arXiv subjects

E. Guenther

Publications and source records attributed to E. Guenther.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

K2-141 b: A 5-M$_\oplus$ super-Earth transiting a K7 V star every 6.7 hours

We report on the discovery of K2-141 b (EPIC 246393474 b), an ultra-short-period super-Earth on a 6.7-hour orbit transiting an active K7 V star based on data from K2 campaign 12. We confirmed the planet's existence and measured its mass with a series of follow-up observations: seeing-limited MuSCAT imaging, NESSI high-resolution speckle observations, and FIES and HARPS high-precision radial-velocity monitoring. K2-141 b has a mass of $5.31 \pm 0.46 $ $M_{\oplus}$ and radius of $1.54^{+0.10}_{-0.09}$ $R_{\oplus}$, yielding a mean density of $8.00_{ - 1.45 } ^ { + 1.83 }$ $\mathrm{g\,cm^{-3}}$ and suggesting a rocky-iron composition. Models indicate that iron cannot exceed $\sim$70 % of the total mass. With an orbital period of only 6.7 hours, K2-141 b is the shortest-period planet known to date with a precisely determined mass.

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arXiv2017

K2-139 b: a low-mass warm Jupiter on a 29-day orbit transiting an active K0 V star

We announce the discovery of K2-139 b (EPIC 218916923 b), a transiting warm-Jupiter ($T_\mathrm{eq}$=547$\pm$25 K) on a 29-day orbit around an active (log $R^\prime_\mathrm{HK}$ = $-$4.46 $\pm$ 0.06) K0 V star in K2 Campaign 7. We derive the system's parameters by combining the K2 photometry with ground-based follow-up observations. With a mass of~$0.387 _{ - 0.075 } ^ {+ 0.083 } M_{\rm J}$ and radius of $0.808 _{ - 0.033 } ^ {+ 0.034 } R_{\rm J}$, K2-139 b is one of the transiting warm Jupiters with the lowest mass known to date. The planetary mean density of $0.91 _{ - 0.20} ^ { + 0.24 }$ $\mathrm{g cm^{-3}}$ can be explained with a core of $\sim$50 $M_\oplus$. Given the brightness of the host star ($V$ = 11.653 mag), the relatively short transit duration ($\sim$5 hours), and the expected amplitude of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect ($\sim25 {\rm m s^{-1}}$ ), K2-139 is an ideal target to measure the spin-orbit angle of a planetary system hosting a warm Jupiter.

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arXiv2017

A deeper view of the CoRoT-9 planetary system. A small non-zero eccentricity for CoRoT-9b likely generated by planet-planet scattering

CoRoT-9b is one of the rare long-period (P=95.3 days) transiting giant planets with a measured mass known to date. We present a new analysis of the CoRoT-9 system based on five years of radial-velocity (RV) monitoring with HARPS and three new space-based transits observed with CoRoT and Spitzer. Combining our new data with already published measurements we redetermine the CoRoT-9 system parameters and find good agreement with the published values. We uncover a higher significance for the small but non-zero eccentricity of CoRoT-9b ($e=0.133^{+0.042}_{-0.037}$) and find no evidence for additional planets in the system. We use simulations of planet-planet scattering to show that the eccentricity of CoRoT-9b may have been generated by an instability in which a $\sim 50~M_\oplus$ planet was ejected from the system. This scattering would not have produced a spin-orbit misalignment, so we predict that CoRoT-9b orbit should lie within a few degrees of the initial plane of the protoplanetary disk. As a consequence, any significant stellar obliquity would indicate that the disk was primordially tilted.

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arXiv2016

K2-99: a subgiant hosting a transiting warm Jupiter in an eccentric orbit and a long-period companion

We report the discovery from K2 of a transiting planet in an 18.25-d, eccentric (0.19$\pm$ 0.04) orbit around K2-99, an 11th magnitude subgiant in Virgo. We confirm the planetary nature of the companion with radial velocities, and determine that the star is a metal-rich ([Fe/H] = 0.20$\pm$0.05) subgiant, with mass $1.60^{+0.14}_{-0.10}~M_\odot$ and radius $3.1\pm 0.1~R_\odot$. The planet has a mass of $0.97\pm0.09~M_{\rm Jup}$ and a radius $1.29\pm0.05~R_{\rm Jup}$. A measured systemic radial acceleration of $-2.12\pm0.04~{\rm m s^{-1} d^{-1}}$ offers compelling evidence for the existence of a third body in the system, perhaps a brown dwarf orbiting with a period of several hundred days.

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arXiv2016

Identifying the "true" radius of the hot sub-Neptune CoRoT-24b by mass loss modelling

For the hot exoplanets CoRoT-24b and CoRoT-24c, observations have provided transit radii R$_{\rm T}$ of 3.7$\pm$0.4 R$_{\oplus}$ and 4.9$\pm$0.5 R$_{\oplus}$, and masses of $\le$5.7 M$_{\oplus}$ and 28$\pm$11 M$_{\oplus}$, respectively. We study their upper atmosphere structure and escape applying an hydrodynamic model. Assuming R$_{\rm T} \approx$ R$_{\rm PL}$, where R$_{\rm PL}$ is the planetary radius at the pressure of 100 mbar, we obtained for CoRoT-24b unrealistically high thermally-driven hydrodynamic escape rates. This is due to the planet's high temperature and low gravity, independent of the stellar EUV flux. Such high escape rates could last only for $<$100 Myr, while R$_{\rm PL}$ shrinks till the escape rate becomes less than or equal to the maximum possible EUV-driven escape rate. For CoRoT-24b, R$_{\rm PL}$ must be therefore located at $\approx 1.9-2.2$ R$_{\oplus}$ and high altitude hazes/clouds possibly extinct the light at R$_{\rm T}$. Our analysis constraints also the planet's mass to be 5$-$5.7 M$_{\oplus}$. For CoRoT-24c, R$_{\rm PL}$ and R$_{\rm T}$ lie too close together to be distinguished in the same way. Similar differences between R$_{\rm PL}$ and R$_{\rm T}$ may be present also for other hot, low-density sub-Neptunes.

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arXiv2015

Characterising exoplanets and their environment with UV transmission spectroscopy

Exoplanet science is now in its full expansion, particularly after the CoRoT and Kepler space missions that led us to the discovery of thousands of extra-solar planets. The last decade has taught us that UV observations play a major role in advancing our understanding of planets and of their host stars, but the necessary UV observations can be carried out only by HST, and this is going to be the case for many years to come. It is therefore crucial to build a treasury data archive of UV exoplanet observations formed by a dozen "golden systems" for which observations will be available from the UV to the infrared. Only in this way we will be able to fully exploit JWST observations for exoplanet science, one of the key JWST science case.

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arXiv2014

CoRoT-22 b: a validated 4.9 RE exoplanet in 10-day orbit

The CoRoT satellite has provided high-precision photometric light curves for more than 163,000 stars and found several hundreds of transiting systems compatible with a planetary scenario. If ground-based velocimetric observations are the best way to identify the actual planets among many possible configurations of eclipsing binary systems, recent transit surveys have shown that it is not always within reach of the radial-velocity detection limits. In this paper, we present a transiting exoplanet candidate discovered by CoRoT whose nature cannot be established from ground-based observations, and where extensive analyses are used to validate the planet scenario. They are based on observing constraints from radial-velocity spectroscopy, adaptive optics imaging and the CoRoT transit shape, as well as from priors on stellar populations, planet and multiple stellar systems frequency. We use the fully Bayesian approach developed in the PASTIS analysis software, and conclude that the planet scenario is at least 1400 times more probable than any other false positive scenario. The primary star is a metallic solar-like dwarf, with Ms = 1.099+-0.049 Msun and Rs = 1.136 (+0.038,-0.090) Rsun . The validated planet has a radius of Rp = 4.88 (+0.17,-0.39) RE and mass less than 49 ME. Its mean density is smaller than 2.56 g/cm^3 and orbital period is 9.7566+-0.0012 days. This object, called CoRoT-22 b, adds to a large number of validated Kepler planets. These planets do not have a proper measurement of the mass but allow statistical characterization of the exoplanet population.

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arXiv2014

Revisiting the transits of CoRoT-7b at a lower activity level

CoRoT-7b, the first super-Earth with measured radius discovered, has opened the new field of rocky exoplanets characterisation. To better understand this interesting system, new observations were taken with the CoRoT satellite. During this run 90 new transits were obtained in the imagette mode. These were analysed together with the previous 151 transits obtained in the discovery run and HARPS radial velocity observations to derive accurate system parameters. A difference is found in the posterior probability distribution of the transit parameters between the previous CoRoT run (LRa01) and the new run (LRa06). We propose this is due to an extra noise component in the previous CoRoT run suspected to be transit spot occultation events. These lead to the mean transit shape becoming V-shaped. We show that the extra noise component is dominant at low stellar flux levels and reject these transits in the final analysis. We obtained a planetary radius, $R_p= 1.585\pm0.064\,R_{\oplus}$, in agreement with previous estimates. Combining the planetary radius with the new mass estimates results in a planetary density of $ 1.19 \pm 0.27\, ρ_{\oplus}$ which is consistent with a rocky composition. The CoRoT-7 system remains an excellent test bed for the effects of activity in the derivation of planetary parameters in the shallow transit regime.

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arXiv2014

Science Case and Requirements for the MOSAIC Concept for a Multi-Object Spectrograph for the European Extremely Large Telescope

Over the past 18 months we have revisited the science requirements for a multi-object spectrograph (MOS) for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). These efforts span the full range of E-ELT science and include input from a broad cross-section of astronomers across the ESO partner countries. In this contribution we summarise the key cases relating to studies of high-redshift galaxies, galaxy evolution, and stellar populations, with a more expansive presentation of a new case relating to detection of exoplanets in stellar clusters. A general requirement is the need for two observational modes to best exploit the large (>40 sq. arcmin) patrol field of the E-ELT. The first mode ('high multiplex') requires integrated-light (or coarsely resolved) optical/near-IR spectroscopy of >100 objects simultaneously. The second ('high definition'), enabled by wide-field adaptive optics, requires spatially-resolved, near-IR of >10 objects/sub-fields. Within the context of the conceptual study for an ELT-MOS called MOSAIC, we summarise the top-level requirements from each case and introduce the next steps in the design process.

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arXiv2011

XX. CoRoT-20b: A very high density, high eccentricity transiting giant planet

We report the discovery by the CoRoT space mission of a new giant planet, CoRoT-20b. The planet has a mass of 4.24 +/- 0.23 MJ and a radius of 0.84 +/- 0.04 RJ. With a mean density of 8.87 +/- 1.10 g/cm^3, it is among the most compact planets known so far. Evolution models for the planet suggest a mass of heavy elements of the order of 800 ME if embedded in a central core, requiring a revision either of the planet formation models or of planet evolution and structure models. We note however that smaller amounts of heavy elements are expected from more realistic models in which they are mixed throughout the envelope. The planet orbits a G-type star with an orbital period of 9.24 days and an eccentricity of 0.56. The star's projected rotational velocity is vsini = 4.5 +/- 1.0 km/s, corresponding to a spin period of 11.5 +/- 3.1 days if its axis of rotation is perpendicular to the orbital plane. In the framework of Darwinian theories and neglecting stellar magnetic breaking, we calculate the tidal evolution of the system and show that CoRoT-20b is presently one of the very few Darwin-stable planets that is evolving towards a triple synchronous state with equality of the orbital, planetary and stellar spin periods.

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arXiv2011

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission. XVIII. CoRoT-18b: a massive hot jupiter on a prograde, nearly aligned orbit

We report the detection of CoRoT-18b, a massive hot jupiter transiting in front of its host star with a period of 1.9000693 +/- 0.0000028 days. This planet was discovered thanks to photometric data secured with the CoRoT satellite combined with spectroscopic and photometric ground-based follow-up observations. The planet has a mass M_p = 3.47 +/- 0.38 M_Jup, a radius R_p = 1.31 +/- 0.18 R_Jup, and a density rho_p = 2.2 +/- 0.8 g/cm3. It orbits a G9V star with a mass M_* = 0.95 +/- 0.15 M_Sun, a radius R_* = 1.00 +/- 0.13 R_Sun, and a rotation period P_rot = 5.4 +/- 0.4 days. The age of the system remains uncertain, with stellar evolution models pointing either to a few tens Ma or several Ga, while gyrochronology and lithium abundance point towards ages of a few hundred Ma. This mismatch potentially points to a problem in our understanding of the evolution of young stars, with possibly significant implications for stellar physics and the interpretation of inferred sizes of exoplanets around young stars. We detected the Rossiter-McLaughlin anomaly in the CoRoT-18 system thanks to the spectroscopic observation of a transit. We measured the obliquity psi = 20 +/- 20 degrees (sky-projected value: lambda = -10 +/- 20 degrees), indicating that the planet orbits in the same way as the star is rotating and that this prograde orbit is nearly aligned with the stellar equator.

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arXiv2010

On the naming convention used for multiple star systems and extrasolar planets

The present naming convention for extrasolar planets used by the vast majority of researchers in the field is based upon an interpretation of the provisional I.A.U. standard for multiple star systems. With the existence of hundreds of exoplanets around single stars named by this convention and a handful of exoplanets around binary stars -- circumbinary planets -- it has become necessary to find a uniform and useful naming convention for the latter which is maximally compatible with the single host-star convention and which captures as much of the dynamical information about the planet as possible. We propose a simple and generic naming convention for all exoplanets which follows the provisional I.A.U. standard but more clearly indicates their dynamical status. The proposed convention is compatible with present usage and easily extendible to exoplanets around stars in systems of arbitrary multiplicity. We invite comments and discussion on the proposed convention, in the hope of a timely adoption by the I.A.U. Commissions 5, 8+24, 26, 42, 45 and 53.

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arXiv2010

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission. XI. CoRoT-8b: a hot and dense sub-Saturn around a K1 dwarf

We report the discovery of CoRoT-8b, a dense small Saturn-class exoplanet that orbits a K1 dwarf in 6.2 days, and we derive its orbital parameters, mass, and radius. We analyzed two complementary data sets: the photometric transit curve of CoRoT-8b as measured by CoRoT and the radial velocity curve of CoRoT-8 as measured by the HARPS spectrometer. We find that CoRoT-8b is on a circular orbit with a semi-major axis of 0.063 +/- 0.001 AU. It has a radius of 0.57 +/- 0.02 RJ, a mass of 0.22 +/- 0.03 MJ, and therefore a mean density 1.6 +/- 0.1 g/cm^3. With 67 % of the size of Saturn and 72 % of its mass, CoRoT-8b has a density comparable to that of Neptune (1.76 g/cm^3). We estimate its content in heavy elements to be 47-63 Earth masses, and the mass of its hydrogen-helium envelope to be 7-23 Earth masses. At 0.063 AU, the thermal loss of hydrogen of CoRoT-8b should be no more than about 0.1 % over an assumed integrated lifetime of 3~Ga.

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arXiv2010

Gamma Dor and Gamma Dor - Delta Sct Hybrid Stars In The CoRoT LRa01

A systematic search for gamma Dor and gamma Dor - delta Scuti hybrid pulsators was conducted on the CoRoT LRa01 Exo-archive yielding a total of 418 gamma Dor and 274 hybrid candidates. After an automatic jump correction 194 and 167 respectively, show no more obvious jumps and were investigated in more detail. For about 25\% of these candidates classification spectra from the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) are available. The detailed frequency analysis and a check for combination frequencies together with spectroscopic information allowed us to identify I) 34 gamma Dor stars which show very different pulsation spectra where mostly two modes dominate. Furthermore, a search for regularities in their oscillation spectra allowed to derive recurrent period spacings for 5 of these gamma Dor stars. II) 25 clear hybrid pulsators showing frequencies in the gamma Dor and delta Sct domain and are of A-F spectral type.

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arXiv2010

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission. XII. CoRoT-12b: a short-period low-density planet transiting a solar analog star

We report the discovery by the CoRoT satellite of a new transiting giant planet in a 2.83 days orbit about a V=15.5 solar analog star (M_* = 1.08 +- 0.08 M_sun, R_* = 1.1 +- 0.1 R_sun, T_eff = 5675 +- 80 K). This new planet, CoRoT-12b, has a mass of 0.92 +- 0.07 M_Jup and a radius of 1.44 +- 0.13 R_Jup. Its low density can be explained by standard models for irradiated planets.

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arXiv2010

An Investigation into the Radial Velocity Variations of CoRoT-7

CoRoT-7b, the first transiting ``superearth'' exoplanet, has a radius of 1.7 R_Earth and a mass of 4.8 M_Earth. Ground-based radial velocity measurements also detected an additional companion with a period of 3.7 days (CoRoT-7c) and a mass of 8.4 M_Earth. The mass of CoRoT-7b is a crucial parameter for planet structure models, but is difficult to determine because CoRoT-7 is a modestly active star and there is at least one additional companion. A Fourier analysis was performed on spectral data for CoRoT-7 taken with the HARPS spectrograph. These data include RV measurements, spectral line bisectors, the full width at half maximum of the cross-correlation function, and Ca II emission. The latter 3 quantities vary due to stellar activity and were used to assess the nature of the observed RV variations. An analysis of a sub-set of the RV measurements where multiple observations were made per night was also used to estimate the RV amplitude from CoRoT-7b that was less sensitive to activity variations. Our analysis indicates that the 0.85-d and 3.7-d RV signals of CoRoT-7b and CoRoT-7c are present in the spectral data with a high degree of statistical significance. We also find evidence for another significant RV signal at 9 days. An analysis of the activity indicator data reveals that this 9-d signal most likely does not arise from activity, but possibly from an additional companion. If due to a planetary companion the mass is m = 19.5 M_Earth, assuming co-planarity with CoRoT-7b. A dynamical study of the three planet system shows that it is stable over several hundred millions of years. Our analysis yields a RV amplitude of 5.04 +/- 1.09 m/s for CoRoT-7b which corresponds to a planet mass of m = 6.9 +/- 1.4 M_Earth. This increased mass would make the planet CoRoT-7b more Earth-like in its internal structure.

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arXiv2010

CoRoT-10b: a giant planet in a 13.24 day eccentric orbit

The space telescope CoRoT searches for transiting extrasolar planets by continuously monitoring the optical flux of thousands of stars in several fields of view. We report the discovery of CoRoT-10b, a giant planet on a highly eccentric orbit (e=0.53 +/- 0.04) revolving in 13.24 days around a faint (V=15.22) metal-rich K1V star. We use CoRoT photometry, radial velocity observations taken with the HARPS spectrograph, and UVES spectra of the parent star to derive the orbital, stellar and planetary parameters. We derive a radius of the planet of 0.97 +/- 0.07 R_Jup and a mass of 2.75 +/- 0.16 M_Jup. The bulk density, rho_pl=3.70 +/- 0.83 g/cm^3, is ~2.8 that of Jupiter. The core of CoRoT-10b could contain up to 240 M_Earth of heavy elements. Moving along its eccentric orbit, the planet experiences a 10.6-fold variation in insolation. Owing to the long circularisation time, tau_circ > 7 Gyr, a resonant perturber is not required to excite and maintain the high eccentricity of CoRoT-10b.

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arXiv2010

Line-profile tomography of exoplanet transits -- II. A gas-giant planet transiting a rapidly-rotating A5 star

Most of our knowledge of extrasolar planets rests on precise radial-velocity measurements, either for direct detection or for confirmation of the planetary origin of photometric transit signals. This has limited our exploration of the parameter space of exoplanet hosts to solar- and later-type, sharp-lined stars. Here we extend the realm of stars with known planetary companions to include hot, fast-rotating stars. Planet-like transits have previously been reported in the lightcurve obtained by the SuperWASP survey of the A5 star HD15082 (WASP-33; V=8.3, v sin i = 86 km/sec). Here we report further photometry and time-series spectroscopy through three separate transits, which we use to confirm the existence of a gas giant planet with an orbital period of 1.22d in orbit around HD15082. From the photometry and the properties of the planet signal travelling through the spectral line profiles during the transit we directly derive the size of the planet, the inclination and obliquity of its orbital plane, and its retrograde orbital motion relative to the spin of the star. This kind of analysis opens the way to studying the formation of planets around a whole new class of young, early-type stars, hence under different physical conditions and generally in an earlier stage of formation than in sharp-lined late-type stars. The reflex orbital motion of the star caused by the transiting planet is small, yielding an upper mass limit of 4.1 Jupiter masses on the planet. We also find evidence of a third body of sub-stellar mass in the system, which may explain the unusual orbit of the transiting planet. In HD 15082, the stellar line profiles also show evidence of non-radial pulsations, clearly distinct from the planetary transit signal. This raises the intriguing possibility that tides raised by the close-in planet may excite or amplify the pulsations in such stars.

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