scholarly journals WASP-166b: a bloated super-Neptune transiting a V  = 9 star

2019 ◽  
Vol 488 (3) ◽  
pp. 3067-3075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Coel Hellier ◽  
D R Anderson ◽  
A H M J Triaud ◽  
F Bouchy ◽  
A Burdanov ◽  
...  

Abstract We report the discovery of WASP-166b, a super-Neptune planet with a mass of 0.1 MJup (1.9 MNep) and a bloated radius of 0.63 RJup. It transits a V = 9.36, F9V star in a 5.44-d orbit that is aligned with the stellar rotation axis (sky-projected obliquity angle λ = 3 ± 5 deg). Variations in the radial-velocity measurements are likely the result of magnetic activity over a 12-d stellar rotation period. WASP-166b appears to be a rare object within the ‘Neptune desert’.

2020 ◽  
Vol 641 ◽  
pp. L1 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Martioli ◽  
G. Hébrard ◽  
C. Moutou ◽  
J.-F. Donati ◽  
É. Artigau ◽  
...  

We present high-resolution near-infrared spectropolarimetric observations using the SPIRou instrument at Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) during a transit of the recently detected young planet AU Mic b, with supporting spectroscopic data from iSHELL at NASA InfraRed Telescope Facility. We detect Zeeman signatures in the Stokes V profiles and measure a mean longitudinal magnetic field of ¯Bℓ = 46.3 ± 0.7 G. Rotationally modulated magnetic spots likely cause long-term variations of the field with a slope of dBℓ/dt = −108.7 ± 7.7 G d−1. We apply the cross-correlation technique to measure line profiles and obtain radial velocities through CCF template matching. We find an empirical linear relationship between radial velocity and Bℓ, which allows us to estimate the radial-velocity induced by stellar activity through rotational modulation of spots for the five hours of continuous monitoring of AU Mic with SPIRou. We model the corrected radial velocities for the classical Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, using MCMC to sample the posterior distribution of the model parameters. This analysis shows that the orbit of AU Mic b is prograde and aligned with the stellar rotation axis with a sky-projected spin-orbit obliquity of λ = 0°−15°+18°. The aligned orbit of AU Mic b indicates that it formed in the protoplanetary disk that evolved into the current debris disk around AU Mic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 635 ◽  
pp. A13 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Faria ◽  
V. Adibekyan ◽  
E. M. Amazo-Gómez ◽  
S. C. C. Barros ◽  
J. D. Camacho ◽  
...  

Context. Twenty-four years after the discoveries of the first exoplanets, the radial-velocity (RV) method is still one of the most productive techniques to detect and confirm exoplanets. But stellar magnetic activity can induce RV variations large enough to make it difficult to disentangle planet signals from the stellar noise. In this context, HD 41248 is an interesting planet-host candidate, with RV observations plagued by activity-induced signals. Aims. We report on ESPRESSO observations of HD 41248 and analyse them together with previous observations from HARPS with the goal of evaluating the presence of orbiting planets. Methods. Using different noise models within a general Bayesian framework designed for planet detection in RV data, we test the significance of the various signals present in the HD 41248 dataset. We use Gaussian processes as well as a first-order moving average component to try to correct for activity-induced signals. At the same time, we analyse photometry from the TESS mission, searching for transits and rotational modulation in the light curve. Results. The number of significantly detected Keplerian signals depends on the noise model employed, which can range from 0 with the Gaussian process model to 3 with a white noise model. We find that the Gaussian process alone can explain the RV data while allowing for the stellar rotation period and active region evolution timescale to be constrained. The rotation period estimated from the RVs agrees with the value determined from the TESS light curve. Conclusions. Based on the data that is currently available, we conclude that the RV variations of HD 41248 can be explained by stellar activity (using the Gaussian process model) in line with the evidence from activity indicators and the TESS photometry.


2019 ◽  
Vol 623 ◽  
pp. A50 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Lanza ◽  
L. Gizon ◽  
T. V. Zaqarashvili ◽  
Z.-C. Liang ◽  
K. Rodenbeck

Context. Radial velocity (RV) measurements are used to search for planets orbiting late-type main-sequence stars and to confirm the transiting planets. Aims. The most advanced spectrometers are now approaching a precision of ~10 cm s−1, which implies the need to identify and correct for all possible sources of RV oscillations intrinsic to the star down to this level and possibly beyond. The recent discovery of global-scale equatorial Rossby waves in the Sun, also called r modes, prompted us to investigate their possible signature in stellar RV measurements. These r modes are toroidal modes of oscillation whose restoring force is the Coriolis force; they propagate in the retrograde direction in a frame that co-rotates with the star. The solar r modes with azimuthal orders 3 ≤ m ≲ 15 were identified unambiguously because of their dispersion relation and their long e-folding lifetimes of hundreds of days. Methods. In this paper, we simulate the RV oscillations produced by sectoral r modes with 2 ≤ m ≤ 5 by assuming a stellar rotation period of 25.54 days and a maximum amplitude of the surface velocity of each mode of 2 m s−1. This amplitude is representative of the solar measurements except for the m = 2 mode, which has not yet been observed on the Sun. Results. Sectoral r modes with azimuthal orders m = 2 and 3 would produce RV oscillations with amplitudes of 76.4 and 19.6 cm s−1 and periods of 19.16 and 10.22 days, respectively, for a star with an inclination of the rotation axis to the line of sight i = 60°. Therefore, they may produce rather sharp peaks in the Fourier spectrum of the radial velocity time series that could lead to spurious planetary detections. Conclusions. Sectoral r modes may represent a source of confusion in the case of slowly rotating inactive stars that are preferential targets for RV planet search. The main limitation of the present investigation is the lack of observational constraints on the amplitude of the m = 2 mode on the Sun.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S253) ◽  
pp. 508-511
Author(s):  
G. Hébrard ◽  
F. Bouchy ◽  
F. Pont ◽  
B. Loeillet ◽  
M. Rabus ◽  
...  

AbstractThe SOPHIE Consortium started a large program of exoplanets search and characterization in the Northern hemisphere with the new spectrograph SOPHIE at the 1.93-m telescope of Haute-Provence Observatory, France. The objectives of this program are to characterize the zoo of exoplanets and to bring strong constraints on their processes of formation and evolution using the radial velocity technique. We present here new SOPHIE measurements of the transiting planet host star XO-3. This allowed us to observe the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect and to refine the parameters of the planet. The unusual shape of the radial velocity anomaly during the transit provides a hint for a nearly transverse Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. The sky-projected angle between the planetary orbital axis and the stellar rotation axis should be λ = 70° ± 15° to be compatible with our observations. This suggests that some close-in planets might result from gravitational interaction between planets and/or stars rather than migration. This result requires confirmation by additional observations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S328) ◽  
pp. 308-314
Author(s):  
K. Poppenhaeger

AbstractThe architecture of many exoplanetary systems is different from the solar system, with exoplanets being in close orbits around their host stars and having orbital periods of only a few days. We can expect interactions between the star and the exoplanet for such systems that are similar to the tidal interactions observed in close stellar binary systems. For the exoplanet, tidal interaction can lead to circularization of its orbit and the synchronization of its rotational and orbital period. For the host star, it has long been speculated if significant angular momentum transfer can take place between the planetary orbit and the stellar rotation. In the case of the Earth-Moon system, such tidal interaction has led to an increasing distance between Earth and Moon. For stars with Hot Jupiters, where the orbital period of the exoplanet is typically shorter than the stellar rotation period, one expects a decreasing semimajor axis for the planet and enhanced stellar rotation, leading to increased stellar activity. Also excess turbulence in the stellar convective zone due to rising and subsiding tidal bulges may change the magnetic activity we observe for the host star. I will review recent observational results on stellar activity and tidal interaction in the presence of close-in exoplanets, and discuss the effects of enhanced stellar activity on the exoplanets in such systems.


2018 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. A48 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mittag ◽  
J. H. M. M. Schmitt ◽  
K.-P. Schröder

The connection between stellar rotation, stellar activity, and convective turnover time is revisited with a focus on the sole contribution of magnetic activity to the Ca II H&K emission, the so-called excess flux, and its dimensionless indicator R+HK in relation to other stellar parameters and activity indicators. Our study is based on a sample of 169 main-sequence stars with directly measured Mount Wilson S-indices and rotation periods. The R+HK values are derived from the respective S-indices and related to the rotation periods in various B–V-colour intervals. First, we show that stars with vanishing magnetic activity, i.e. stars whose excess flux index R+HK approaches zero, have a well-defined, colour-dependent rotation period distribution; we also show that this rotation period distribution applies to large samples of cool stars for which rotation periods have recently become available. Second, we use empirical arguments to equate this rotation period distribution with the global convective turnover time, which is an approach that allows us to obtain clear relations between the magnetic activity related excess flux index R+HK, rotation periods, and Rossby numbers. Third, we show that the activity versus Rossby number relations are very similar in the different activity indicators. As a consequence of our study, we emphasize that our Rossby number based on the global convective turnover time approaches but does not exceed unity even for entirely inactive stars. Furthermore, the rotation-activity relations might be universal for different activity indicators once the proper scalings are used.


2020 ◽  
Vol 635 ◽  
pp. A43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Reinhold ◽  
Saskia Hekker

Context. Rotation period measurements of stars observed with the Kepler mission have revealed a lack of stars at intermediate rotation periods, accompanied by a decrease of photometric variability. Whether this so-called dearth region is a peculiarity of stars in the Kepler field, or reflects a general manifestation of stellar magnetic activity, is still under debate. The K2 mission has the potential to unravel this mystery by measuring stellar rotation and photometric variability along different fields in the sky. Aims. Our goal is to measure stellar rotation periods and photometric variabilities for tens of thousands of K2 stars, located in different fields along the ecliptic plane, to shed light on the relation between stellar rotation and photometric variability. Methods. We use Lomb–Scargle periodograms, auto-correlation and wavelet functions to determine consistent rotation periods. Stellar brightness variability is assessed by computing the variability range, Rvar, from the light curve. We further apply Gaussian mixture models to search for bimodality in the rotation period distribution. Results. Combining measurements from all K2 campaigns, we detect rotation periods in 29 860 stars. The reliability of these periods was estimated from stars observed more than once. We find that 75–90% of the stars show period deviation smaller than 20% between different campaigns, depending on the peak height threshold in the periodograms. For effective temperatures below 6000 K, the variability range shows a local minimum at different periods, consistent with an isochrone age of ∼750 Myr. Additionally, the rotation period distribution shows evidence for bimodality, although the dearth region in the K2 data is less pronounced compared to the Kepler field. The period at the dip of the bimodal distribution shows good agreement with the period at the local variability minimum. Conclusions. We conclude that the rotation period bimodality is present in different fields of the sky, and is hence a general manifestation of stellar magnetic activity. The reduced variability in the dearth region is interpreted as a cancelation between dark spots and bright faculae. Our results strongly advocate that the role of faculae has been underestimated so far, suggesting a more complex dependence of the brightness variability on the rotation period.


2003 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. 457-458
Author(s):  
F. J. Clarke ◽  
C. G. Tinney ◽  
S. T. Hodgkin

We present results of two observing campaigns aimed at characterising variability of the L2 brown dwarf Kelu-1. The first campaign in March 2000 detected photometric variability at the 1.2% level, with a strong period of 1.8 hours. Followup spectroscopic observations with the VLT in February 2002 show no evidence of significant variability in the dust sensitive molecular lines, but do show evidence for variability in the EW(Hα) with a period of 1.8 hours. Radial velocity measurements rule out a close substellar companion. Kelu-1 appears to be a single brown dwarf with a rotation period of 1.8 hours.


2019 ◽  
Vol 490 (2) ◽  
pp. 2262-2283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Néstor Espinoza ◽  
Diana Kossakowski ◽  
Rafael Brahm

ABSTRACT Here we present juliet, a versatile tool for the analysis of transits, radial velocities, or both. juliet is built over many available tools for the modelling of transits, radial velocities, and stochastic processes (here modelled as Gaussian Processes; GPs) in order to deliver a tool/wrapper which can be used for the analysis of transit photometry and radial-velocity measurements from multiple instruments at the same time, using nested sampling algorithms which allows it to not only perform a thorough sampling of the parameter space, but also to perform model comparison via Bayesian evidences. In addition, juliet allows us to fit transiting and non-transiting multiplanetary systems, and to fit GPs which might share hyperparameters between the photometry and radial velocities simultaneously (e.g. stellar rotation periods), which might be useful for disentangling stellar activity in radial-velocity measurements. Nested Sampling, Importance Nested Sampling, and Dynamic Nested Sampling is performed with publicly available codes which in turn give juliet multithreading options, allowing it to scale the computing time of complicated multidimensional problems. We make juliet publicly available via GitHub.


2020 ◽  
Vol 216 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Güdel

AbstractMagnetic activity of stars like the Sun evolves in time because of spin-down owing to angular momentum removal by a magnetized stellar wind. These magnetic fields are generated by an internal dynamo driven by convection and differential rotation. Spin-down therefore converges at an age of about 700 Myr for solar-mass stars to values uniquely determined by the stellar mass and age. Before that time, however, rotation periods and their evolution depend on the initial rotation period of a star after it has lost its protostellar/protoplanetary disk. This non-unique rotational evolution implies similar non-unique evolutions for stellar winds and for the stellar high-energy output. I present a summary of evolutionary trends for stellar rotation, stellar wind mass loss and stellar high-energy output based on observations and models.


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