arXiv subjects

K. G. Stassun

Publications and source records attributed to K. G. Stassun.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

A hot terrestrial planet orbiting the bright M dwarf L 168-9 unveiled by TESS

We report the detection of a transiting super-Earth-sized planet (R=1.39+-0.09 Rearth) in a 1.4-day orbit around L 168-9 (TOI-134),a bright M1V dwarf (V=11, K=7.1) located at 25.15+-0.02 pc. The host star was observed in the first sector of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission and, for confirmation and planet mass measurement, was followed up with ground-based photometry, seeing-limited and high-resolution imaging, and precise radial velocity (PRV) observations using the HARPS and PFS spectrographs. Combining the TESS data and PRV observations, we find the mass of L168-9 b to be 4.60+-0.56 Mearth, and thus the bulk density to be 1.74+0.44-0.33 times larger than that of the Earth. The orbital eccentricity is smaller than 0.21 (95% confidence). This planet is a Level One Candidate for the TESS Mission's scientific objective - to measure the masses of 50 small planets - and is one of the most observationally accessible terrestrial planets for future atmospheric characterization.

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arXiv2020

Planet Hunters TESS I: TOI 813, a subgiant hosting a transiting Saturn-sized planet on an 84-day orbit

We report on the discovery and validation of TOI 813b (TIC 55525572 b), a transiting exoplanet identified by citizen scientists in data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the first planet discovered by the Planet Hunters TESS project. The host star is a bright (V = 10.3 mag) subgiant ($R_\star=1.94\,R_\odot$, $M_\star=1.32\,M_\odot$). It was observed almost continuously by TESS during its first year of operations, during which time four individual transit events were detected. The candidate passed all the standard light curve-based vetting checks, and ground-based follow-up spectroscopy and speckle imaging enabled us to place an upper limit of $2 M_{Jup}$ (99 % confidence) on the mass of the companion, and to statistically validate its planetary nature. Detailed modelling of the transits yields a period of $83.8911_{ - 0.0031 } ^ { + 0.0027 }$ days, a planet radius of $6.71 \pm 0.38$ $R_{\oplus}$, and a semi major axis of $0.423_{ - 0.037 } ^ { + 0.031 }$ AU. The planet's orbital period combined with the evolved nature of the host star places this object in a relatively under-explored region of parameter space. We estimate that TOI-813b induces a reflex motion in its host star with a semi-amplitude of $\sim6$ ms$^{-1}$, making this system a promising target to measure the mass of a relatively long-period transiting planet.

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arXiv2019

MOBSTER -- III. HD 62658: a magnetic Bp star in an eclipsing binary with a non-magnetic 'identical twin'

HD 62658 (B9p V) is a little-studied chemically peculiar star. Light curves obtained by the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) show clear eclipses with a period of about 4.75 d, as well as out-of-eclipse brightness modulation with the same 4.75 d period, consistent with synchronized rotational modulation of surface chemical spots. High-resolution ESPaDOnS circular spectropolarimetry shows a clear Zeeman signature in the line profile of the primary; there is no indication of a magnetic field in the secondary. PHOEBE modelling of the light curve and radial velocities indicates that the two components have almost identical masses of about 3 M$_\odot$. The primary's longitudinal magnetic field $\langle B_z \rangle$ varies between about $+100$ and $-250$ G, suggesting a surface magnetic dipole strength $B_{\rm d} = 850$~G. Bayesian analysis of the Stokes $V$ profiles indicates $B_{\rm d} = 650$~G for the primary and $B_{\rm d} < 110$ G for the secondary. The primary's line profiles are highly variable, consistent with the hypothesis that the out-of-eclipse brightness modulation is a consequence of rotational modulation of that star's chemical spots. We also detect a residual signal in the light curve after removal of the orbital and rotational modulations, which might be pulsational in origin; this could be consistent with the weak line profile variability of the secondary. This system represents an excellent opportunity to examine the consequences of magnetic fields for stellar structure via comparison of two stars that are essentially identical with the exception that one is magnetic. The existence of such a system furthermore suggests that purely environmental explanations for the origin of fossil magnetic fields are incomplete.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2019

Two new HATNet hot Jupiters around A stars, and the first glimpse at the occurrence rate of hot Jupiters from TESS

Wide field surveys for transiting planets are well suited to searching diverse stellar populations, enabling a better understanding of the link between the properties of planets and their parent stars. We report the discovery of HAT-P-69b (TOI 625.01) and HAT-P-70b (TOI 624.01), two new hot Jupiters around A stars from the HATNet survey which have also been observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). HAT-P-69b has a mass of 3.58 +0.58/-0.58 MJup and a radius of 1.676 +0.051/-0.033 RJup, residing in a prograde 4.79-day orbit. HAT-P-70b has a radius of 1.87 +0.15/-0.10 RJup and a mass constraint of < 6.78 (3 sigma) MJup, and resides in a retrograde 2.74-day orbit. We use the confirmation of these planets around relatively massive stars as an opportunity to explore the occurrence rate of hot Jupiters as a function of stellar mass. We define a sample of 47,126 main-sequence stars brighter than Tmag=10 that yields 31 giant planet candidates, including 18 confirmed planets, 3 candidates, and 10 false positives. We find a net hot Jupiter occurrence rate of 0.41+/-0.10 % within this sample, consistent with the rate measured by Kepler for FGK stars. When divided into stellar mass bins, we find the occurrence rate to be 0.71+/-0.31% for G stars, 0.43+/-0.15% for F stars, and 0.26+/-0.11% for A stars. Thus, at this point, we cannot discern any statistically significant trend in the occurrence of hot Jupiters with stellar mass.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2019

WASP-4b Arrived Early for the TESS Mission

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) recently observed 18 transits of the hot Jupiter WASP-4b. The sequence of transits occurred 81.6 $\pm$ 11.7 seconds earlier than had been predicted, based on data stretching back to 2007. This is unlikely to be the result of a clock error, because TESS observations of other hot Jupiters (WASP-6b, 18b, and 46b) are compatible with a constant period, ruling out an 81.6-second offset at the 6.4$σ$ level. The 1.3-day orbital period of WASP-4b appears to be decreasing at a rate of $\dot{P} = -12.6 \pm 1.2$ milliseconds per year. The apparent period change might be caused by tidal orbital decay or apsidal precession, although both interpretations have shortcomings. The gravitational influence of a third body is another possibility, though at present there is minimal evidence for such a body. Further observations are needed to confirm and understand the timing variation.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2019

Complex Rotational Modulation of Rapidly Rotating M-Stars Observed with TESS

We have searched for short periodicities in the light curves of stars with $T_{\rm eff}$ cooler than 4000 K made from 2-minute cadence data obtained in TESS sectors 1 and 2. Herein we report the discovery of 10 rapidly rotating M-dwarfs with highly structured rotational modulation patterns among 10 M dwarfs found to have rotation periods less than 1 day. Star-spot models cannot explain the highly structured periodic variations which typically exhibit between 10 and 40 Fourier harmonics. A similar set of objects was previously reported following K2 observations of the Upper Scorpius association (Stauffer et al. 2017). We examine the possibility that the unusual structured light-curves could stem from absorption by charged dust particles that are trapped in or near the stellar magnetosphere. We also briefly explore the possibilities that the sharp structured features in the lightcurves are produced by extinction by coronal gas, by beaming of the radiation emitted from the stellar surface, or by occultations of spots by a dusty ring that surrounds the star. The latter is perhaps the most promising of these scenarios. Most of the structured rotators display flaring activity, and we investigate changes in the modulation pattern following the largest flares. As part of this study, we also report the discovery of 371 rapidly rotating M-dwarfs with rotational periods below 4 hr, of which the shortest period is 1.63 hr.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2019

Astro2020 Science White Paper: The Next Decade of Astroinformatics and Astrostatistics

Over the past century, major advances in astronomy and astrophysics have been largely driven by improvements in instrumentation and data collection. With the amassing of high quality data from new telescopes, and especially with the advent of deep and large astronomical surveys, it is becoming clear that future advances will also rely heavily on how those data are analyzed and interpreted. New methodologies derived from advances in statistics, computer science, and machine learning are beginning to be employed in sophisticated investigations that are not only bringing forth new discoveries, but are placing them on a solid footing. Progress in wide-field sky surveys, interferometric imaging, precision cosmology, exoplanet detection and characterization, and many subfields of stellar, Galactic and extragalactic astronomy, has resulted in complex data analysis challenges that must be solved to perform scientific inference. Research in astrostatistics and astroinformatics will be necessary to develop the state-of-the-art methodology needed in astronomy. Overcoming these challenges requires dedicated, interdisciplinary research. We recommend: (1) increasing funding for interdisciplinary projects in astrostatistics and astroinformatics; (2) dedicating space and time at conferences for interdisciplinary research and promotion; (3) developing sustainable funding for long-term astrostatisics appointments; and (4) funding infrastructure development for data archives and archive support, state-of-the-art algorithms, and efficient computing.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Fundamental properties of the pre-main sequence eclipsing stars of MML 53 and the mass of the tertiary

We present the most comprehensive analysis to date of the Upper Centaurus Lupus eclipsing binary MML 53 (2.097892 d), and for the first time, confirm the bound-nature of the third star (~9yr orbit). Our analysis uses new and archival spectra and time-series photometry. We determined the temperature of the primary star to be 4880+-100 K. The study of the close binary incorporated treatment of spots and dilution by the tertiary in the light curves, allowing for the robust measurement of the masses of the eclipsing components within 1% (M1=1.0400+-0.0067 and M2=0.8907+-0.0058 Msun), their radii within 4.5% (R1=1.283+-0.043 and R2=1.107+-0.049 Rsun), and the secondary temperature (4379+-100K). From the analysis of the eclipse timings, and the change in systemic velocity of the eclipsing binary and the radial velocities of the third star, we measured the mass of the outer companion to be 0.7 Msun within 20%. The age we derived from the evolution of the temperature ratio between the eclipsing components is fully consistent with previous estimates of the age of UCL (16+-2 Myr). At this age, the tightening of the MML 53 eclipsing binary has already occurred, thus supporting close-binary formation mechanisms that act early in their evolution. The eclipsing stars roughly follow the same theoretical isochrone, but appear to be inflated in radius (by 20% for the primary and 10% for the secondary). However, our primary radius measurement of is in full agreement with the independent measurement of the secondary of NP Per which has the same mass and a similar age. The eclipsing stars of MML 53 are found to be larger but not cooler than predicted by non-magnetic models, it is not clear what is the mechanism that is causing the radius inflation given that activity, spots and/or magnetic fields slowing their contraction, require the inflated stars to be cooler to remain in thermal equilibrium.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

WASP-167b/KELT-13b: Joint discovery of a hot Jupiter transiting a rapidly-rotating F1V star

We report the joint WASP/KELT discovery of WASP-167b/KELT-13b, a transiting hot Jupiter with a 2.02-d orbit around a $V$ = 10.5, F1V star with [Fe/H] = 0.1 $\pm$ 0.1. The 1.5 R$_{\rm Jup}$ planet was confirmed by Doppler tomography of the stellar line profiles during transit. We place a limit of $<$ 8 M$_{\rm Jup}$ on its mass. The planet is in a retrograde orbit with a sky-projected spin-orbit angle of $λ= -165^{\circ} \pm 5^{\circ}$. This is in agreement with the known tendency for orbits around hotter stars to be more likely to be misaligned. WASP-167/KELT-13 is one of the few systems where the stellar rotation period is less than the planetary orbital period. We find evidence of non-radial stellar pulsations in the host star, making it a $δ$-Scuti or $γ$-Dor variable. The similarity to WASP-33, a previously known hot-Jupiter host with pulsations, adds to the suggestion that close-in planets might be able to excite stellar pulsations.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2017

Periodic Eclipses of the Young Star PDS 110 Discovered with WASP and KELT Photometry

We report the discovery of eclipses by circumstellar disc material associated with the young star PDS 110 in the Ori OB1a association using the SuperWASP and KELT surveys. PDS 110 (HD 290380, IRAS 05209-0107) is a rare Fe/Ge-type star, a ~10 Myr-old accreting intermediate-mass star showing strong infrared excess (L$_{\rm IR}$/L$_{\rm bol}$ ~ 0.25). Two extremely similar eclipses with a depth of ~30\% and duration ~25 days were observed in November 2008 and January 2011. We interpret the eclipses as caused by the same structure with an orbital period of $808\pm2$ days. Shearing over a single orbit rules out diffuse dust clumps as the cause, favouring the hypothesis of a companion at ~2AU. The characteristics of the eclipses are consistent with transits by an unseen low-mass (1.8-70M$_{Jup}$) planet or brown dwarf with a circum-secondary disc of diameter ~0.3 AU. The next eclipse event is predicted to take place in September 2017 and could be monitored by amateur and professional observatories across the world.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2016

Absolute dimensions of the eccentric eclipsing binary V541 Cygni

We report new spectroscopic and photometric observations of the main-sequence, detached, eccentric, double-lined eclipsing binary V541 Cyg (P = 15.34 days, e = 0.468). Using these observations together with existing measurements we determine the component masses and radii to better than 1% precision: M1 = 2.335 +0.017/-0.013 MSun, M2 = 2.260 +0.016/-0.013 MSun, R1 = 1.859 +0.012/-0.009 RSun, and R2 = 1.808 +0.015/-0.013 RSun. The nearly identical B9.5 stars have estimated temperatures of 10650 +/- 200 K and 10350 +/- 200 K. A comparison of these properties with current stellar evolution models shows excellent agreement at an age of about 190 Myr and [Fe/H] approximately -0.18. Both components are found to be rotating at the pseudo-synchronous rate. The system displays a slow periastron advance that is dominated by General Relativity (GR), and has previously been claimed to be slower than predicted by theory. Our new measurement, dw/dt = 0.859 +0.042/-0.017 deg/century, has an 88% contribution from GR and agrees with the expected rate within the uncertainties. We also clarify the use of the gravity darkening coefficients in the light-curve fitting program EBOP, a version of which we use here.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

V473 Lyr, a modulated, period-doubled Cepheid, and U TrA, a double-mode Cepheid observed by MOST

Space-based photometric measurements first revealed low-amplitude irregularities in the pulsations of Cepheid stars, but their origins and how commonly they occur remain uncertain. To investigate this phenomenon, we present MOST space telescope photometry of two Cepheids. V473 Lyrae is a second-overtone, strongly modulated Cepheid, while U Trianguli Australis is a Cepheid pulsating simultaneously in the fundamental mode and first overtone. The nearly continuous, high-precision photometry reveals alternations in the amplitudes of cycles in V473 Lyr, the first case of period doubling detected in a classical Cepheid. In U TrA, we tentatively identify one peak as the $f_X$ or 0.61-type mode often seen in conjunction with the first radial overtone in Cepheids, but given the short length of the data, we cannot rule out that it is a combination peak instead. Ground-based photometry and spectroscopy were obtained to follow two modulation cycles in V473 Lyr and to better specify its physical parameters. The simultaneous data yield the phase lag parameter (the phase difference between maxima in luminosity and radial velocity) of a second-overtone Cepheid for the first time. We find no evidence for a period change in U TrA or an energy exchange between the fundamental mode and the first overtone during the last 50 years, contrary to earlier indications. Period doubling in V473 Lyr provides a strong argument that mode interactions do occur in some Cepheids and we may hypothesise that it could be behind the amplitude modulation, as recently proposed for Blazhko RR Lyrae stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

The asteroseismic potential of TESS: exoplanet-host stars

New insights on stellar evolution and stellar interiors physics are being made possible by asteroseismology. Throughout the course of the Kepler mission, asteroseismology has also played an important role in the characterization of exoplanet-host stars and their planetary systems. The upcoming NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will be performing a near all-sky survey for planets that transit bright nearby stars. In addition, its excellent photometric precision, combined with its fine time sampling and long intervals of uninterrupted observations, will enable asteroseismology of solar-type and red-giant stars. Here we develop a simple test to estimate the detectability of solar-like oscillations in TESS photometry of any given star. Based on an all-sky stellar and planetary synthetic population, we go on to predict the asteroseismic yield of the TESS mission, placing emphasis on the yield of exoplanet-host stars for which we expect to detect solar-like oscillations. This is done for both the target stars (observed at a 2-min cadence) and the full-frame-image stars (observed at a 30-min cadence). A similar exercise is also conducted based on a compilation of known host stars. We predict that TESS will detect solar-like oscillations in a few dozen target hosts (mainly subgiant stars but also in a smaller number of F dwarfs), in up to 200 low-luminosity red-giant hosts, and in over 100 solar-type and red-giant known hosts, thereby leading to a threefold improvement in the asteroseismic yield of exoplanet-host stars when compared to Kepler's.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

A Disk-based Dynamical Constraint on the Mass of the Young Binary DQ Tau

We present new ALMA observations of CO $J$=2$-$1 line emission from the DQ Tau circumbinary disk. These data are used to tomographically reconstruct the Keplerian disk velocity field in a forward-modeling inference framework, and thereby provide a dynamical constraint on the mass of the DQ Tau binary of $M_\ast = 1.27_{-0.27}^{+0.46} \,M_\odot$. Those results are compared with an updated and improved orbital solution for this double-lined system based on long-term monitoring of its stellar radial velocities. Both of these independent dynamical constraints on the binary mass are in excellent agreement: taken together, they demonstrate that the DQ Tau system mass is $1.21\pm0.26\,M_\odot$ and that the disk and binary orbital planes are aligned within $3^\circ$ (at 3$σ$ confidence). The predictions of various theoretical models for pre-main sequence stellar evolution are also consistent with these masses, although more detailed comparisons are difficult due to lingering uncertainties in the photospheric properties of the individual components. DQ Tau is the third nearly equal-mass double-lined spectroscopic binary with a circumbinary disk that has been dynamically "weighed" with these two independent techniques: all show consistent results, validating the overall accuracy of the disk-based approach and demonstrating that it can be robustly applied to large samples of young, single stars as ALMA ramps up to operations at full capacity.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

The K2-ESPRINT Project. I. Discovery of the Disintegrating Rocky Planet K2-22b with a Cometary Head and Leading Tail

We present the discovery of a transiting exoplanet candidate in the K2 Field-1 with an orbital period of 9.1457 hr: K2-22b. The highly variable transit depths, ranging from $\sim$0\% to 1.3\%, are suggestive of a planet that is disintegrating via the emission of dusty effluents. We characterize the host star as an M-dwarf with $T_{\rm eff} \simeq 3800$ K. We have obtained ground-based transit measurements with several 1-m class telescopes and with the GTC. These observations (1) improve the transit ephemeris; (2) confirm the variable nature of the transit depths; (3) indicate variations in the transit shapes; and (4) demonstrate clearly that at least on one occasion the transit depths were significantly wavelength dependent. The latter three effects tend to indicate extinction of starlight by dust rather than by any combination of solid bodies. The K2 observations yield a folded light curve with lower time resolution but with substantially better statistical precision compared with the ground-based observations. We detect a significant "bump" just after the transit egress, and a less significant bump just prior to transit ingress. We interpret these bumps in the context of a planet that is not only likely streaming a dust tail behind it, but also has a more prominent leading dust trail that precedes it. This effect is modeled in terms of dust grains that can escape to beyond the planet's Hill sphere and effectively undergo `Roche lobe overflow,' even though the planet's surface is likely underfilling its Roche lobe by a factor of 2.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2014

First Detection of UV emission from a Detached Dust Shell: GALEX Observations of the Carbon AGB Star U Hya

We present the discovery of an extended ring of ultraviolet emission surrounding the AGB star U Hya in archival observations performed by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). This is the third discovery of extended UV emission from a carbon AGB star and the first from an AGB star with a detached shell. From imaging and photometric analysis of the FUV and NUV images, we determined that the ultraviolet ring has a radius of $\sim 110^{\prime\prime}$, thus indicating that the emitting material is likely associated with the detached shell seen in the infrared. We find that scattering of the central point source of NUV and FUV emission by the dust shell is negligible. Moreover, we find that scattering of the interstellar radiation field by the dust shell can contribute at most $\sim10%$ of the FUV flux. Morphological and photometric evidence suggests that shocks caused by the star's motion through space and, possibly, shock-excited H$_2$ molecules are the most likely origins of the UV flux. In contrast to previous examples of extended UV emission from AGB stars, the extended UV emission from U Hya does not show a bow shock-like structure, which is consistent with a lower space velocity and lower interstellar medium density. This suggests the detached dust shell is the source of the UV emitting material and can be used to better understand the formation of detached shells.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Constraints on the origin of the first light from SN2014J

We study the very early lightcurve of supernova 2014J (SN 2014J) using the high-cadence broad-band imaging data obtained by the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT), which fortuitously observed M 82 around the time of the explosion, starting more than two months prior to detection, with up to 20 observations per night. These observations are complemented by observations in two narrow-band filters used in an H$α$ survey of nearby galaxies by the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF) that also captured the first days of the brightening of the \sn. The evolution of the lightcurves is consistent with the expected signal from the cooling of shock heated material of large scale dimensions, $\gsim 1 R_{\odot}$. This could be due to heated material of the progenitor, a companion star or pre-existing circumstellar environment, e.g., in the form of an accretion disk. Structure seen in the lightcurves during the first days after explosion could also originate from radioactive material in the outer parts of an exploding white dwarf, as suggested from the early detection of gamma-rays. The model degeneracy translates into a systematic uncertainty of $\pm 0.3$ days on the estimate of the first light from SN 2014J.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

Scintillation properties of SrI_2(Eu^2+) (Strontium iodide doped with europium) for high energy astrophysical detectors: Nonproportionality as a function of temperature and at high gamma-ray energies

Strontium iodide doped with europium is a new scintillator material being developed as an alternative to lanthanum bromide doped with cerium for use in high energy astrophysical detectors. As with all scintillators, the issue of nonproportionality is important because it affects the energy resolution of the detector. In this study, we investigate how the nonproportionality of strontium iodide doped with europium changes as a function of temperature 16 deg. C to 60 deg. C by heating the strontium iodide doped with europium scintillator separate from the photomultiplier tube. In a separate experiment, we also investigate the nonproportionality at high energies (up to 6 MeV) of strontium iodide doped with europium at a testing facility located at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. We find that the nonproportionality increases nearly monotonically as the temperature of the strontium iodide doped with europium scintillator is increased, although there is evidence of non-monotonic behavior near 40 deg. C, perhaps due to electric charge carriers trapping in the material. We also find that within the energy range of 662 keV to 6.1 MeV, the change in the nonproportionality of the strontium iodide doped with europium is about 1.5 to 2 percent.

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