80 research outputs found
A giant impact as the likely origin of different twins in the Kepler-107 exoplanet system
Measures of exoplanet bulk densities indicate that small exoplanets with radius less than 3 Earth radii (R⊕) range from low-density sub-Neptunes containing volatile elements1 to higher-density rocky planets with Earth-like2 or iron-rich3 (Mercury-like) compositions. Such astonishing diversity in observed small exoplanet compositions may be the product of different initial conditions of the planet-formation process or different evolutionary paths that altered the planetary properties after formation4. Planet evolution may be especially affected by either photoevaporative mass loss induced by high stellar X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (XUV) flux5 or giant impacts6. Although there is some evidence for the former7,8, there are no unambiguous findings so far about the occurrence of giant impacts in an exoplanet system. Here, we characterize the two innermost planets of the compact and near-resonant system Kepler-107 (ref. 9). We show that they have nearly identical radii (about 1.5–1.6R⊕), but the outer planet Kepler-107 c is more than twice as dense (about 12.6 g cm–3) as the innermost Kepler-107 b (about 5.3 g cm−3). In consequence, Kepler-107 c must have a larger iron core fraction than Kepler-107 b. This imbalance cannot be explained by the stellar XUV irradiation, which would conversely make the more-irradiated and less-massive planet Kepler-107 b denser than Kepler-107 c. Instead, the dissimilar densities are consistent with a giant impact event on Kepler-107 c that would have stripped off part of its silicate mantle. This hypothesis is supported by theoretical predictions from collisional mantle stripping10, which match the mass and radius of Kepler-107 c
A giant impact as the likely origin of different twins in the Kepler-107 exoplanet system
Measures of exoplanet bulk densities indicate that small exoplanets with radius less than 3 Earth radii (R⊕) range from low-density sub-Neptunes containing volatile elements1 to higher-density rocky planets with Earth-like2 or iron-rich3 (Mercury-like) compositions. Such astonishing diversity in observed small exoplanet compositions may be the product of different initial conditions of the planet-formation process or different evolutionary paths that altered the planetary properties after formation4. Planet evolution may be especially affected by either photoevaporative mass loss induced by high stellar X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (XUV) flux5 or giant impacts6. Although there is some evidence for the former7,8, there are no unambiguous findings so far about the occurrence of giant impacts in an exoplanet system. Here, we characterize the two innermost planets of the compact and near-resonant system Kepler-107 (ref. 9). We show that they have nearly identical radii (about 1.5–1.6R⊕), but the outer planet Kepler-107 c is more than twice as dense (about 12.6 g cm–3) as the innermost Kepler-107 b (about 5.3 g cm−3). In consequence, Kepler-107 c must have a larger iron core fraction than Kepler-107 b. This imbalance cannot be explained by the stellar XUV irradiation, which would conversely make the more-irradiated and less-massive planet Kepler-107 b denser than Kepler-107 c. Instead, the dissimilar densities are consistent with a giant impact event on Kepler-107 c that would have stripped off part of its silicate mantle. This hypothesis is supported by theoretical predictions from collisional mantle stripping10, which match the mass and radius of Kepler-107 c
SOPHIE velocimetry of Kepler transit candidates XVI. Tomographic measurement of the low obliquity of KOI-12b, a warm Jupiter transiting a fast rotator
We present the detection and characterization of the transiting warm Jupiter
KOI-12b, first identified with Kepler with an orbital period of 17.86 days. We
combine the analysis of Kepler photometry with Doppler spectroscopy and
line-profile tomography of time-series spectra obtained with the SOPHIE
spectrograph to establish its planetary nature and derive its properties. To
derive reliable estimates for the uncertainties on the tomographic model
parameters, we devised an empirical method to calculate statistically
independent error bars on the time-series spectra. KOI-12b has a radius of
1.430.13 and a 3 upper mass limit of
10. It orbits a fast-rotating star (sin =
60.00.9 km s) with mass and radius of 1.450.09
and 1.630.15 , located at 42640 pc
from the Earth. Doppler tomography allowed a higher precision on the obliquity
to be reached by comparison with the analysis of the Rossiter-McLaughlin radial
velocity anomaly, and we found that KOI-12b lies on a prograde, slightly
misaligned orbit with a low sky-projected obliquity =
12.6. The properties of this planetary system,
with a 11.4 magnitude host-star, make of KOI-12b a precious target for future
atmospheric characterization.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figure
Near-infrared Thermal Emission Detections of a number of hot Jupiters and the Systematics of Ground-based Near-infrared Photometry
We present detections of the near-infrared thermal emission of three hot
Jupiters and one brown-dwarf using the Wide-field Infrared Camera (WIRCam) on
the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). These include Ks-band secondary
eclipse detections of the hot Jupiters WASP-3b and Qatar-1b and the brown dwarf
KELT-1b. We also report Y-band, -band, and two new and one reanalyzed
Ks-band detections of the thermal emission of the hot Jupiter WASP-12b. We
present a new reduction pipeline for CFHT/WIRCam data, which is optimized for
high precision photometry. We also describe novel techniques for constraining
systematic errors in ground-based near-infrared photometry, so as to return
reliable secondary eclipse depths and uncertainties. We discuss the noise
properties of our ground-based photometry for wavelengths spanning the
near-infrared (the YJHK-bands), for faint and bright-stars, and for the same
object on several occasions. For the hot Jupiters WASP-3b and WASP-12b we
demonstrate the repeatability of our eclipse depth measurements in the Ks-band;
we therefore place stringent limits on the systematics of ground-based,
near-infrared photometry, and also rule out violent weather changes in the
deep, high pressure atmospheres of these two hot Jupiters at the epochs of our
observations.Comment: 27 pages, 23 figures, ApJ submitted June 16th, 2014. Version revised
to address referee comment
Molecular cross sections for high resolution spectroscopy of super earths, warm Neptunes and hot Jupiters
High-resolution spectroscopy (HRS) has been used to detect a number of species in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters. Key to such detections is accurately and precisely modelled spectra for cross-correlation against the R ≳ 20 000 observations. There is a need for the latest generation of opacities which form the basis for high signal-to-noise detections using such spectra. In this study we present and make publicly available cross-sections for six molecular species, H2O, CO, HCN, CH4, NH3, and CO2 using the latest line lists most suitable for low- and high-resolution spectroscopy. We focus on the infrared (0.95–5 μm) and between 500 and 1500 K where these species have strong spectral signatures. We generate these cross-sections on a grid of pressures and temperatures typical for the photospheres of super-Earth, warm Neptunes, and hot Jupiters using the latest H2 and He pressure broadening. We highlight the most prominent infrared spectral features by modelling three representative exoplanets, GJ 1214 b, GJ 3470 b, and HD 189733 b, which encompass a wide range in temperature, mass, and radii. In addition, we verify the line lists for H2O, CO, and HCN with previous high-resolution observations of hot Jupiters. However, we are unable to detect CH4 with our new cross-sections from HRS observations of HD 102195 b. These high-accuracy opacities are critical for atmospheric detections with HRS and will be continually updated as new data become available
One of the closest exoplanet pairs to the 3:2 Mean Motion Resonance: K2-19b \& c
The K2 mission has recently begun to discover new and diverse planetary
systems. In December 2014 Campaign 1 data from the mission was released,
providing high-precision photometry for ~22000 objects over an 80 day timespan.
We searched these data with the aim of detecting further important new objects.
Our search through two separate pipelines led to the independent discovery of
K2-19b \& c, a two-planet system of Neptune sized objects (4.2 and 7.2
), orbiting a K dwarf extremely close to the 3:2 mean motion
resonance. The two planets each show transits, sometimes simultaneously due to
their proximity to resonance and alignment of conjunctions. We obtain further
ground based photometry of the larger planet with the NITES telescope,
demonstrating the presence of large transit timing variations (TTVs), and use
the observed TTVs to place mass constraints on the transiting objects under the
hypothesis that the objects are near but not in resonance. We then
statistically validate the planets through the \texttt{PASTIS} tool,
independently of the TTV analysis.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, accepted to A&A, updated to match published
versio
The Kepler-10 planetary system revisited by HARPS-N: A hot rocky world and a solid Neptune-mass planet
Kepler-10b was the first rocky planet detected by the Kepler satellite and
con- firmed with radial velocity follow-up observations from Keck-HIRES. The
mass of the planet was measured with a precision of around 30%, which was
insufficient to constrain models of its internal structure and composition in
detail. In addition to Kepler-10b, a second planet transiting the same star
with a period of 45 days was sta- tistically validated, but the radial
velocities were only good enough to set an upper limit of 20 Mearth for the
mass of Kepler-10c. To improve the precision on the mass for planet b, the
HARPS-N Collaboration decided to observe Kepler-10 intensively with the HARPS-N
spectrograph on the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo on La Palma. In to- tal, 148
high-quality radial-velocity measurements were obtained over two observing
seasons. These new data allow us to improve the precision of the mass
determina- tion for Kepler-10b to 15%. With a mass of 3.33 +/- 0.49 Mearth and
an updated radius of 1.47 +0.03 -0.02 Rearth, Kepler-10b has a density of 5.8
+/- 0.8 g cm-3, very close to the value -0.02 predicted by models with the same
internal structure and composition as the Earth. We were also able to determine
a mass for the 45-day period planet Kepler-10c, with an even better precision
of 11%. With a mass of 17.2 +/- 1.9 Mearth and radius of 2.35 +0.09 -0.04
Rearth, -0.04 Kepler-10c has a density of 7.1 +/- 1.0 g cm-3. Kepler-10c
appears to be the first strong evidence of a class of more massive solid
planets with longer orbital periods.Comment: 44 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Growth Model Interpretation of Planet Size Distribution
The radii and orbital periods of 4000+ confirmed/candidate exoplanets have
been precisely measured by the Kepler mission. The radii show a bimodal
distribution, with two peaks corresponding to smaller planets (likely rocky)
and larger intermediate-size planets, respectively. While only the masses of
the planets orbiting the brightest stars can be determined by ground-based
spectroscopic observations, these observations allow calculation of their
average densities placing constraints on the bulk compositions and internal
structures. Yet an important question about the composition of planets ranging
from 2 to 4 Earth radii still remains. They may either have a rocky core
enveloped in a H2-He gaseous envelope (gas dwarfs) or contain a significant
amount of multi-component, H2O-dominated ices/fluids (water worlds). Planets in
the mass range of 10-15 Earth masses, if half-ice and half-rock by mass, have
radii of 2.5 Earth radii, which exactly match the second peak of the exoplanet
radius bimodal distribution. Any planet in the 2-4 Earth radii range requires a
gas envelope of at most a few mass percentage points, regardless of the core
composition. To resolve the ambiguity of internal compositions, we use a growth
model and conduct Monte Carlo simulations to demonstrate that many
intermediate-size planets are water worlds.Comment: PNAS link: https://www.pnas.org/content/116/20/9723 Complete data and
mass-radius tables are available at:
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~lzeng/planetmodels.htm
Kepler-102 : masses and compositions for a super-Earth and sub-Neptune orbiting an active star
Funding: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under grant No. 1842402. C.L.B., L.W., and D.H. acknowledge support from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (grant No. 80NSSC19K0597) issued through the Astrophysics Data Analysis Program. D.H. also acknowledges support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. K.R. acknowledges support from the UK STFC via grant No. ST/V000594/1. E.G. acknowledges support from NASA grant No. 80NSSC20K0957 (Exoplanets Research Program).Radial velocity (RV) measurements of transiting multiplanet systems allow us to understand the densities and compositions of planets unlike those in the solar system. Kepler-102, which consists of five tightly packed transiting planets, is a particularly interesting system since it includes a super-Earth (Kepler-102d) and a sub-Neptune-sized planet (Kepler-102e) for which masses can be measured using RVs. Previous work found a high density for Kepler-102d, suggesting a composition similar to that of Mercury, while Kepler-102e was found to have a density typical of sub-Neptune size planets; however, Kepler-102 is an active star, which can interfere with RV mass measurements. To better measure the mass of these two planets, we obtained 111 new RVs using Keck/HIRES and Telescopio Nazionale Galileo/HARPS-N and modeled Kepler-102's activity using quasiperiodic Gaussian process regression. For Kepler-102d, we report a mass upper limit Md < 5.3 M⊕ (95% confidence), a best-fit mass Md = 2.5 ± 1.4 M⊕, and a density ρd = 5.6 ± 3.2 g cm−3, which is consistent with a rocky composition similar in density to the Earth. For Kepler-102e we report a mass Me = 4.7 ± 1.7 M⊕ and a density ρe = 1.8 ± 0.7 g cm−3. These measurements suggest that Kepler-102e has a rocky core with a thick gaseous envelope comprising 2%–4% of the planet mass and 16%–50% of its radius. Our study is yet another demonstration that accounting for stellar activity in stars with clear rotation signals can yield more accurate planet masses, enabling a more realistic interpretation of planet interiors.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
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