1,641 research outputs found
High-precision photometry of WASP-12 b transits
The transiting extrasolar planet WASP-12 b was found to be one of the most
intensely irradiated exoplanets. It is unexpectedly bloated and is losing mass
that may accrete into the host star. Our aim was to refine the parameters of
this intriguing system and search for signs of transit timing variations. We
gathered high-precision light curves for two transits of WASP-12 b. Assuming
various limb-darkening laws, we generated best-fitting models and redetermined
parameters of the system. Error estimates were derived by the prayer bead
method and Monte Carlo simulations. System parameters obtained by us are found
to agree with previous studies within one sigma. Use of the non-linear
limb-darkening laws results in the best-fitting models. With two new
mid-transit times, the ephemeris was refined to BJD(TDB)=(2454508.97682 +/-
0.00020) + (1.09142245 +/- 0.00000033) E. Interestingly, indications of transit
timing variation are detected at the level of 3.4 sigma. This signal can be
induced by an additional planet in the system. Simplified numerical simulations
shows that a perturber could be a terrestrial-type planet if both planets are
in a low-order orbital resonance. However, we emphasise that further
observations are needed to confirm variation and to constrain properties of the
perturber.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Meteor research program
An overview of research on radio and radar meteors accomplished during the past decade is presented, and the work of the past year is highlighted. Velocity distribution and mass flux data are obtained for meteors in the range 10 to 0.0001 g, the size believed to be the principal hazard to space missions. The physical characteristics of mass, structure and density, luminosity, and ablation are briefly described, and the formulation of a theory for interactions of ionization and excitation during collision of atomic particles is mentioned. Five classes of meteoroids are identified, including the two of iron and stone meteorites. Stream meteors associated with known comets are Classes A or C, and parent comets of Class B streams are not observed. Class A meteoroids are identified with the core of a cometary nucleus, Class C with less dense surface of the nucleus after sublimation of ices, and Class B with less dense cores of smaller cometary nuclei. Atmospheric meteor phenomena associated with winds and gravity waves, density and temperature, atomic oxygen, and meteor rate changes are mentioned
Physical and dynamical studies of meteors. Meteor-fragmentation and stream-distribution studies
Population parameters of 275 streams including 20 additional streams in the synoptic-year sample were found by a computer technique. Some 16 percent of the sample is in these streams. Four meteor streams that have close orbital resemblance to Adonis cannot be positively identified as meteors ejected by Adonis within the last 12000 years. Ceplecha's discrete levels of meteor height are not evident in radar meteors. The spread of meteoroid fragments along their common trajectory was computed for most of the observed radar meteors. There is an unexpected relationship between spread and velocity that perhaps conceals relationships between fragmentation and orbits; a theoretical treatment will be necessary to resolve these relationships. Revised unbiased statistics of synoptic-year orbits are presented, together with parallel statistics for the 1961 to 1965 radar meteor orbits
Physical and dynamical studies of meteors
Distribution of meteors in streams detected in the synoptic-year meteor sample plus a study of the fragmentation characteristics of the synoptic-year meteor sample are presented. Population coefficients and dispersion coefficients were determined for each meteor stream. These two parameters serve to determine the number of definite members of the stream in the sample used, and to estimate the actual space density of meteor streams. From results of the fragmentation study, it appears that the main body of most radar meteors does not ablate fragments layer by layer, but collapses rather suddenly under dynamic pressures on the order of 0,0002 dynes/cm. Furthermore, it is believed that fragmentation does not cause a serious selection effect in the radar meteor data
KIC 4247791: A SB4 system with two eclipsing binaries (2EBs)
KIC 4247791 is an eclipsing binary observed by the Kepler satellite mission.
We wish to determine the nature of its components and in particular the origin
of a shallow dip in its Kepler light curve that previous investigations have
been unable to explain in a unique way. We analyze newly obtained
high-resolution spectra of the star using synthetic spectra based on atmosphere
models, derive the radial velocities of the stellar components from
cross-correlation with a synthetic template, and calculate the orbital
solution. We use the JKTEBOP program to model the Kepler light curve of KIC
4247791. We find KIC 4247791 to be a SB4 star. The radial velocity variations
of its four components can be explained by two separate eclipsing binaries. In
contradiction to previous photometric findings, we show that the observed
composite spectrum as well as the derived masses of all four of its components
correspond to spectral type F. The observed small dip in the light curve is not
caused by a transit-like phenomenon but by the eclipses of the second binary
system. We find evidence that KIC 4247791 might belong to the very rare
hierarchical SB4 systems with two eclipsing binaries.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, 2 table
Limb darkening in spherical stellar atmospheres
(Abridged) Context. Stellar limb darkening, I({\mu} = cos{\theta}), is an
important constraint for microlensing, eclipsing binary, planetary transit, and
interferometric observations, but is generally treated as a parameterized
curve, such as a linear-plus-square-root law. Many analyses assume
limb-darkening coefficients computed from model stellar atmospheres. However,
previous studies, using I({\mu}) from plane- parallel models, have found that
fits to the flux-normalized curves pass through a fixed point, a common {\mu}
location on the stellar disk, for all values of T eff, log g and wavelength.
Aims. We study this fixed {\mu}-point to determine if it is a property of the
model stellar atmospheres or a property of the limb-darkening laws.
Furthermore, we use this limb-darkening law as a tool to probe properties of
stellar atmospheres for comparison to limb- darkening observations. Methods.
Intensities computed with plane-parallel and spherically-symmetric Atlas models
(characterized by the three fundamental parameters L\star, M\star and R\star)
are used to reexamine the existence of the fixed {\mu}-point for the
parametrized curves. Results. We find that the intensities from our spherical
models do not have a fixed point, although the curves do have a minimum spread
at a {\mu}-value similar to the parametrized curves. We also find that the
parametrized curves have two fixed points, {\mu}1 and {\mu}2, although {\mu}2
is so close to the edge of the disk that it is missed using plane-parallel
atmospheres. We also find that the spherically- symmetric models appear to
agree better with published microlensing observations relative to
plane-parallel models.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, figures 4 and 6 have lower resolution. A&A in
pres
Exploiting the nonlinear impact dynamics of a single-electron shuttle for highly regular current transport
The nanomechanical single-electron shuttle is a resonant system in which a
suspended metallic island oscillates between and impacts at two electrodes.
This setup holds promise for one-by-one electron transport and the
establishment of an absolute current standard. While the charge transported per
oscillation by the nanoscale island will be quantized in the Coulomb blockade
regime, the frequency of such a shuttle depends sensitively on many parameters,
leading to drift and noise. Instead of considering the nonlinearities
introduced by the impact events as a nuisance, here we propose to exploit the
resulting nonlinear dynamics to realize a highly precise oscillation frequency
via synchronization of the shuttle self-oscillations to an external signal.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Analysis of new high-precision transit light curves of WASP-10 b: starspot occultations, small planetary radius, and high metallicity
The WASP-10 planetary system is intriguing because different values of radius
have been reported for its transiting exoplanet. The host star exhibits
activity in terms of photometric variability, which is caused by the rotational
modulation of the spots. Moreover, a periodic modulation has been discovered in
transit timing of WASP-10 b, which could be a sign of an additional body
perturbing the orbital motion of the transiting planet. We attempt to refine
the physical parameters of the system, in particular the planetary radius,
which is crucial for studying the internal structure of the transiting planet.
We also determine new mid-transit times to confirm or refute observed anomalies
in transit timing. We acquired high-precision light curves for four transits of
WASP-10 b in 2010. Assuming various limb-darkening laws, we generated best-fit
models and redetermined parameters of the system. The prayer-bead method and
Monte Carlo simulations were used to derive error estimates. Three transit
light curves exhibit signatures of the occultations of dark spots by the planet
during its passage across the stellar disk. The influence of stellar activity
on transit depth is taken into account while determining system parameters. The
radius of WASP-10 b is found to be no greater than 1.03 Jupiter radii, a value
significantly smaller than most previous studies indicate. We calculate
interior structure models of the planet, assuming a two-layer structure with
one homogeneous envelope atop a rock core. The high value of the WASP-10 b's
mean density allows one to consider the planet's internal structure including
270 to 450 Earth masses of heavy elements. Our new mid-transit times confirm
that transit timing cannot be explained by a constant period if all literature
data points are considered. They are consistent with the ephemeris assuming a
periodic variation of transit timing...Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Combined observations of meteors by image-orthicon television camera and multi-station radar
Observations from multiple sites of a radar network and by television of 29 individual meteors from February 1969 through June 1970 are reported. Only 12 of the meteors did not appear to fragment over all the observed portion of their trajectories. From these 12, the relation for the radar magnitude to the panchromatic absolute magnitude was found in terms of velocity of the meteor. A very tentative fit to the data on the duration of long enduring echoes versus visual absolute magnitude is made. The exponential decay characteristics of the later parts of several of the light curves are pointed out as possible evidence of mutual coalescence of droplets into which the meteoroid has completely broken
Refined physical properties and g',r',i',z',J,H,K transmission spectrum of WASP-23b from the ground
Multi-band observations of planetary transits using the telescope defocus
technique may yield high-quality light curves suitable for refining the
physical properties of exoplanets even with small or medium size telescopes.
Such observations can be used to construct a broad-band transmission spectrum
of transiting planets and search for the presence of strong absorbers. We have
thoroughly characterised the orbital ephemeris and physical properties of the
transiting planet and host star in the WASP-23b system, constructed a
broad-band transmission spectrum of WASP-23b and performed a comparative
analysis with theoretical models of hot Jupiters. We observed a complete
transit of WASP-23b in seven bands simultaneously, using the GROND instrument
on the MPG/ESO 2.2m telescope at La Silla Observatory and telescope
defocussing. The optical data were taken in the Sloan g',r',i' and z' bands.
The resulting light curves are of high quality, with a root-mean-square scatter
of the residual as low as 330ppm in the z'-band, with a cadence of 90s.
Near-infrared data were obtained in the JHK bands. We performed MCMC analysis
of our photometry plus existing radial velocity data to refine measurements of
the ephemeris and physical properties of the WASP-23. We constructed a
broad-band transmission spectrum of WASP-23b and compared it with a theoretical
transmission spectrum of a Hot Jupiter. We measured the central transit time
with a precision about 8s. From this and earlier observations we obtain an
orbital period of P=2.9444300+/-0.0000011d. Our analysis also yielded a larger
radius and mass for the planet (Rp=1.067+0.045-0.038 RJup and,
Mp=0.917+0.040-0.039MJup). The transmission spectrum is marginally flat, given
the limited precision of the measurements for the planet radius and poor
spectral resolution of the data.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
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