30 research outputs found
ARCHI: pipeline for light curve extraction of CHEOPS background star
High precision time series photometry from space is being used for a number
of scientific cases. In this context, the recently launched CHEOPS (ESA)
mission promises to bring 20 ppm precision over an exposure time of 6 hours,
when targeting nearby bright stars, having in mind the detailed
characterization of exoplanetary systems through transit measurements. However,
the official CHEOPS (ESA) mission pipeline only provides photometry for the
main target (the central star in the field). In order to explore the potential
of CHEOPS photometry for all stars in the field, in this paper we present
archi, an additional open-source pipeline module{\dag}to analyse the background
stars present in the image. As archi uses the official Data Reduction Pipeline
data as input, it is not meant to be used as independent tool to process raw
CHEOPS data but, instead, to be used as an add-on to the official pipeline. We
test archi using CHEOPS simulated images, and show that photometry of
background stars in CHEOPS images is only slightly degraded (by a factor of 2
to 3) with respect to the main target. This opens a potential for the use of
CHEOPS to produce photometric time series of several close-by targets at once,
as well as to use different stars in the image to calibrate systematic errors.
We also show one clear scientific application where the study of the companion
light curve can be important for the understanding of the contamination on the
main target.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS, all code
available at https://github.com/Kamuish/arch
A compositional link between rocky exoplanets and their host stars
Stars and planets both form by accreting material from a surrounding disk.
Because they grow from the same material, theory predicts that there should be
a relationship between their compositions. In this study, we search for a
compositional link between rocky exoplanets and their host stars. We estimate
the iron-mass fraction of rocky exoplanets from their masses and radii and
compare it with the compositions of their host stars, which we assume reflect
the compositions of the protoplanetary disks. We find a correlation (but not a
1:1 relationship) between these two quantities, with a slope of >4, which we
interpret as being attributable to planet formation processes. Super-Earths and
super-Mercuries appear to be distinct populations with differing compositions,
implying differences in their formation processes.Comment: Authors' version of the manuscript. Published in Scienc
HD 213885b: a transiting 1-d-period super-Earth with an Earth-like composition around a bright (V = 7.9) star unveiled by TESS
We report the discovery of the 1.008-d, ultrashort period (USP) super-Earth HD 213885b (TOI-141b) orbiting the bright (V = 7.9) star HD 213885 (TOI-141, TIC 403224672), detected using photometry from the recently launched TESS mission. Using FEROS, HARPS, and CORALIE radial velocities, we measure a precise mass of 8.8 ± 0.6âMâ for this 1.74 ± 0.05âRâ exoplanet, which provides enough information to constrain its bulk composition â similar to Earthâs but enriched in iron. The radius, mass, and stellar irradiation of HD 213885b are, given our data, very similar to 55 Cancri e, making this exoplanet a good target to perform comparative exoplanetology of short period, highly irradiated super-Earths. Our precise radial velocities reveal an additional 4.78-d signal which we interpret as arising from a second, non-transiting planet in the system, HD 213885c, whose minimum mass of 19.9 ± 1.4âMâ makes it consistent with being a Neptune-mass exoplanet. The HD 213885 system is very interesting from the perspective of future atmospheric characterization, being the second brightest star to host an USP transiting super-Earth (with the brightest star being, in fact, 55 Cancri). Prospects for characterization with present and future observatories are discussed
The Magellan-TESS Survey I: Survey Description and Mid-Survey Results
One of the most significant revelations from Kepler is that roughly one-third
of Sun-like stars host planets which orbit their stars within 100 days and are
between the size of Earth and Neptune. How do these super-Earth and sub-Neptune
planets form, what are they made of, and do they represent a continuous
population or naturally divide into separate groups? Measuring their masses and
thus bulk densities can help address these questions of their origin and
composition. To that end, we began the Magellan-TESS Survey (MTS), which uses
Magellan II/PFS to obtain radial velocity (RV) masses of 30 transiting
exoplanets discovered by TESS and develops an analysis framework that connects
observed planet distributions to underlying populations. In the past, RV
measurements of small planets have been challenging to obtain due to the
faintness and low RV semi-amplitudes of most Kepler systems, and challenging to
interpret due to the potential biases in the existing ensemble of small planet
masses from non-algorithmic decisions for target selection and observation
plans. The MTS attempts to minimize these biases by focusing on bright TESS
targets and employing a quantitative selection function and multi-year
observing strategy. In this paper, we (1) describe the motivation and survey
strategy behind the MTS, (2) present our first catalog of planet mass and
density constraints for 25 TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs; 20 in our population
analysis sample, five that are members of the same systems), and (3) employ a
hierarchical Bayesian model to produce preliminary constraints on the
mass-radius (M-R) relation. We find qualitative agreement with prior
mass-radius relations but some quantitative differences (abridged). The the
results of this work can inform more detailed studies of individual systems and
offer a framework that can be applied to future RV surveys with the goal of
population inferences.Comment: 101 pages (39 of main text and references, the rest an appendix of
figures and tables). Submitted to AAS Journal
K2 Targets Observed with SPHERE/VLT:An M4-7 Dwarf Companion Resolved around EPIC 206011496
The quest to discover exoplanets is one of the most important missions in
astrophysics, and is widely performed using the transit method, which allows
for the detection of exoplanets down to the size of Mercury. However, to
confirm these detections, additional vetting is mandatory. We selected six K2
targets from campaigns #1 to #8 that show transit light curves corresponding to
Earth-sized to Neptune-sized exoplanets. We aim to discard some scenarios that
could mimic an exoplanetary transit, leading to a misinterpretation of the
data. We performed direct imaging observations using the SPHERE/VLT instrument
to probe the close environment of these stars. For five of the K2 targets, we
report no detection and we give the detection limits. For EPIC 206011496, we
detect a 0.38 0.06 companion at a separation of 977.12
0.73 mas (140.19 0.11 au). The spectral analysis corresponds to an M4-7
star, and the analysis of the proper motion shows that it is bounded to the
primary star. EPIC 206011496 also hosts an Earth-like planetary candidate. If
it transits the primary star, its radius is consistent with that of a
super-Earth. However, if it transits the companion star, it falls into the
mini-Neptune regime.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables. Published in the Astronomical Journal.
This version includes the editing correction
TOI-908 : A planet at the edge of the Neptune desert transiting a G-type star
We present the discovery of an exoplanet transiting TOI-908 (TIC-350153977) using data from TESS sectors 1, 12, 13, 27, 28 and 39. TOI-908 is a T = 10.7 mag G-dwarf (Teff = 5626 ± 61 K) solar-like star with a mass of 0.950 ± 0.010 Mâ and a radius of 1.028 ± 0.030 Râ. The planet, TOI-908 b, is a 3.18 ± 0.16 Râ planet in a 3.18 day orbit. Radial velocity measurements from HARPS reveal TOI-908 b has a mass of approximately 16.1 ± 4.1 Mâ, resulting in a bulk planetary density of 2.7+0.2â0.4
g cmâ3. TOI-908 b lies in a sparsely-populated region of parameter space known as the Neptune desert. The planet likely began its life as a sub-Saturn planet before it experienced significant photoevaporation due to X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation from its host star, and is likely to continue evaporating, losing a significant fraction of its residual envelope mass
TOI-836: A super-Earth and mini-Neptune transiting a nearby K-dwarf
We present the discovery of two exoplanets transiting TOI-836 (TIC 440887364)
using data from TESS Sector 11 and Sector 38. TOI-836 is a bright (
mag), high proper motion ( mas yr), low metallicity
([Fe/H]) K-dwarf with a mass of M and a
radius of R. We obtain photometric follow-up
observations with a variety of facilities, and we use these data-sets to
determine that the inner planet, TOI-836 b, is a R
super-Earth in a 3.82 day orbit, placing it directly within the so-called
'radius valley'. The outer planet, TOI-836 c, is a R
mini-Neptune in an 8.60 day orbit. Radial velocity measurements reveal that
TOI-836 b has a mass of M , while TOI-836 c has a mass
of M. Photometric observations show Transit Timing
Variations (TTVs) on the order of 20 minutes for TOI-836 c, although there are
no detectable TTVs for TOI-836 b. The TTVs of planet TOI-836 c may be caused by
an undetected exterior planet
TOI-836 : a super-Earth and mini-Neptune transiting a nearby K-dwarf
Funding: TGW, ACC, and KH acknowledge support from STFC consolidated grant numbers ST/R000824/1 and ST/V000861/1, and UKSA grant ST/R003203/1.We present the discovery of two exoplanets transiting TOI-836 (TIC 440887364) using data from TESS Sector 11 and Sector 38. TOI-836 is a bright (T = 8.5 mag), high proper motion (âŒ200 mas yrâ1), low metallicity ([Fe/H]ââ0.28) K-dwarf with a mass of 0.68 ± 0.05 Mâ and a radius of 0.67 ± 0.01 Râ. We obtain photometric follow-up observations with a variety of facilities, and we use these data-sets to determine that the inner planet, TOI-836 b, is a 1.70 ± 0.07 Râ super-Earth in a 3.82 day orbit, placing it directly within the so-called âradius valleyâ. The outer planet, TOI-836 c, is a 2.59 ± 0.09 Râ mini-Neptune in an 8.60 day orbit. Radial velocity measurements reveal that TOI-836 b has a mass of 4.5 ± 0.9 Mâ, while TOI-836 c has a mass of 9.6 ± 2.6 Mâ. Photometric observations show Transit Timing Variations (TTVs) on the order of 20 minutes for TOI-836 c, although there are no detectable TTVs for TOI-836 b. The TTVs of planet TOI-836 c may be caused by an undetected exterior planet.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
A pair of Sub-Neptunes transiting the bright K-dwarf TOI-1064 characterised with CHEOPS
Funding: TGW, ACC, and KH acknowledge support from STFC consolidated grant numbers ST/R000824/1 and ST/V000861/1, and UKSA grant ST/R003203/1.We report the discovery and characterization of a pair of sub-Neptunes transiting the bright K-dwarf TOI-1064 (TIC 79748331), initially detected in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry. To characterize the system, we performed and retrieved the CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS), TESS, and ground-based photometry, the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) high-resolution spectroscopy, and Gemini speckle imaging. We characterize the host star and determine Teff,â=4734±67Kâ , Râ=0.726±0.007Rââ , and Mâ=0.748±0.032Mââ . We present a novel detrending method based on point spread function shape-change modelling and demonstrate its suitability to correct flux variations in CHEOPS data. We confirm the planetary nature of both bodies and find that TOI-1064 b has an orbital period of Pb = 6.44387 ± 0.00003 d, a radius of Rb = 2.59 ± 0.04 Râ, and a mass of Mb=13.5+1.7â1.8 Mâ, whilst TOI-1064 c has an orbital period of Pc=12.22657+0.00005â0.00004 d, a radius of Rc = 2.65 ± 0.04 Râ, and a 3Ï upper mass limit of 8.5 Mâ. From the high-precision photometry we obtain radius uncertainties of âŒ1.6 per cent, allowing us to conduct internal structure and atmospheric escape modelling. TOI-1064 b is one of the densest, well-characterized sub-Neptunes, with a tenuous atmosphere that can be explained by the loss of a primordial envelope following migration through the protoplanetary disc. It is likely that TOI-1064 c has an extended atmosphere due to the tentative low density, however further radial velocities are needed to confirm this scenario and the similar radii, different masses nature of this system. The high-precision data and modelling of TOI-1064 b are important for planets in this region of massâradius space, and it allow us to identify a trend in bulk densityâstellar metallicity for massive sub-Neptunes that may hint at the formation of this population of planets.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe