35 research outputs found

    The SOPHIE search for northern extrasolar planets-XIX. A system including a cold sub-Neptune potentially transiting a V = 6.5 star HD88986

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    Transiting planets with orbital periods longer than 40 d are extremely rare among the 5000+ planets discovered so far. The lack of discoveries of this population poses a challenge to research into planetary demographics, formation, and evolution. Here, we present the detection and characterization of HD88986b, a potentially transiting sub-Neptune, possessing the longest orbital period among known transiting small planets (< 4 R_{\oplus}) with a precise mass measurement (σM/M\sigma_M/M > 25%). Additionally, we identified the presence of a massive companion in a wider orbit around HD88986. Our analysis reveals that HD88986b, based on two potential single transits on sector 21 and sector 48 which are both consistent with the predicted transit time from the RV model, is potentially transiting. The joint analysis of RV and photometric data show that HD88986b has a radius of 2.49±\pm0.18 R_{\oplus}, a mass of 17.23.8+4.0^{+4.0}_{-3.8} M_{\oplus}, and it orbits every 146.050.40+0.43^{+0.43}_{-0.40} d around a subgiant HD88986 which is one of the closest and brightest exoplanet host stars (G2V type, R=1.543 ±\pm0.065 R_{\odot}, V=6.47±0.016.47\pm 0.01 mag, distance=33.37±\pm0.04 pc). The nature of the outer, massive companion is still to be confirmed; a joint analysis of RVs, Hipparcos, and Gaia astrometric data shows that with a 3σ\sigma confidence interval, its semi-major axis is between 16.7 and 38.8 au and its mass is between 68 and 284 MJup_{Jup}. HD88986b's wide orbit suggests the planet did not undergo significant mass loss due to extreme-ultraviolet radiation from its host star. Therefore, it probably maintained its primordial composition, allowing us to probe its formation scenario. Furthermore, the cold nature of HD88986b (460±\pm8 K), thanks to its long orbital period, will open up exciting opportunities for future studies of cold atmosphere composition characterization.Comment: 37 pages, accepted to be published in A&

    Direct discovery of the inner exoplanet in the HD206893 system. Evidence for deuterium burning in a planetary-mass companion

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    Long term precise radial velocity (RV) monitoring of the nearby star HD206893, as well as anomalies in the system proper motion, have suggested the presence of an additional, inner companion in the system. Here we describe the results of a multi-epoch search for the companion responsible for this RV drift and proper motion anomaly using the VLTI/GRAVITY instrument. Utilizing information from ongoing precision RV measurements with the HARPS spectrograph, as well as Gaia host star astrometry, we report a high significance detection of the companion HD206893c over three epochs, with clear evidence for Keplerian orbital motion. Our astrometry with \sim50-100 μ\muarcsec precision afforded by GRAVITY allows us to derive a dynamical mass of 12.71.0+1.2^{+1.2}_{-1.0} MJup_{\rm Jup} and an orbital separation of 3.530.06+0.08^{+0.08}_{-0.06} au for HD206893c. Our fits to the orbits of both companions in the system utilize both Gaia astrometry and RVs to also provide a precise dynamical estimate of the previously uncertain mass of the B component, and therefore derive an age of 155±15155\pm15 Myr. We find that theoretical atmospheric/evolutionary models incorporating deuterium burning for HD206893c, parameterized by cloudy atmospheres provide a good simultaneous fit to the luminosity of both HD206893B and c. In addition to utilizing long-term RV information, this effort is an early example of a direct imaging discovery of a bona fide exoplanet that was guided in part with Gaia astrometry. Utilizing Gaia astrometry is expected to be one of the primary techniques going forward to identify and characterize additional directly imaged planets. Lastly, this discovery is another example of the power of optical interferometry to directly detect and characterize extrasolar planets where they form at ice-line orbital separations of 2-4\,au.Comment: Accepted to A&
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