arXiv subjects

Gregory Laughlin

Publications and source records attributed to Gregory Laughlin.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Transiting Exoplanet Monitoring Project (TEMP). IV. Refined System Parameters, Transit Timing Variations and Orbital Stability of the Transiting Planetary System HAT-P-25

We present eight new light curves of the transiting extra-solar planet HAT-P-25b obtained from 2013 to 2016 with three telescopes at two observatories. We use the new light curves, along with recent literature material, to estimate the physical and orbital parameters of the transiting planet. Specifically, we determine the mid-transit times (T$_{C}$) and update the linear ephemeris, T$_{C[0]}$=2456418.80996$\pm$0.00025 [$\mathrm{BJD}_\mathrm{TDB}$] and P=3.65281572$\pm$0.00000095 days. We carry out a search for transit timing variations (TTVs), and find no significant TTV signal at the $ΔT=$80 s-level, placing a limit on the possible strength of planet-planet interactions ($\mathrm{TTV_{G}}$). In the course of our analysis, we calculate the upper mass-limits of the potential nearby perturbers. Near the 1:2, 2:1, and 3:1 resonances with HAT-P-25b, perturbers with masses greater than 0.5, 0.3, and 0.5 $\mathrm{M_{\oplus}}$ respectively, can be excluded. Furthermore, based on the analysis of TTVs caused by light travel time effect (LTTE) we also eliminate the possibility that a long-period perturber exists with $M_{\rm p}> 3000 \,\mathrm{M_{J}}$ within $a=11.2\,{\rm AU}$ of the parent star.

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arXiv2018

The Feasibility and Benefits of In Situ Exploration of `Oumuamua-like objects

A rapid accumulation of observations and interpretation have followed in the wake of 1I `Oumuamua's passage through the inner Solar System. We briefly outline the consequences that this first detection of an interstellar asteroid implies for the planet-forming process, and we assess the near-term prospects for detecting and observing (both remotely and in situ) future Solar System visitors of this type. Drawing on detailed heat-transfer calculations that take both `Oumuamua's unusual shape and its chaotic tumbling into account, we affirm that the lack of a detectable coma in deep images of the object very likely arises from the presence of a radiation-modified coating of high molecular weight material (rather than a refractory bulk composition). Assuming that `Oumuamua is a typical representative of a larger population with a kinematic distribution similar to Population I stars in the local galactic neighborhood, we calculate expected arrival rates, impact parameters and velocities of similar objects and assess their prospects for detection using operational and forthcoming facilities. Using `Oumuamua as a proof-of-concept, we assess the prospects for missions that intercept interstellar objects (ISOs) using conventional chemical propulsion. Using a "launch on detection" paradigm, we estimate wait times of order 10 years between favorable mission opportunities with the detection capabilities of the Large-Scale Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), a figure that will be refined as the population of interstellar asteroids becomes observationally better constrained.

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arXiv2017

Transiting Exoplanet Monitoring Project (TEMP). III. On the Relocation of the Kepler-9~b Transit

The Kepler-9 system harbors three known transiting planets. The system holds significant interest for several reasons. First, the outer two planets exhibit a period ratio that is close to a 2:1 orbital commensurability, with attendant dynamical consequences. Second, both planets lie in the planetary mass "desert" that is generally associated with the rapid gas agglomeration phase of the core accretion process. Third, there exist attractive prospects for accurately measuring both the sky-projected stellar spin-orbit angles as well as the mutual orbital inclination between the planets in the system. Following the original \textit{Kepler} detection announcement in 2010, the initially reported orbital ephemerides for Kepler-9~b and c have degraded significantly, due to the limited time base-line of observations on which the discovery of the system rested. Here, we report new ground-based photometric observations and extensive dynamical modeling of the system. These efforts allow us to photometrically recover the transit of Kepler-9~b, and thereby greatly improve the predictions for upcoming transit mid-times. Accurate ephemerides of this system are important in order to confidently schedule follow-up observations of this system, for both in-transit Doppler measurements as well as for atmospheric transmission spectra taken during transit.

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arXiv2017

Stellar Spin-Orbit Alignment for Kepler-9, a Multi-transiting Planetary system with Two Outer Planets Near 2:1 Resonance

We present spectroscopic measurements of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect for the planet b of Kepler-9 multi-transiting planet system. The resulting sky-projected spin-orbit angle is $λ=-13^{\circ} \pm 16^{\circ}$, which favors an aligned system and strongly disfavors highly misaligned, polar, and retrograde orbits. Including Kepler-9, there are now a total of 4 Rossiter-McLaughlin effect measurements for multiplanet systems, all of which are consistent with spin-orbit alignment.

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arXiv2017

On the Consequences of the Detection of an Interstellar Asteroid

The arrival of the robustly hyperbolic asteroid A/2017 U1 has potentially interesting ramifications for the planet-formation process. Although extrapolations from a sample size of one are necessarily uncertain, order-of-magnitude estimates suggest that the Galaxy contains a substantial mass in similar bodies. We argue that despite its lack of Coma, A/2017 U1 likely contained a significant mass fraction of volatile components, and we argue that its presence can be used to infer a potentially large population of as-yet undetected Neptune-like extrasolar planets.

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arXiv2017

Kepler Multi-Planet Systems Exhibit Unexpected Intra-system Uniformity in Mass and Radius

The widespread prevalence of close-in, nearly coplanar super-Earth- and sub-Neptune-sized planets in multiple-planet systems was one of the most surprising results from the Kepler mission. By studying a uniform sample of Kepler "multis" with mass measurements from transit timing variations (TTVs), we show that a given planetary system tends to harbor a characteristic type of planet. That is, planets in a system have both masses and radii that are far more similar than if the system were assembled randomly from planets in the population. This finding has two important ramifications. First, the large intrinsic compositional scatter in the planet mass-radius relation is dominated by system-to-system variance rather than intra-system variance. Second, if provided enough properties of the star and primordial protoplanetary disk, there may be a substantial degree of predictability in the outcome of the planet formation process. We show that stellar mass and metallicity account for of order $20\%$ of the variation in outcomes; the remainder is as-yet unknown.

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arXiv2017

A Six-Planet System Around the Star HD 34445

We present a new precision radial velocity dataset that reveals a multi-planet system orbiting the G0V star HD 34445. Our 18-year span consists of 333 precision radial velocity observations, 56 of which were previously published, and 277 which are new data from Keck Observatory, Magellan at Las Campanas Observatory, and the Automated Planet Finder at Lick Observatory. These data indicate the presence of six planet candidates in Keplerian motion about the host star with periods of 1057, 215, 118, 49, 677, and 5700 days, and minimum masses of 0.63, 0.17, 0.1, 0.05, 0.12 and 0.38 Jupiter masses respectively. The HD 34445 planetary system, with its high degree of multiplicity, its long orbital periods, and its induced stellar radial velocity half-amplitudes in the range $2 \,{\rm m\, s^{-1}} \lesssim K \lesssim 5\,{\rm m\, s^{-1}}$ is fundamentally unlike either our own solar system (in which only Jupiter and Saturn induce significant reflex velocities for the Sun), or the Kepler multiple-transiting systems (which tend to have much more compact orbital configurations)

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arXiv2017

A Vorticity-Preserving Hydrodynamical Scheme for Modeling Accretion Disk Flows

Vortices, turbulence, and unsteady non-laminar flows are likely both prominent and dynamically important features of astrophysical disks. Such strongly nonlinear phenomena are often difficult, however, to simulate accurately, and are generally amenable to analytic treatment only in idealized form. In this paper, we explore the evolution of compressible two-dimensional flows using an implicit dual-time hydrodynamical scheme that strictly conserves vorticity (if applied to simulate inviscid flows for which Kelvin's Circulation Theorem is applicable). The algorithm is based on the work of Lerat, Falissard & Side (2007), who proposed it in the context of terrestrial applications such as the blade-vortex interactions generated by helicopter rotors. We present several tests of Lerat et al.'s vorticity-preserving approach, which we have implemented to second-order accuracy, providing side-by-side comparisons with other algorithms that are frequently used in protostellar disk simulations. The comparison codes include one based on explicit, second-order van-Leer advection, one based on spectral methods, and another that implements a higher-order Godunov solver. Our results suggest that Lerat et al's algorithm will be useful for simulations of astrophysical environments in which vortices play a dynamical role, and where strong shocks are not expected.

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arXiv2017

Supervised Learning Detection of Sixty Non-Transiting Hot Jupiter Candidates

The optical, full-phase photometric variations of a short-period planet provide a unique view of the planet's atmospheric composition and dynamics. The number of planets with optical phase curve detections, however, is currently too small to study them as an aggregate population, motivating an extension of the search to non-transiting planets. Here we present an algorithm for the detection of non-transiting, short-period giant planets in the Kepler field. The procedure uses the phase curves themselves as evidence for the planets' existence. We employ a supervised learning algorithm to recognize the salient time-dependent properties of synthetic phase curves; we then search for detections of signals that match these properties. After demonstrating the algorithm's capabilities, we classify 142,630 FGK Kepler stars without confirmed planets or KOIs and, for each one, assign a probability of a phase curve of a non-transiting planet being present. We identify 60 high-probability non-transiting hot Jupiter candidates. We also derive constraints on the candidates' albedos and offsets of the phase curve maxima. These targets are strong candidates for follow-up radial velocity confirmation and characterization. Once confirmed, the atmospheric information content in the phase curves may be studied in yet greater detail.

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arXiv2017

The LCES HIRES/Keck Precision Radial Velocity Exoplanet Survey

We describe a 20-year survey carried out by the Lick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey Team (LCES), using precision radial velocities from HIRES on the Keck-I telescope to find and characterize extrasolar planetary systems orbiting nearby F, G, K, and M dwarf stars. We provide here 60,949 precision radial velocities for 1,624 stars contained in that survey. We tabulate a list of 357 significant periodic signals that are of constant period and phase, and not coincident in period and/or phase with stellar activity indices. These signals are thus strongly suggestive of barycentric reflex motion of the star induced by one or more candidate exoplanets in Keplerian motion about the host star. Of these signals, 225 have already been published as planet claims, 60 are classified as significant unpublished planet candidates that await photometric follow-up to rule out activity-related causes, and 54 are also unpublished, but are classified as "significant" signals that require confirmation by additional data before rising to classification as planet candidates. Of particular interest is our detection of a candidate planet with a minimum mass of 3.9 Earth masses and an orbital period of 9.9 days orbiting Lalande 21185, the fourth-closest main sequence star to the Sun. For each of our exoplanetary candidate signals, we provide the period and semi-amplitude of the Keplerian orbital fit, and a likelihood ratio estimate of its statistical significance. We also tabulate 18 Keplerian-like signals that we classify as likely arising from stellar activity.

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arXiv2016

Constraints on Planet Nine's Orbit and Sky Position within a Framework of Mean Motion Resonances

A number of authors have proposed that the statistically significant orbital alignment of the most distant Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) is evidence of an as-yet undetected planet in the outer solar system, now referred to colloquially a "Planet Nine". Dynamical simulations by Batygin & Brown (2016) have provided constraints on the range of the planet's possible orbits and sky locations. We extend these investigations by exploring the suggestion of Malhotra et al. (2016) that Planet Nine is in small integer ratio mean-motion resonances (MMRs) with several of the most distant KBOs. We show that the observed KBO semi-major axes present a set of commensurabilities with an unseen planet at $\sim 654 \ \mathrm{AU}$ ($P \sim 16,725 \ \mathrm{yr}$) that has a greater than $98\%$ chance of stemming from a sequence of MMRs rather than from a random distribution. We describe and implement a Monte-Carlo optimization scheme that drives billion-year dynamical integrations of the outer solar system to pinpoint the orbital properties of perturbers that are capable of maintaining the KBOs' apsidal alignment. This optimization exercise suggests that the unseen planet is most consistently represented with mass, $m \sim 6-12 M_{\oplus}$, semi-major axis, $a \sim 654 \ \mathrm{AU}$, eccentricity, $e\sim0.45$, inclination, $i \sim 30^{\circ}$, argument of periastron, $ω\sim 150^{\circ}$, longitude of ascending node, $Ω\sim 50^{\circ}$, and mean anomaly, $M \sim 180^{\circ}$. A range of sky locations relative to this fiducial ephemeris are possible. We find that the region $30^{\circ}\, \lesssim \mathrm{RA} \lesssim 50^{\circ}$, $-20^{\circ}\, \lesssim \mathrm{Dec} \lesssim 20^{\circ}$ is promising.

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arXiv2016

The Hunt for Planet Nine: Atmosphere, Spectra, Evolution, and Detectability

We investigate the physical characteristics of the Solar System's proposed Planet Nine using modeling tools with a heritage in studying Uranus and Neptune. For a range of plausible masses and interior structures, we find upper limits on the intrinsic Teff, from ~35-50 K for masses of 5-20 M_Earth, and we also explore lower Teff values. Possible planetary radii could readily span from 3 to 6 R_Earth depending on the mass fraction of any H/He envelope. Given its cold temperature, the planet encounters significant methane condensation, which dramatically alters the atmosphere away from simple Neptune-like expectations. We find the atmosphere is strongly depleted in molecular absorption at visible wavelengths, suggesting a Rayleigh scattering atmosphere with a high geometric albedo approaching 0.75. We highlight two diagnostics for the atmosphere's temperature structure, the first being the value of the methane mixing ratio above the methane cloud. The second is the wavelength at which cloud scattering can be seen, which yields the cloud-top pressure. Surface reflection may be seen if the atmosphere is thin. Due to collision-induced opacity of H2 in the infrared, the planet would be extremely blue (instead of red) in the shortest wavelength WISE colors if methane is depleted, and would, in some cases, exist on the verge of detectability by WISE. For a range of models, thermal fluxes from ~3-5 microns are ~20 orders of magnitude larger than blackbody expectations. We report a search of the AllWISE Source Catalog for Planet Nine, but find no detection.

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arXiv2016

Direct Measure of Radiative and Dynamical Properties of an Exoplanet Atmosphere

Two decades after the discovery of 51 Peg b, the formation processes and atmospheres of short-period gas giants remain poorly understood. Observations of eccentric systems provide key insights on those topics as they can illuminate how a planet's atmosphere responds to changes in incident flux. We report here the analysis of multi-day multi-channel photometry of the eccentric (e~ 0.93) hot Jupiter HD 80606 b obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The planet's extreme eccentricity combined with the long coverage and exquisite precision of new periastron-passage observations allow us to break the degeneracy between the radiative and dynamical timescales of HD 80606 b's atmosphere and constrain its global thermal response. Our analysis reveals that the atmospheric layers probed heat rapidly (~4 hr radiative timescale) from $\lt$500 to 1400 K as they absorb ~ 20% of the incoming stellar flux during the periastron passage, while the planet's rotation period is 93$\pm_{35}^{85}$ hr, which exceeds the predicted pseudo-synchronous period (40 hr).

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arXiv2016

3.6 and 4.5 $μ$m ${\it Spitzer}$ Phase Curves of the Highly-Irradiated Hot Jupiters WASP-19b and HAT-P-7b

We analyze full-orbit phase curve observations of the transiting hot Jupiters WASP-19b and HAT-P-7b at 3.6 and 4.5 $μ$m obtained using the Spitzer Space Telescope. For WASP-19b, we measure secondary eclipse depths of $0.485\%\pm 0.024\%$ and $0.584\%\pm 0.029\%$ at 3.6 and 4.5 $μ$m, which are consistent with a single blackbody with effective temperature $2372 \pm 60$ K. The measured 3.6 and 4.5 $μ$m secondary eclipse depths for HAT-P-7b are $0.156\%\pm 0.009\%$ and $0.190\%\pm 0.006\%$, which are well-described by a single blackbody with effective temperature $2667\pm 57$ K. Comparing the phase curves to the predictions of one-dimensional and three-dimensional atmospheric models, we find that WASP-19b's dayside emission is consistent with a model atmosphere with no dayside thermal inversion and moderately efficient day-night circulation. We also detect an eastward-shifted hotspot, suggesting the presence of a superrotating equatorial jet. In contrast, HAT-P-7b's dayside emission suggests a dayside thermal inversion and relatively inefficient day-night circulation; no hotspot shift is detected. For both planets, these same models do not agree with the measured nightside emission. The discrepancies in the model-data comparisons for WASP-19b might be explained by high-altitude silicate clouds on the nightside and/or high atmospheric metallicity, while the very low 3.6 $μ$m nightside planetary brightness for HAT-P-7b may be indicative of an enhanced global C/O ratio. We compute Bond albedos of 0 ($<0.08$ at $1σ$) and $0.38\pm 0.06$ for WASP-19b and HAT-P-7b, respectively. In the context of other planets with thermal phase curve measurements, we show that WASP-19b and HAT-P-7b fit the general trend of decreasing day-night heat recirculation with increasing irradiation.

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arXiv2016

On the Detection of Non-Transiting Hot Jupiters in Multiple-Planet Systems

We outline a photometric method for detecting the presence of a non-transiting short-period giant planet in a planetary system harboring one or more longer period transiting planets. Within a prospective system of the type that we consider, a hot Jupiter on an interior orbit inclined to the line-of-sight signals its presence through approximately sinusoidal full-phase photometric variations in the stellar light curve, correlated with astrometrically induced transit timing variations for exterior transiting planets. Systems containing a hot Jupiter along with a low-mass outer planet or planets on inclined orbits are a predicted hallmark of in situ accretion for hot Jupiters, and their presence can thus be used to test planetary formation theories. We outline the prospects for detecting non-transiting hot Jupiters using photometric data from typical \textit{Kepler} objects of interest (KOIs). As a demonstration of the technique, we perform a brief assessment of \textit{Kepler} candidates and identify a potential non-transiting hot Jupiter in the KOI-1822 system. Candidate non-transiting hot Jupiters can be readily confirmed with a small number of Doppler velocity observations, even for stars with $V\gtrsim14$.

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arXiv2015

The Lick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey: HD32963 -- A New Jupiter Analog Orbiting a Sun-like Star

We present a set of 109 new, high-precision Keck/HIRES radial velocity (RV) observations for the solar-type star HD 32963. Our dataset reveals a candidate planetary signal with a period of 6.49 $\pm$ 0.07 years and a corresponding minimum mass of 0.7 $\pm$ 0.03 Jupiter masses. Given Jupiter's crucial role in shaping the evolution of the early Solar System, we emphasize the importance of long-term radial velocity surveys. Finally, using our complete set of Keck radial velocities and correcting for the relative detectability of synthetic planetary candidates orbiting each of the 1,122 stars in our sample, we estimate the frequency of Jupiter analogs across our survey at approximately 3%.

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arXiv2015

A Six-Planet System Orbiting HD 219134

We present new, high-precision Doppler radial velocity (RV) data sets for the nearby K3V star HD 219134. The data include 175 velocities obtained with the HIRES Spectrograph at the Keck I Telescope, and 101 velocities obtained with the Levy Spectrograph at the Automated Planet Finder Telescope (APF) at Lick Observatory. Our observations reveal six new planetary candidates, with orbital periods of P=3.1, 6.8, 22.8, 46.7, 94.2 and 2247 days, spanning masses of msini=3.8, 3.5, 8.9, 21.3, 10.8 and 108 M_earth respectively. Our analysis indicates that the outermost signal is unlikely to be an artifact induced by stellar activity. In addition, several years of precision photometry with the T10 0.8~m automatic photometric telescope (APT) at Fairborn Observatory demonstrated a lack of brightness variability to a limit of ~0.0002 mag, providing strong support for planetary-reflex motion as the source of the radial velocity variations. The HD 219134 system, with its bright (V=5.6) primary provides an excellent opportunity to obtain detailed orbital characterization (and potentially follow-up observations) of a planetary system that resembles many of the multiple-planet systems detected by Kepler, and which are expected to be detected by NASA's forthcoming TESS Mission and by ESA's forthcoming PLATO Mission.

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arXiv2015

3.6 and 4.5 $μ$m Phase Curves of the Highly-Irradiated Eccentric Hot Jupiter WASP-14b

We present full-orbit phase curve observations of the eccentric ($e\sim 0.08$) transiting hot Jupiter WASP-14b obtained in the 3.6 and 4.5 $μ$m bands using the \textit{Spitzer Space Telescope}. We use two different methods for removing the intrapixel sensitivity effect and compare their efficacy in decoupling the instrumental noise. Our measured secondary eclipse depths of $0.1882\%\pm 0.0048\%$ and $0.2247\%\pm 0.0086\%$ at 3.6 and 4.5 $μ$m, respectively, are both consistent with a blackbody temperature of $2402\pm 35$ K. We place a $2σ$ upper limit on the nightside flux at 3.6 $μ$m and find it to be $9\%\pm 1\%$ of the dayside flux, corresponding to a brightness temperature of 1079 K. At 4.5 $μ$m, the minimum planet flux is $30\%\pm 5\%$ of the maximum flux, corresponding to a brightness temperature of $1380\pm 65$ K. We compare our measured phase curves to the predictions of one-dimensional radiative transfer and three-dimensional general circulation models. We find that WASP-14b's measured dayside emission is consistent with a model atmosphere with equilibrium chemistry and a moderate temperature inversion. These same models tend to over-predict the nightside emission at 3.6 $μ$m, while under-predicting the nightside emission at 4.5 $μ$m. We propose that this discrepancy might be explained by an enhanced global C/O ratio. In addition, we find that the phase curves of WASP-14b ($7.8 M_{\mathrm{Jup}}$) are consistent with a much lower albedo than those of other Jovian mass planets with thermal phase curve measurements, suggesting that it may be emitting detectable heat from the deep atmosphere or interior processes.

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