scholarly journals The Pan-Pacific Planet Search – VIII. Complete results and the occurrence rate of planets around low-luminosity giants

2019 ◽  
Vol 491 (4) ◽  
pp. 5248-5257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A Wittenmyer ◽  
R P Butler ◽  
Jonathan Horner ◽  
Jake Clark ◽  
C G Tinney ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Our knowledge of the populations and occurrence rates of planets orbiting evolved intermediate-mass stars lags behind that for solar-type stars by at least a decade. Some radial velocity surveys have targeted these low-luminosity giant stars, providing some insights into the properties of their planetary systems. Here, we present the final data release of the Pan-Pacific Planet Search (PPPS), a 5 yr radial velocity survey using the 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescope. We present 1293 precise radial velocity measurements for 129 stars, and highlight 6 potential substellar-mass companions, which require additional observations to confirm. Correcting for the substantial incompleteness in the sample, we estimate the occurrence rate of giant planets orbiting low-luminosity giant stars to be approximately 7.8$^{+9.1}_{-3.3}$ per cent. This result is consistent with the frequency of such planets found to orbit main-sequence A-type stars, from which the PPPS stars have evolved.

2019 ◽  
Vol 626 ◽  
pp. A121 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.-M. Ouazzani ◽  
J. P. Marques ◽  
M.-J. Goupil ◽  
S. Christophe ◽  
V. Antoci ◽  
...  

Helioseismology and asteroseismology of red giant stars have shown that distribution of angular momentum in stellar interiors, and the evolution of this distribution with time remains an open issue in stellar physics. Owing to the unprecedented quality and long baseline of Kepler photometry, we are able to seismically infer internal rotation rates in γ Doradus stars, which provide the main-sequence counterpart to the red-giants puzzle. Here, we confront these internal rotation rates to stellar evolution models which account for rotationally induced transport of angular momentum, in order to test angular momentum transport mechanisms. On the one hand, we used a stellar model-independent method developed by our team in order to obtain accurate, seismically inferred, buoyancy radii and near-core rotation for 37 γ Doradus stars observed by Kepler. We show that the stellar buoyancy radius can be used as a reliable evolution indicator for field stars on the main sequence. On the other hand, we computed rotating evolutionary models of intermediate-mass stars including internal transport of angular momentum in radiative zones, following the formalism developed in the series of papers started by Zahn (1992, A&A, 265, 115), with the CESTAM code. This code calculates the rotational history of stars from the birth line to the tip of the RGB. The initial angular momentum content has to be set initially, which is done here by fitting rotation periods in young stellar clusters. We show a clear disagreement between the near-core rotation rates measured in the sample and the rotation rates obtained from the evolutionary models including rotationally induced transport of angular momentum following Zahn’s prescriptions. These results show a disagreement similar to that of the Sun and red giant stars in the considered mass range. This suggests the existence of missing mechanisms responsible for the braking of the core before and along the main sequence. The efficiency of the missing mechanisms is investigated. The transport of angular momentum as formalized by Zahn and Maeder cannot explain the measurements of near-core rotation in main-sequence intermediate-mass stars we have at hand.


2019 ◽  
Vol 489 (2) ◽  
pp. 2069-2078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Sabotta ◽  
Petr Kabath ◽  
Judith Korth ◽  
Eike W Guenther ◽  
Daniel Dupkala ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Some theories of planet formation and evolution predict that intermediate-mass stars host more hot Jupiters than Sun-like stars, others reach the conclusion that such objects are very rare. By determining the frequencies of those planets we can test those theories. Based on the analysis of Kepler light curves it has been suggested that about 8 per cent of the intermediate-mass stars could have a close-in substellar companion. This would indicate a very high frequency of such objects. Up to now, there was no satisfactory proof or test of this hypothesis. We studied a previously reported sample of 166 planet candidates around main-sequence A-type stars in the Kepler field. We selected six of them for which we obtained extensive long-term radial velocity measurements with the Alfred Jensch 2-m telescope in Tautenburg and the Perek 2-m telescope in Ondřejov. We derive upper limits of the masses of the planet candidates. We show that we are able to detect this kind of planet with our telescopes and their instrumentation using the example of MASCARA-1 b. With the transit finding pipeline Extrans we confirm that there is no single transit event from a Jupiter-like planet in the light curves of those 166 stars. We furthermore determine that the upper limit for the occurrence rate of close-in, massive planets for A-type stars in the Kepler sample is around 0.75 per cent. We argue that there is currently little evidence for a very high frequency of close-in, massive planets of intermediate-mass stars.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S249) ◽  
pp. 209-222
Author(s):  
Luca Pasquini ◽  
M.P. Döllinger ◽  
A. Hatzes ◽  
J. Setiawan ◽  
L. Girardi ◽  
...  

AbstractPlanet searches around evolved giant stars are bringing new insights to planet formation theories by virtue of the broader stellar mass range of the host stars compared to the solar-type stars that have been the subject of most current planet searches programs. These searches among giant stars are producing extremely interesting results. Contrary to main sequence stars planet-hosting giants do not show a tendency of being more metal rich. Even if limited, the statistics also suggest a higher frequency of giant planets (at least 10%) that are more massive compared to solar-type main sequence stars.The interpretation of these results is not straightforward. We propose that the lack of a metallicity-planet connection among giant stars is due to pollution of the star while on the main sequence, followed by dillution during the giant phase. We also suggest that the higher mass and frequency of the planets are due to the higher stellar mass. Even if these results do not favor a specific formation scenario, they suggest that planetary formation might be more complex than what has been proposed so far, perhaps with two mechanisms at work and one or the other dominating according to the stellar mass. We finally stress as the detailed study of the host stars and of the parent sample is essential to derive firm conclusions.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S249) ◽  
pp. 43-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej Niedzielski ◽  
Alex Wolszczan

AbstractWe present our ongoing survey of ∼1000 GK-giants with the 9.2-m Hobby-Eberly Telescope in search for planets around evolved stars. The stars selected for this survey are brighter than 11 mag and are located in the section of the HR-diagram, which is approximately delimited by the main sequence, the instability strip, and the coronal dividing line. We use the High Resolution Spectrograph to obtain stellar spectra for radial velocity measurements with a 4-6 m s−1 precision. So far, the survey has discovered a planetary-mass companion to the K0-giant HD 17092, and it has produced a number of plausible planet candidates around other stars. Together with other similar efforts, our program provides information on planet formation around intermediate mass main sequence-progenitors and it will create the experimental basis with which to study dynamics of planetary systems around evolving stars.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S293) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Bun'ei Sato

AbstractHundreds of extrasolar planets have been discovered around various types of stars by various techniques during the past decade. Among them precise radial velocity measurements for stars are fundamental technique to detect and confirm exoplanets. In this paper activities in East-Asian region in this research field are introduced: East-Asian Planet Search Network, which is a network searching for planets around evolved intermediate-mass stars, and Subaru/IRD project, which will search for habitable planets around M-type dwarfs using infrared radial-velocity method.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (S299) ◽  
pp. 328-329
Author(s):  
Amy Bonsor ◽  
Grant M. Kennedy ◽  
Justin R. Crepp ◽  
John A. Johnson ◽  
Mark C. Wyatt ◽  
...  

AbstractWhilst debris discs orbiting main-sequence stars are well studied, very little is known regarding their fate when the star evolves onto the giant branch. For intermediate mass (A-type) stars, giants provide a unique opportunity to detect planets using the radial velocity technique, otherwise prohibited by high jitter levels and rotationally broadened lines in main-sequence intermediate mass (A-type) stars. Such stars can provide key insights into the structure of planetary systems around intermediate mass stars. In our Herschel OT1 program (PI Bonsor) we searched for the presence of debris discs orbiting a sample of 36 subgiants, half of which have RV detected companions. Our best detection is the resolved debris disc orbiting κ CrB.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 815-815
Author(s):  
Antonio S. Hales ◽  
Michael J. Barlow ◽  
Janet E. Drew ◽  
Yvonne C. Unruh ◽  
Robert Greimel ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Isaac Newton Photometric H-Alpha Survey (IPHAS) provides (r′-Hα)-(r′-i′) colors, which can be used to select AV0-5 Main Sequence star candidates (age~20-200 Myr). By combining a sample of 23050 IPHAS-selected A-type stars with 2MASS, GLIMPSE and MIPSGAL photometry we searched for mid-infrared excesses attributable to dusty circumstellar disks. Positional cross-correlation yielded a sample of 2692 A-type stars, of which 0.6% were found to have 8-μm excesses above the expected photospheric values. The low fraction of main sequence stars with mid-IR excesses found in this work indicates that dust disks in the terrestrial planet zone of Main Sequence intermediate mass stars are rare. Dissipation mechanisms such as photo-evaporation, grain growth, collisional grinding or planet formation could possibly explain the depletion of dust detected in the inner regions of these disks.


2019 ◽  
Vol 490 (1) ◽  
pp. 502-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
A L Wallace ◽  
M J Ireland

ABSTRACT Giant planets are expected to form at orbital radii that are relatively large compared to transit and radial velocity detections (>1 au). As a result, giant planet formation is best observed through direct imaging. By simulating the formation of giant (0.3–5MJ) planets by core accretion, we predict planet magnitude in the near-infrared (2–4 μm) and demonstrate that, once a planet reaches the runaway accretion phase, it is self-luminous and is bright enough to be detected in near-infrared wavelengths. Using planet distribution models consistent with existing radial velocity and imaging constraints, we simulate a large sample of systems with the same stellar and disc properties to determine how many planets can be detected. We find that current large (8–10 m) telescopes have at most a 0.2 per cent chance of detecting a core-accretion giant planet in the L’ band and 2 per cent in the K band for a typical solar-type star. Future instruments such as METIS and VIKiNG have higher sensitivity and are expected to detect exoplanets at a maximum rate of 2 and 8 per cent, respectively.


2004 ◽  
Vol 215 ◽  
pp. 579-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges Meynet ◽  
Max Pettini

We use the rotating stellar models described in the paper by A. Maeder & G. Meynet in this volume to consider the effects of rotation on the evolution of the most massive stars into and during the Wolf–Rayet phase, and on the post-Main Sequence evolution of intermediate mass stars. The two main results of this discussion are the following. First, we show that rotating models are able to account for the observed properties of the Wolf–Rayet stellar populations at solar metallicity. Second, at low metallicities, the inclusion of stellar rotation in the calculation of chemical yields can lead to a longer time delay between the release of oxygen and nitrogen into the interstellar medium following an episode of star formation, since stars of lower masses (compared to non-rotating models) can synthesize primary N. Qualitatively, such an effect may be required to explain the relative abundances of N and O in extragalactic metal–poor environments, particularly at high redshifts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (4) ◽  
pp. 4987-5004 ◽  
Author(s):  
George C Angelou ◽  
Earl P Bellinger ◽  
Saskia Hekker ◽  
Alexey Mints ◽  
Yvonne Elsworth ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Convective boundary mixing (CBM) is ubiquitous in stellar evolution. It is a necessary ingredient in the models in order to match observational constraints from clusters, binaries, and single stars alike. We compute ‘effective overshoot’ measures that reflect the extent of mixing and which can differ significantly from the input overshoot values set in the stellar evolution codes. We use constraints from pressure modes to infer the CBM properties of Kepler and CoRoT main-sequence and subgiant oscillators, as well as in two radial velocity targets (Procyon A and α Cen A). Collectively, these targets allow us to identify how measurement precision, stellar spectral type, and overshoot implementation impact the asteroseismic solution. With these new measures, we find that the ‘effective overshoot’ for most stars is in line with physical expectations and calibrations from binaries and clusters. However, two F-stars in the CoRoT field (HD 49933 and HD 181906) still necessitate high overshoot in the models. Due to short mode lifetimes, mode identification can be difficult in these stars. We demonstrate that an incongruence between the radial and non-radial modes drives the asteroseismic solution to extreme structures with highly efficient CBM as an inevitable outcome. Understanding the cause of seemingly anomalous physics for such stars is vital for inferring accurate stellar parameters from TESS data with comparable timeseries length.


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