164 research outputs found
Characterization of CoRoT target fields with BEST: Identification of periodic variable stars in the IR01 field
We report on observations of the CoRoT IR01 field with the Berlin Exoplanet
Search Telescope (BEST). BEST is a small aperture telescope with a wide field
of view (FOV). It is dedicated to search for variable stars within the target
fields of the CoRoT space mission to aid in minimizing false-alarm rates and
identify potential targets for additional science. CoRoT's observational
programm started in February 2007 with the "initial run" field (IR01) observed
for about two months. BEST observed this field for 12 nights spread over three
months in winter 2006. From the total of 30426 stars observed in the IR01 field
3769 were marked as suspected variable stars and 54 from them showed clear
periodicity. From these 19 periodic stars are within the part of the CoRoT FOV
covered in our data set
Variability survey in the CoRoT SRa01 field: Implications of eclipsing binary distribution on cluster formation in NGC 2264
Time-series photometry of the CoRoT field SRa01 was carried out with the
Berlin Exoplanet Search Telescope II (BEST II) in 2008/2009. A total of 1,161
variable stars were detected, of which 241 were previously known and 920 are
newly found. Several new, variable young stellar objects have been discovered.
The study of the spatial distribution of eclipsing binaries revealed the higher
relative frequency of Algols toward the center of the young open cluster NGC
2264. In general Algol frequency obeys an isotropic distribution of their
angular momentum vectors, except inside the cluster, where a specific
orientation of the inclinations is the case. We suggest that we see the orbital
plane of the binaries almost edge-on.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
The Berlin Exoplanet Search Telescope II. Catalog of Variable Stars. I. Characterization of Three Southern Target Fields
A photometric survey of three Southern target fields with BEST II yielded the
detection of 2,406 previously unknown variable stars and an additional 617
stars with suspected variability. This study presents a catalog including their
coordinates, magnitudes, light curves, ephemerides, amplitudes, and type of
variability. In addition, the variability of 17 known objects is confirmed,
thus validating the results. The catalog contains a number of known and new
variables that are of interest for further astrophysical investigations, in
order to, e.g., search for additional bodies in eclipsing binary systems, or to
test stellar interior models.
Altogether, 209,070 stars were monitored with BEST II during a total of 128
nights in 2009/2010. The overall variability fraction of 1.2-1.5% in these
target fields is well comparable to similar ground-based photometric surveys.
Within the main magnitude range of , we identify
0.67(3)% of all stars to be eclipsing binaries, which indicates a completeness
of about one third for this particular type in comparison to space surveys.Comment: accepted to A
Pre-discovery observations of CoRoT-1b and CoRoT-2b with the BEST survey
The BEST wide-angle telescope installed at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence
and operated in remote control from Berlin by the Institut fuer
Planetenforschung, DLR, has observed the CoRoT target fields prior to the
mission. The resulting archive of stellar photometric lightcurves is used to
search for deep transit events announced during CoRoT's alarm-mode to aid in
fast photometric confirmation of these events. The "initial run" field of CoRoT
(IRa01) has been observed with BEST in November and December 2006 for 12
nights. The first "long run" field (LRc01) was observed from June to September
2005 for 35 nights. After standard CCD data reduction, aperture photometry has
been performed using the ISIS image subtraction method. About 30,000
lightcurves were obtained in each field. Transits of the first detected planets
by the CoRoT mission, CoRoT-1b and CoRoT-2b, were found in archived data of the
BEST survey and their lightcurves are presented here. Such detections provide
useful information at the early stage of the organization of follow-up
observations of satellite alarm-mode planet candidates. In addition, no period
change was found over ~4 years between the first BEST observation and last
available transit observations.Comment: AJ, accepte
Simultaneous multicolour optical and near-IR transit photometry of GJ 1214b with SOFIA
Context. The benchmark exoplanet GJ 1214b is one of the best studied transiting planets in the transition zone between rocky Earth-sized planets and gas or ice giants. This class of super-Earth or mini-Neptune planets is unknown in our solar system, yet is one of the most frequently detected classes of exoplanets. Understanding the transition from rocky to gaseous planets is a crucial step in the exploration of extrasolar planetary systems, in particular with regard to the potential habitability of this class of planets. Aims: GJ 1214b has already been studied in detail from various platforms at many different wavelengths. Our airborne observations with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) add information in the Paschen-? cont. 1.9 ľm infrared wavelength band, which is not accessible by any other current ground- or space-based instrument due to telluric absorption or limited spectral coverage. Methods: We used FLIPO, the combination of the High-speed Imaging Photometer for Occultations (HIPO) and the First Light Infrared TEst CAMera (FLITECAM) and the Focal Plane Imager (FPI+) on SOFIA to comprehensively analyse the transmission signal of the possible water-world GJ 1214b through photometric observations during transit in three optical and one infrared channels. Results: We present four simultaneous light curves and corresponding transit depths in three optical and one infrared channel, which we compare to previous observations and current synthetic atmospheric models of GJ 1214b. The final precision in transit depth is between 1.5 and 2.5 times the theoretical photon noise limit, not sensitive enough to constrain the theoretical models any better than previous observations. This is the first exoplanet observation with SOFIA that uses its full set of instruments available to exoplanet spectrophotometry. Therefore we use these results to evaluate SOFIA's potential in this field and suggest future improvements. Tables of the lightcurve data are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/608/A120</A
Characterization of CoRoT Target Fields with the Berlin Exoplanet Search Telescope: Identification of Periodic Variable Stars in the LRa1 Field
In this paper, we report on observations of the CoRoT LRa1 field with the
Berlin Exoplanet Search Telescope (BEST). The current paper is part of a series
of papers describing the results of our stellar variability survey. The BEST is
a small aperture telescope with a wide field of view (FOV). It is dedicated to
searching for stellar variability within the target fields of the CoRoT space
mission to aid in minimizing false-alarm rates and identify potential targets
for additional science. The LRa1 field is CoRoT's second long run field located
in the galactic anticenter direction. We observed the LRa1 stellar field on 23
nights between November and March 2005/2006. From 6099 stars marked as
variable, 39 were classified as periodic variable stars and 27 of them are
within the CoRoT FOV. We also confirmed the variability for four stars listed
in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS)
Periodic variable stars in CoRoT field LRa02 observed with BEST II
The Berlin Exoplanet Search Telescope II (BEST II) is a small wide
field-of-view photometric survey telescope system located at the Observatorio
Cerro Armazones, Chile. The high duty cycle combined with excellent observing
conditions and millimagnitude photometric precision makes this instrument
suitable for ground based support observations for the CoRoT space mission.
Photometric data of the CoRoT LRa02 target field collected between November
2008 and March 2009 were analysed for stellar variability. The presented
results will help in the future analysis of the CoRoT data, particularly in
additional science programs related to variable stars. BEST II observes
selected CoRoT target fields ahead of the space mission. The photometric data
acquired are searched for stellar variability, periodic variable stars are
identified with time series analysis of the obtained stellar light curves. We
obtained the light curves of 104335 stars in the CoRoT LRa02 field over 41
nights. Variability was detected in light curves of 3726 stars of which 350
showed a regular period. These stars are, with the exception of 5 previously
known variable stars, new discoveries.Comment: The figures with light curves can be find in the A&A journal as
online onl
NGTS: a robotic transit survey to detect Neptune and Super-Earth mass planets
NGTS is a new ground-based transit survey aimed at detecting sub-Neptune sized exoplanets around bright stars. The instrument will be installed at the ESO Paranal observatory in order to benefit from the excellent observing conditions and follow-up synergy with the VLT and E-ELT. It will be a robotic facility composed of 12, 200 mm telescopes equipped with 2Kx2K NIR sensitive detectors. It is built on the legacy of the WASP experience
Ground-based photometry of space-based transit detections: Photometric follow-up of the CoRoT mission
The motivation, techniques and performance of the ground-based photometric
follow-up of transit detections by the CoRoT space mission are presented. Its
principal raison d'\^{e}tre arises from the much higher spatial resolution of
common ground-based telescopes in comparison to CoRoT's cameras. This allows
the identification of many transit candidates as arising from eclipsing
binaries that are contaminating CoRoT's lightcurves, even in low-amplitude
transit events that cannot be detected with ground-based obervations. For the
ground observations, 'on'-'off' photometry is now largely employed, in which
only a short timeseries during a transit and a section outside a transit is
observed and compared photometrically. CoRoT planet candidates' transits are
being observed by a dedicated team with access to telescopes with sizes ranging
from 0.2 to 2 m. As an example, the process that led to the rejection of
contaminating eclipsing binaries near the host star of the Super-Earth planet
CoRoT-7b is shown. Experiences and techniques from this work may also be useful
for other transit-detection experiments, when the discovery instrument obtains
data with a relatively low angular resolution.Comment: Accepted for the A&A special issue on CoRo
K2-137 b: an Earth-sized planet in a 4.3-hour orbit around an M-dwarf
We report the discovery from K2 of a transiting terrestrial planet in an
ultra-short-period orbit around an M3-dwarf. K2-137 b completes an orbit in
only 4.3 hours, the second-shortest orbital period of any known planet, just 4
minutes longer than that of KOI 1843.03, which also orbits an M-dwarf. Using a
combination of archival images, AO imaging, RV measurements, and light curve
modelling, we show that no plausible eclipsing binary scenario can explain the
K2 light curve, and thus confirm the planetary nature of the system. The
planet, whose radius we determine to be 0.89 +/- 0.09 Earth radii, and which
must have a iron mass fraction greater than 0.45, orbits a star of mass 0.463
+/- 0.052 Msol and radius 0.442 +/- 0.044 Rsol.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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