scholarly journals Detection and Doppler monitoring of K2-285 (EPIC 246471491), a system of four transiting planets smaller than Neptune

2019 ◽  
Vol 623 ◽  
pp. A41 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Palle ◽  
G. Nowak ◽  
R. Luque ◽  
D. Hidalgo ◽  
O. Barragán ◽  
...  

Context. The Kepler extended mission, also known as K2, has provided the community with a wealth of planetary candidates that orbit stars typically much brighter than the targets of the original mission. These planet candidates are suitable for further spectroscopic follow-up and precise mass determinations, leading ultimately to the construction of empirical mass-radius diagrams. Particularly interesting is to constrain the properties of planets that are between Earth and Neptune in size, the most abundant type of planet orbiting Sun-like stars with periods of less than a few years. Aims. Among many other K2 candidates, we discovered a multi-planetary system around EPIC 246471491, referred to henceforth as K2-285, which contains four planets, ranging in size from twice the size of Earth to nearly the size of Neptune. We aim here at confirming their planetary nature and characterizing the properties of this system. Methods. We measure the mass of the planets of the K2-285 system by means of precise radial-velocity measurements using the CARMENES spectrograph and the HARPS-N spectrograph. Results. With our data we are able to determine the mass of the two inner planets of the system with a precision better than 15%, and place upper limits on the masses of the two outer planets. Conclusions. We find that K2-285b has a mass of Mb = 9.68−1.37+1.21 M⊕ and a radius of Rb = 2.59−0.06+0.06 R⊕, yielding a mean density of ρb = 3.07−0.45+0.45 g cm−3, while K2-285c has a mass of Mc = 15.68−2.13+2.28 M⊕, radius of Rc = 3.53−0.08+0.08 R⊕, and a mean density of ρc = 1.95−0.28+0.32 g cm−3. For K2-285d (Rd = 2.48−0.06+0.06 R⊕) and K2-285e (Re = 1.95−0.05+0.05 R⊕), the upper limits for the masses are 6.5 M⊕ and 10.7 M⊕, respectively. The system is thus composed of an (almost) Neptune-twin planet (in mass and radius), two sub-Neptunes with very different densities and presumably bulk composition, and a fourth planet in the outermost orbit that resides right in the middle of the super-Earth/sub-Neptune radius gap. Future comparative planetology studies of this system would provide useful insights into planetary formation, and also a good test of atmospheric escape and evolution theories.

2018 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. A116 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Prieto-Arranz ◽  
E. Palle ◽  
D. Gandolfi ◽  
O. Barragán ◽  
E. W. Guenther ◽  
...  

Context. Multiplanet systems are excellent laboratories to test planet formation models as all planets are formed under the same initial conditions. In this context, systems transiting bright stars can play a key role, since planetary masses, radii, and bulk densities can be measured. Aims. GJ 9827 (K2-135) has recently been found to host a tightly packed system consisting of three transiting small planets whose orbital periods of 1.2, 3.6, and 6.2 days are near the 1:3:5 ratio. GJ 9827 hosts the nearest planetary system (~30 pc) detected by NASA’s Kepler or K2 space mission. Its brightness (V = 10.35 mag) makes the star an ideal target for detailed studies of the properties of its planets. Methods. Combining the K2 photometry with high-precision radial-velocity measurements gathered with the FIES, HARPS, and HARPS-N spectrographs we revised the system parameters and derive the masses of the three planets. Results. We find that GJ 9827 b has a mass of Mb = 3.69−0.46+0.48 M⊕ and a radius of Rb = 1.58−0.13+0.14 R⊕, yielding a mean density of ρb = 5.11−1.27+1.74 g cm−3. GJ 9827 c has a mass of Mc = 1.45−0.57+0.58 M⊕, radius of Rc = 1.24−0.11+0.11 R⊕, and a mean density of ρc = 4.13−1.77+2.31 g cm−3. For GJ 9827 d, we derive Md = 1.45−0.57+0.58 M⊕, Rd = 1.24−0.11+0.11 R⊕, and ρd = 1.51−0.53+0.71 g cm−3. Conclusions. GJ 9827 is one of the few known transiting planetary systems for which the masses of all planets have been determined with a precision better than 30%. This system is particularly interesting because all three planets are close to the limit between super-Earths and sub-Neptunes. The planetary bulk compositions are compatible with a scenario where all three planets formed with similar core and atmosphere compositions, and we speculate that while GJ 9827 b and GJ 9827 c lost their atmospheric envelopes, GJ 9827 d maintained its primordial atmosphere, owing to the much lower stellarirradiation. This makes GJ 9827 one of the very few systems where the dynamical evolution and the atmosphericescape can be studied in detail for all planets, helping us to understand how compact systems form and evolve.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S253) ◽  
pp. 560-563
Author(s):  
Jennifer C. Yee ◽  
B. Scott Gaudi

AbstractKepler will monitor enough stars that it is likely to detect single transits of planets with periods longer than the mission lifetime. We show that by combining the Kepler photometry of such transits with precise radial velocity (RV) observations taken over ~3 months, and assuming circular orbits, it is possible to estimate the periods of these transiting planets to better than 20% (for planets with radii greater than that of Neptune) and the masses to within a factor of 2 (for planet masses mp ≥ MJup). We also explore the effects of eccentricity on these quantities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (4) ◽  
pp. 5504-5521
Author(s):  
L Cabona ◽  
P T P Viana ◽  
M Landoni ◽  
J P Faria

ABSTRACT Radial-velocity follow-up of stars harbouring transiting planets detected by TESS is expected to require very large amounts of expensive telescope time in the next few years. Therefore, scheduling strategies should be implemented to maximize the amount of information gathered about the target planetary systems. We consider myopic and non-myopic versions of a novel uniform-in-phase scheduler, as well as a random scheduler, and compare these scheduling strategies with respect to the bias, accuracy and precision achieved in recovering the mass and orbital parameters of transiting and non-transiting planets. This comparison is carried out based on realistic simulations of radial-velocity follow-up with ESPRESSO of a sample of 50 TESS target stars, with simulated planetary systems containing at least one transiting planet with a radius below 4R⊕. Radial-velocity data sets were generated under reasonable assumptions about their noise component, including that resulting from stellar activity, and analysed using a fully Bayesian methodology. We find the random scheduler leads to a more biased, less accurate, and less precise, estimation of the mass of the transiting exoplanets. No significant differences are found between the results of the myopic and non-myopic implementations of the uniform-in-phase scheduler. With only about 22 radial velocity measurements per data set, our novel uniform-in-phase scheduler enables an unbiased (at the level of 1 per cent) measurement of the masses of the transiting planets, while keeping the average relative accuracy and precision around 16 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively. The number of non-transiting planets detected is similar for all the scheduling strategies considered, as well as the bias, accuracy and precision with which their masses and orbital parameters are recovered.


2018 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
pp. A96 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Lillo-Box ◽  
D. Barrado ◽  
P. Figueira ◽  
A. Leleu ◽  
N. C. Santos ◽  
...  

Context. The detection of Earth-like planets, exocomets or Kuiper belts show that the different components found in the solar system should also be present in other planetary systems. Trojans are one of these components and can be considered fossils of the first stages in the life of planetary systems. Their detection in extrasolar systems would open a new scientific window to investigate formation and migration processes. Aims. In this context, the main goal of the TROY project is to detect exotrojans for the first time and to measure their occurrence rate (η-Trojan). In this first paper, we describe the goals and methodology of the project. Additionally, we used archival radial velocity data of 46 planetary systems to place upper limits on the mass of possible trojans and investigate the presence of co-orbital planets down to several tens of Earth masses. Methods. We used archival radial velocity data of 46 close-in (P < 5 days) transiting planets (without detected companions) with information from high-precision radial velocity instruments. We took advantage of the time of mid-transit and secondary eclipses (when available) to constrain the possible presence of additional objects co-orbiting the star along with the planet. This, together with a good phase coverage, breaks the degeneracy between a trojan planet signature and signals coming from additional planets or underestimated eccentricity. Results. We identify nine systems for which the archival data provide >1σ evidence for a mass imbalance between L4 and L5. Two of these systems provide >2σ detection, but no significant detection is found among our sample. We also report upper limits to the masses at L4/L5 in all studied systems and discuss the results in the context of previous findings.


2019 ◽  
Vol 629 ◽  
pp. A111 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Cloutier ◽  
N. Astudillo-Defru ◽  
X. Bonfils ◽  
J. S. Jenkins ◽  
Z. Berdiñas ◽  
...  

Aims. L 98-59 (TIC 307210830, TOI-175) is a nearby M3 dwarf around which TESS revealed three small transiting planets (0.80, 1.35, 1.57 Earth radii) in a compact configuration with orbital periods shorter than 7.5 days. Here we aim to measure the masses of the known transiting planets in this system using precise radial velocity (RV) measurements taken with the HARPS spectrograph. Methods. We considered both trained and untrained Gaussian process regression models of stellar activity, which are modeled simultaneously with the planetary signals. Our RV analysis was then supplemented with dynamical simulations to provide strong constraints on the planets’ orbital eccentricities by requiring long-term stability. Results. We measure the planet masses of the two outermost planets to be 2.42 ± 0.35 and 2.31 ± 0.46 Earth masses, which confirms the bulk terrestrial composition of the former and eludes to a significant radius fraction in an extended gaseous envelope for the latter. We are able to place an upper limit on the mass of the smallest, innermost planet of <1.01 Earth masses with 95% confidence. Our RV plus dynamical stability analysis places strong constraints on the orbital eccentricities and reveals that each planet’s orbit likely has e < 0.1. Conclusions. L 98-59 is likely a compact system of two rocky planets plus a third outer planet with a lower bulk density possibly indicative of the planet having retained a modest atmosphere. The system offers a unique laboratory for studies of planet formation, dynamical stability, and comparative atmospheric planetology as the two outer planets are attractive targets for atmospheric characterization through transmission spectroscopy. Continued RV monitoring will help refine the characterization of the innermost planet and potentially reveal additional planets in the system at wider separations.


Author(s):  
Daniel Tamayo ◽  
Christian Gilbertson ◽  
Daniel Foreman-Mackey

Abstract Many discovered multiplanet systems are tightly packed. This implies that wide parameter ranges in masses and orbital elements can be dynamically unstable and ruled out. We present a case study of Kepler-23, a compact three-planet system where constraints from stability, transit timing variations (TTVs), and transit durations can be directly compared. We find that in this tightly packed system, stability can place upper limits on the masses and orbital eccentricities of the bodies that are comparable to or tighter than current state of the art methods. Specifically, stability places 68% upper limits on the orbital eccentricities of 0.09, 0.04, and 0.05 for planets b, c and d, respectively. These constraints correspond to radial velocity signals ≲ 20 cm/s, are significantly tighter to those from transit durations, and comparable to those from TTVs. Stability also yields 68% upper limits on the masses of planets b, c and d of 2.2, 16.1, and 5.8 M⊕, respectively, which were competitive with TTV constraints for the inner and outer planets. Performing this stability constrained characterization is computationally expensive with N-body integrations. We show that SPOCK, the Stability of Planetary Orbital Configurations Klassifier, is able to faithfully approximate the N-body results over 4000 times faster. We argue that such stability constrained characterization of compact systems is a challenging “needle-in-a-haystack” problem (requiring removal of 2500 unstable configurations for every stable one for our adopted priors) and we offer several practical recommendations for such stability analyses.


Author(s):  
Patrick Bonin ◽  
Margaux Gelin ◽  
Betty Laroche ◽  
Alain Méot ◽  
Aurélia Bugaiska

Abstract. Animates are better remembered than inanimates. According to the adaptive view of human memory ( Nairne, 2010 ; Nairne & Pandeirada, 2010a , 2010b ), this observation results from the fact that animates are more important for survival than inanimates. This ultimate explanation of animacy effects has to be complemented by proximate explanations. Moreover, animacy currently represents an uncontrolled word characteristic in most cognitive research ( VanArsdall, Nairne, Pandeirada, & Cogdill, 2015 ). In four studies, we therefore investigated the “how” of animacy effects. Study 1 revealed that words denoting animates were recalled better than those referring to inanimates in an intentional memory task. Study 2 revealed that adding a concurrent memory load when processing words for the animacy dimension did not impede the animacy effect on recall rates. Study 3A was an exact replication of Study 2 and Study 3B used a higher concurrent memory load. In these two follow-up studies, animacy effects on recall performance were again not altered by a concurrent memory load. Finally, Study 4 showed that using interactive imagery to encode animate and inanimate words did not alter the recall rate of animate words but did increase the recall of inanimate words. Taken together, the findings suggest that imagery processes contribute to these effects.


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