arXiv subjects

Debra A. Fischer

Publications and source records attributed to Debra A. Fischer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

A combined spectroscopic and photometric stellar activity study of Epsilon Eridani

We present simultaneous ground-based radial velocity (RV) measurements and space-based photometric measurements of the young and active K dwarf Epsilon Eridani. These measurements provide a data set for exploring methods of identifying and ultimately distinguishing stellar photospheric velocities from Keplerian motion. We compare three methods we have used in exploring this data set: Dalmatian, an MCMC spot modeling code that fits photometric and RV measurements simultaneously; the FF$'$ method, which uses photometric measurements to predict the stellar activity signal in simultaneous RV measurements; and H$α$ analysis. We show that our H$α$ measurements are strongly correlated with photometry from the Microvariability and Oscillations of STars (MOST) instrument, which led to a promising new method based solely on the spectroscopic observations. This new method, which we refer to as the HH$'$ method, uses H$α$ measurements as input into the FF$'$ model. While the Dalmatian spot modeling analysis and the FF$'$ method with MOST space-based photometry are currently more robust, the HH$'$ method only makes use of one of the thousands of stellar lines in the visible spectrum. By leveraging additional spectral activity indicators, we believe the HH$'$ method may prove quite useful in disentangling stellar signals.

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arXiv2016

Planet Hunters X: Searching for Nearby Neighbors of 75 Planet and Eclipsing Binary Candidates from the K2 Kepler Extended Mission

We present high-resolution observations of a sample of 75 K2 targets from Campaigns 1-3 using speckle interferometry on the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope and adaptive optics (AO) imaging at the Keck II telescope. The median SOAR $I$-band and Keck $K_s$-band detection limits at 1" were $Δm_{I}=4.4$~mag and $Δm_{K_s}=6.1$~mag, respectively. This sample includes 37 stars likely to host planets, 32 targets likely to be eclipsing binaries (EBs), and 6 other targets previously labeled as likely planetary false positives. We find nine likely physically bound companion stars within 3" of three candidate transiting exoplanet host stars and six likely EBs. Six of the nine detected companions are new discoveries; one of the six, EPIC 206061524, is associated with a planet candidate. Among the EB candidates, companions were only found near the shortest period ones ($P<3$ days), which is in line with previous results showing high multiplicity near short-period binary stars. This high-resolution data, including both the detected companions and the limits on potential unseen companions, will be useful in future planet vetting and stellar multiplicity rate studies for planets and binaries.

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arXiv2016

Evidence for Reflected Light from the Most Eccentric Exoplanet Known

Planets in highly eccentric orbits form a class of objects not seen within our Solar System. The most extreme case known amongst these objects is the planet orbiting HD~20782, with an orbital period of 597~days and an eccentricity of 0.96. Here we present new data and analysis for this system as part of the Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey (TERMS). We obtained CHIRON spectra to perform an independent estimation of the fundamental stellar parameters. New radial velocities from AAT and PARAS observations during periastron passage greatly improve our knowledge of the eccentric nature of the orbit. The combined analysis of our Keplerian orbital and Hipparcos astrometry show that the inclination of the planetary orbit is $> 1.22\degr$, ruling out stellar masses for the companion. Our long-term robotic photometry show that the star is extremely stable over long timescales. Photometric monitoring of the star during predicted transit and periastron times using MOST rule out a transit of the planet and reveal evidence of phase variations during periastron. These possible photometric phase variations may be caused by reflected light from the planet's atmosphere and the dramatic change in star--planet separation surrounding the periastron passage.

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arXiv2016

Stellar Activity and Exclusion of the Outer Planet in the HD 99492 System

A historical problem for indirect exoplanet detection has been contending with the intrinsic variability of the host star. If the variability is periodic, it can easily mimic various exoplanet signatures, such as radial velocity variations that originate with the stellar surface rather than the presence of a planet. Here we present an update for the HD~99492 planetary system, using new radial velocity and photometric measurements from the Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey (TERMS). Our extended time series and subsequent analyses of the Ca II H\&K emission lines show that the host star has an activity cycle of $\sim$13 years. The activity cycle correlates with the purported orbital period of the outer planet, the signature of which is thus likely due to the host star activity. We further include a revised Keplerian orbital solution for the remaining planet, along with a new transit ephemeris. Our transit-search observations were inconclusive.

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arXiv2015

Planet Hunters. VIII. Characterization of 41 Long-Period Exoplanet Candidates from Kepler Archival Data

The census of exoplanets is incomplete for orbital distances larger than 1 AU. Here, we present 41 long-period planet candidates in 38 systems identified by Planet Hunters based on Kepler archival data (Q0-Q17). Among them, 17 exhibit only one transit, 14 have two visible transits and 10 have more than three visible transits. For planet candidates with only one visible transit, we estimate their orbital periods based on transit duration and host star properties. The majority of the planet candidates in this work (75%) have orbital periods that correspond to distances of 1-3 AU from their host stars. We conduct follow-up imaging and spectroscopic observations to validate and characterize planet host stars. In total, we obtain adaptive optics images for 33 stars to search for possible blending sources. Six stars have stellar companions within 4". We obtain high-resolution spectra for 6 stars to determine their physical properties. Stellar properties for other stars are obtained from the NASA Exoplanet Archive and the Kepler Stellar Catalog by Huber et al. (2014). We validate 7 planet candidates that have planet confidence over 0.997 (3-σ level). These validated planets include 3 single-transit planets (KIC-3558849b, KIC-5951458b, and KIC-8540376c), 3 planets with double transits (KIC-8540376b, KIC-9663113b, and KIC-10525077b), and 1 planet with 4 transits (KIC-5437945b). This work provides assessment regarding the existence of planets at wide separations and the associated false positive rate for transiting observation (17%-33%). More than half of the long-period planets with at least three transits in this paper exhibit transit timing variations up to 41 hours, which suggest additional components that dynamically interact with the transiting planet candidates. The nature of these components can be determined by follow-up radial velocity and transit observations.

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arXiv2015

Influence of Stellar Multiplicity On Planet Formation. IV. Adaptive Optics Imaging of Kepler Stars With Multiple Transiting Planet Candidates

The Kepler mission provides a wealth of multiple transiting planet systems (MTPS). The formation and evolution of multi-planet systems are likely to be influenced by companion stars given the abundance of multi stellar systems. We study the influence of stellar companions by measuring the stellar multiplicity rate of MTPS. We select 138 bright (KP < 13.5) Kepler MTPS and search for stellar companions with AO imaging data and archival radial velocity (RV) data. We obtain new AO images for 73 MTPS. Other MTPS in the sample have archival AO imaging data from the Kepler Community Follow-up Observation Program (CFOP). From these imaging data, we detect 42 stellar companions around 35 host stars. For stellar separation 1 AU < a < 100 AU, the stellar multiplicity rate is 5.2 $\pm$ 5.0% for MTPS, which is 2.8σ lower than 21.1 $\pm$ 2.8% for the control sample, i.e., the field stars in the solar neighborhood. We identify two origins for the deficit of stellar companions within 100 AU to MTPS: (1) a suppressive planet formation, and (2) the disruption of orbital coplanarity due to stellar companions. To distinguish between the two origins, we compare the stellar multiplicity rates of MTPS and single transiting planet systems (STPS). However, current data are not sufficient for this purpose. For 100 AU < a < 2000 AU, the stellar multiplicity rates are comparable for MTPS (8.0 $\pm$ 4.0%), STPS (6.4 $\pm$ 5.8%), and the control sample (12.5 $\pm$ 2.8%).

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arXiv2015

A New Analysis of the Exoplanet Hosting System HD 6434

The current goal of exoplanetary science is not only focused on detecting but characterizing planetary systems in hopes of understanding how they formed, evolved, and relate to the Solar System. The Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey (TERMS) combines both radial velocity (RV) and photometric data in order to achieve unprecedented ground-based precision in the fundamental properties of nearby, bright, exoplanet-hosting systems. Here we discuss HD 6434 and its planet, HD 6434b, which has a M_p*sin(i) = 0.44 M_J mass and orbits every 22.0170 days with an eccentricity of 0.146. We have combined previously published RV data with new measurements to derive a predicted transit duration of ~6 hrs, or 0.25 days, and a transit probability of 4%. Additionally, we have photometrically observed the planetary system using both the 0.9m and 1.0m telescopes at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, covering 75.4% of the predicted transit window. We reduced the data using the automated TERMS Photometry Pipeline, developed to ensure consistent and accurate results. We determine a dispositive null result for the transit of HD 6434b, excluding the full transit to a depth of 0.9% and grazing transit due to impact parameter limitations to a depth of 1.6%

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arXiv2015

Kepler Eclipsing Binary Stars. VI. Identification of Eclipsing Binaries in the K2 Campaign 0 Data-set

The original {\it Kepler} mission observed and characterized over 2400 eclipsing binaries in addition to its prolific exoplanet detections. Despite the mechanical malfunction and subsequent non-recovery of two reaction wheels used to stabilize the instrument, the {\it Kepler} satellite continues collecting data in its repurposed {\it K2} mission surveying a series of fields along the ecliptic plane. Here we present an analysis of the first full baseline {\it K2} data release: the Campaign 0 data-set. In the 7761 light curves, we have identified a total of 207 eclipsing binaries. Of these, 97 are new discoveries that were not previously identified. Our pixel-level analysis of these objects has also resulted in identification of several false positives (observed targets contaminated by neighboring eclipsing binaries), as well as the serendipitous discovery of two short period exoplanet candidates. We provide catalog cross-matched source identifications, orbital periods, morphologies and ephemerides for these eclipsing systems. We also describe the incorporation of the K2 sample into the Kepler Eclipsing Binary Catalog\footnote{\url{keplerebs.villanova.edu/k2}}, present spectroscopic follow-up observations for a limited selection of nine systems, and discuss prospects for upcoming {\it K2} campaigns.

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arXiv2015

Exoplanet Detection Techniques

We are still in the early days of exoplanet discovery. Astronomers are beginning to model the atmospheres and interiors of exoplanets and have developed a deeper understanding of processes of planet formation and evolution. However, we have yet to map out the full complexity of multi-planet architectures or to detect Earth analogues around nearby stars. Reaching these ambitious goals will require further improvements in instrumentation and new analysis tools. In this chapter, we provide an overview of five observational techniques that are currently employed in the detection of exoplanets: optical and IR Doppler measurements, transit photometry, direct imaging, microlensing, and astrometry. We provide a basic description of how each of these techniques works and discuss forefront developments that will result in new discoveries. We also highlight the observational limitations and synergies of each method and their connections to future space missions.

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arXiv2015

Influence of Stellar Multiplicity On Planet Formation. III. Adaptive Optics Imaging of Kepler Stars With Gas Giant Planets

As hundreds of gas giant planets have been discovered, we study how these planets form and evolve in different stellar environments, specifically in multiple stellar systems. In such systems, stellar companions may have a profound influence on gas giant planet formation and evolution via several dynamical effects such as truncation and perturbation. We select 84 Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs) with gas giant planet candidates. We obtain high-angular resolution images using telescopes with adaptive optics (AO) systems. Together with the AO data, we use archival radial velocity data and dynamical analysis to constrain the presence of stellar companions. We detect 59 stellar companions around 40 KOIs for which we develop methods of testing their physical association. These methods are based on color information and galactic stellar population statistics. We find evidence of suppressive planet formation within 20 AU by comparing stellar multiplicity. The stellar multiplicity rate for planet host stars is 0$^{+5}_{-0}$\% within 20 AU. In comparison, the stellar multiplicity rate is 18\%$\pm$2\% for the control sample, i.e., field stars in the solar neighborhood. The stellar multiplicity rate for planet host stars is 34\%$\pm$8\% for separations between 20 and 200 AU, which is higher than the control sample at 12\%$\pm$2\%. Beyond 200 AU, stellar multiplicity rates are comparable between planet host stars and the control sample. We discuss the implications of the results to gas giant planet formation and evolution.

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arXiv2015

A Comprehensive Characterization of the 70 Virginis Planetary System

An on-going effort in the characterization of exoplanetary systems is the accurate determination of host star properties. This effort extends to the relatively bright host stars of planets discovered with the radial velocity method. The Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey (TERMS) is aiding in these efforts as part of its observational campaign for exoplanet host stars. One of the first known systems is that of 70 Virginis, which harbors a jovian planet in an eccentric orbit. Here we present a complete characterization of this system with a compilation of TERMS photometry, spectroscopy, and interferometry. We provide fundamental properties of the host star through direct interferometric measurements of the radius (1.5\% uncertainty) and through spectroscopic analysis. We combined 59 new Keck HIRES radial velocity measurements with the 169 previously published from the ELODIE, Hamilton, and HIRES spectrographs, to calculate a refined orbital solution and construct a transit ephemeris for the planet. These newly determined system characteristics are used to describe the Habitable Zone of the system with a discussion of possible additional planets and related stability simulations. Finally, we present 19 years of precision robotic photometry that constrain stellar activity and rule out central planetary transits for a Jupiter-radius planet at the 5$σ$ level, with reduced significance down to an impact parameter of $b = 0.95$.

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arXiv2015

Accurate Gravities of F, G, and K stars from High Resolution Spectra Without External Constraints

We demonstrate a new procedure to derive accurate and precise surface gravities from high resolution spectra without the use of external constraints. Our analysis utilizes Spectroscopy Made Easy (SME) with robust spectral line constraints and uses an iterative process to mitigate degeneracies in the fitting process. We adopt an updated radiative transfer code, a new treatment for neutral perturber broadening, a line list with multiple gravity constraints and separate fitting for global stellar properties and abundance determinations. To investigate the sources of temperature dependent trends in determining log g noted in previous studies, we obtained Keck HIRES spectra of 42 Kepler asteroseismic stars. In comparison to asteroseismically determined log g our spectroscopic analysis has a constant offset of 0.01 dex with a root mean square (RMS) scatter of 0.05 dex. We also analyzed 30 spectra which had published surface gravities determined using the $a/R_*$ technique from planetary transits and found a constant offset of 0.06 dex and RMS scatter of 0.07 dex. The two samples covered effective temperatures between 5000K and 6700K with log g between 3.7 and 4.6.

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arXiv2015

Five New Exoplanets Orbiting Three Metal-Rich, Massive Stars: Two-Planet Systems Including Long-Period Planets, and an Eccentric Planet

We report detections of new exoplanets from a radial velocity (RV) survey of metal-rich FGK stars by using three telescopes. By optimizing our RV analysis method to long time-baseline observations, we have succeeded in detecting five new Jovian-planets around three metal-rich stars HD 1605, HD 1666, and HD 67087 with the masses of $1.3 M_{\odot}$, $1.5 M_{\odot}$, and $1.4 M_{\odot}$, respectively. A K1 subgiant star HD 1605 hosts two planetary companions with the minimum masses of $ M_p \sin i = 0.96 M_{\mathrm{JUP}}$ and $3.5 M_{\mathrm{JUP}}$ in circular orbits with the planets' periods $P = 577.9$ days and $2111$ days, respectively. HD 1605 shows a significant linear trend in RVs. Such a system consisting of Jovian planets in circular orbits has rarely been found and thus HD 1605 should be an important example of a multi-planetary system that is likely unperturbed by planet-planet interactions. HD 1666 is a F7 main sequence star which hosts an eccentric and massive planet of $ M_p \sin i = 6.4 M_{\mathrm{JUP}}$ in the orbit with $a_{\rm p} = 0.94$ AU and an eccentricity $e=0.63$. Such an eccentric and massive planet can be explained as a result of planet-planet interactions among Jovian planets. While we have found the large residuals of $\mathrm{rms} = 35.6\ \mathrm{m\ s^{-1}}$, the periodogram analysis does not support any additional periodicities. Finally, HD 67087 hosts two planets of $ M_p \sin i = 3.1 M_{\mathrm{JUP}}$ and $4.9 M_{\mathrm{JUP}}$ in orbits with $P=352.2$ days and $2374$ days, and $e=0.17$ and $0.76$, respectively. Although the current RVs do not lead to accurate determinations of its orbit and mass, HD 67087 c can be one of the most eccentric planets ever discovered in multiple systems.

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arXiv2015

Refined Properties of the HD 130322 Planetary System

Exoplanetary systems closest to the Sun, with the brightest host stars, provide the most favorable opportunities for characterization studies of the host star and their planet(s). The Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey uses both new radial velocity measurements and photometry in order to greatly improve planetary orbit uncertainties and the fundamental properties of the star, in this case HD 130322. The only companion, HD 130322b, orbits in a relatively circular orbit, e = 0.029 every ~10.7 days. Radial velocity measurements from multiple sources, including 12 unpublished from the Keck I telescope, over the course of ~14 years have reduced the uncertainty in the transit midpoint to ~2 hours. The transit probability for the b-companion is 4.7%, where M_p sin i = 1.15 M_J and a = 0.0925 AU. In this paper, we compile photometric data from the T11 0.8m Automated Photoelectric Telescope at Fairborn Observatory taken over ~14 years, including the constrained transit window, which results in a dispositive null result for both full transit exclusion of HD 130322b to a depth of 0.017 mag and grazing transit exclusion to a depth of ~0.001 mag. Our analysis of the starspot activity via the photometric data reveals a highly accurate stellar rotation period: 26.53 +/-0.70 days. In addition, the brightness of the host with respect to the comparison stars is anti-correlated with the Ca II H and K indices, typical for a young solar-type star.

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arXiv2015

Fiber scrambling for high-resolution spectrographs. II. A double fiber scrambler for Keck Observatory

We have designed a fiber scrambler as a prototype for the Keck HIRES spectrograph, using double scrambling to stabilize illumination of the spectrometer and a pupil slicer to increase spectral resolution to R = 70,000 with minimal slit losses. We find that the spectral line spread function (SLSF) for the double scrambler observations is 18 times more stable than the SLSF for comparable slit observations and 9 times more stable than the SLSF for a single fiber scrambler that we tested in 2010. For the double scrambler test data, we further reduced the radial velocity scatter from an average of 2.1 m/s to 1.5 m/s after adopting a median description of the stabilized SLSF in our Doppler model. This demonstrates that inaccuracies in modeling the SLSF contribute to the velocity RMS. Imperfect knowledge of the SLSF, rather than stellar jitter, sets the precision floor for chromospherically quiet stars analyzed with the iodine technique using Keck HIRES and other slit-fed spectrometers. It is increasingly common practice for astronomers to scale stellar noise in quadrature with formal errors such that their Keplerian model yields a chi-squared fit of 1.0. When this is done, errors from inaccurate modeling of the SLSF (and perhaps from other sources) are attributed to the star and the floor of the stellar noise is overestimated.

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arXiv2014

On the Occurrence Rate of Hot Jupiters in Different Stellar Environments

Many Hot Jupiters (HJs) are detected by the Doppler and the transit techniques. From surveys using these two techniques, however, the measured HJ occurrence rates differ by a factor of two or more. Using the California Planet Survey sample and the Kepler sample, we investigate the causes for the difference of HJ occurrence rate. First, we find that $12.8\%\pm0.24\%$ of HJs are misidentified in the Kepler mission because of photometric dilution and subgiant contamination. Second, we explore the differences between the Doppler sample and the Kepler sample that can account for the different HJ occurrence rate. Third, we discuss how to measure the fundamental HJ occurrence rates by synthesizing the results from the Doppler and Kepler surveys. The fundamental HJ occurrence rates are a measure of HJ occurrence rate as a function of stellar multiplicity and evolutionary stage, e.g., the HJ occurrence rate for single and multiple stars or for main sequence and subgiant stars. While we find qualitative evidence that HJs occur less frequently in subgiants and multiple stellar systems, we conclude that our current knowledge of stellar properties and stellar multiplicity rate is too limited for us to reach any quantitative result for the fundamental HJ occurrence rates. This concern extends to $η_{\rm{Earth}}$, the occurrence rate of Earth-like planets.

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arXiv2014

Stellar Diameters and Temperatures VI. High angular resolution measurements of the transiting exoplanet host stars HD 189733 and HD 209458 and implications for models of cool dwarfs

We present direct radii measurements of the well-known transiting exoplanet host stars HD 189733 and HD 209458 using the CHARA Array interferometer. We find the limb-darkened angular diameters to be theta_LD = 0.3848 +/- 0.0055 and 0.2254 +/- 0.0072 milliarcsec for HD 189733 and HD 209458, respectively. HD 189733 and HD 209458 are currently the only two transiting exoplanet systems where detection of the respective planetary companion's orbital motion from high resolution spectroscopy has revealed absolute masses for both star and planet. We use our new measurements together with the orbital information from radial velocity and photometric time series data, Hipparcos distances, and newly measured bolometric fluxes to determine the stellar effective temperatures (T_eff = 4875 +/- 43, 6093 +/- 103 K), stellar linear radii (R_* = 0.805 +/- 0.016, 1.203 +/- 0.061 R_sun), mean stellar densities (rho_* = 1.62 +/- 0.11, 0.58 +/- 0.14 rho_sun), planetary radii (R_p = 1.216 +/- 0.024, 1.451 +/- 0.074 R_Jup), and mean planetary densities (rho_p = 0.605 +/- 0.029, 0.196 +/- 0.033 rho_Jup) for HD 189733 b and HD 209458 b, respectively. The stellar parameters for HD 209458, a F9 dwarf, are consistent with indirect estimates derived from spectroscopic and evolutionary modeling. However, we find that models are unable to reproduce the observational results for the K2 dwarf, HD 189733. We show that, for stellar evolutionary models to match the observed stellar properties of HD 189733, adjustments lowering the solar-calibrated mixing length parameter from 1.83 to 1.34 need to be employed.

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arXiv2014

Newly-Discovered Planets Orbiting HD~5319, HD~11506, HD~75784 and HD~10442 from the N2K Consortium

Initially designed to discover short-period planets, the N2K campaign has since evolved to discover new worlds at large separations from their host stars. Detecting such worlds will help determine the giant planet occurrence at semi-major axes beyond the ice line, where gas giants are thought to mostly form. Here we report four newly-discovered gas giant planets (with minimum masses ranging from 0.4 to 2.1 MJup) orbiting stars monitored as part of the N2K program. Two of these planets orbit stars already known to host planets: HD 5319 and HD 11506. The remaining discoveries reside in previously-unknown planetary systems: HD 10442 and HD 75784. The refined orbital period of the inner planet orbiting HD 5319 is 641 days. The newly-discovered outer planet orbits in 886 days. The large masses combined with the proximity to a 4:3 mean motion resonance make this system a challenge to explain with current formation and migration theories. HD 11506 has one confirmed planet, and here we confirm a second. The outer planet has an orbital period of 1627.5 days, and the newly-discovered inner planet orbits in 223.6 days. A planet has also been discovered orbiting HD 75784 with an orbital period of 341.7 days. There is evidence for a longer period signal; however, several more years of observations are needed to put tight constraints on the Keplerian parameters for the outer planet. Lastly, an additional planet has been detected orbiting HD 10442 with a period of 1043 days.

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