmission spectrum extending to shorter
wavelengths, thus confirming the cloudy atmosphere scenario for GJ1214b.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables. Published in A&A. Minor changes to
reflect the published versio
Broad-band spectrophotometry of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-12b from the near-UV to the near-IR
The detection of trends or gradients in the transmission spectrum of
extrasolar planets is possible with observations at very low spectral
resolution. Transit measurements of sufficient accuracy using selected
broad-band filters allow for an initial characterization of the atmosphere of
the planet. We obtained time series photometry of 20 transit events and
analyzed them homogeneously, along with eight light curves obtained from the
literature. In total, the light curves span a range from 0.35 to 1.25 microns.
During two observing seasons over four months each, we monitored the host star
to constrain the potential influence of starspots on the derived transit
parameters. We rule out the presence of a Rayleigh slope extending over the
entire optical wavelength range, a flat spectrum is favored for HAT-P-12b with
respect to a cloud-free atmosphere model spectrum. A potential cause of such
gray absorption is the presence of a cloud layer at the probed latitudes.
Furthermore, in this work we refine the transit parameters, the ephemeris and
perform a TTV analysis in which we found no indication for an unseen companion.
The host star showed a mild non-periodic variability of up to 1%. However, no
stellar rotation period could be detected to high confidence.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, Accepted for publication in A&
A possibly inflated planet around the bright, young star DS Tuc A
The origin of the observed diversity of planetary system architectures is one
of the main topic of the exoplanetary research. The detection of a
statistically significant sample of planets around young stars allows us to
study the early stages of planet formation and evolution, but only a handful of
them is known so far. In this regard, a considerable contribution is expected
from the NASA TESS satellite, which is now performing a survey of
of the sky to search for short-period transiting planets In its first month of
operations, TESS found a planet candidate with an orbital period of 8.14 days
around a member of the Tuc-Hor young association ( 40 Myr), the G6V main
component of the binary system DS\,Tuc. If confirmed, it would be the first
transiting planet around a young star suitable for radial velocity and/or
atmospheric characterization. We aim to validate the planetary nature of this
companion and to measure its orbital and physical parameters. We obtain
accurate planet parameters by coupling an independent reprocessing of the TESS
light curve with improved stellar parameters and the dilution caused by the
binary companion; we analyse high precision archival radial velocities to
impose an upper limit of about 0.1 M on the planet mass; we finally
rule out the presence of external companions beyond 40 au with adaptive optics
images. We confirm the presence of a young, giant ( R) planet having a not negligible possibility to be inflated (theoretical
mass M) around DS\,Tuc~A. We discuss the feasibility
of mass determination, Rossiter-McLaughlin analysis and atmosphere
characterization, allowed by the brightness of the star.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
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