arXiv subjects

Michel Mayor

Publications and source records attributed to Michel Mayor.

62 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2004

The "missing link": a 4-day period transiting exoplanet around OGLE-TR-111

We report the discovery of a transiting hot Jupiter around OGLE-TR-111, from our radial velocity follow-up of OGLE transiting candidates in Carina. The planet has a mass of 0.53 +- 0.11 M_J and a radius of 1.0 +0.13-0.06 R_J. Three transiting exoplanets have already been found among OGLE candidates, all with periods near 1.5 days. The planet presented here, with P=4.0 days, is the first exoplanet detected by transits with the characteristics of a "normal" hot Jupiter, as found in abundance by radial velocity surveys The radius of OGLE-TR-111b and the scarcity of hot Jupiters detected among OGLE transit candidates tend to indicate that the case of HD209458b, with a radius of 1.4 R_J, is exceptional, with most hot Jupiters being smaller.

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arXiv2003

Lithium in stars with exoplanets

We present a comparison of the lithium abundances of stars with and without planetary-mass companions. New lithium abundances are reported in 79 planet hosts and 38 stars from a comparison sample. When the Li abundances of planet host stars are compared with the 157 stars in the sample of field stars of Chen et al. (2001) we find that the Li abundance distribution is significantly different, and that there is a possible excess of Li depletion in planet host stars with effective temperatures in the range 5600--5850 K, whereas we find no significant differences in the temperature range 5850--6350 K. We have searched for statistically significant correlations between the Li abundance of parent stars and various parameters of the planetary companions. We do not find any strong correlation, although there are may be a hint of a possible gap in the Li distribution of massive planet host stars.

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arXiv2003

New measurement of the Lithium-6/Lithium-7 isotopic ratio in the extra-solar planet host star HD82943 and line blending in the Li 6708 A region

The presence of possible blends in the spectral region of the Li resonance line at 6708 A in solar-type metal-rich stars is investigated using high resolution and high signal-to-noise spectroscopic observations. Our analysis does not confirm the identification of a weak absorption feature at 6708.025 A with the low excitation TiI line proposed by Reddy et al. (2002). Our spectrum synthesis suggests that the unidentified absorption is most probably produced by a high excitation SiI line originally proposed by Muller et al. (1975). Reanalysis of the Lithium-6/Lithium-7 isotopic ratio in HD82943 was performed by taking the SiI line into account and using new VLT/UVES spectra of HD82943 with a signal-to-noise ratio close to 1000. We confirm the presence of Lithium-6 in the star's atmosphere while the updated value for the isotopic ratio is f(Lithium-6) = 0.05+-0.02.

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arXiv2001

Confirming the Metal-Rich Nature of Stars with Giant Planets

With the goal of confirming the metallicity ``excess'' observed in stars with planetary mass companions, we have conducted a high-precision spectroscopic study of a ``comparison'' sample of dwarfs included in the CORALIE extra-solar planet survey (Santos, Israelian, & Mayor 2001). The targets were chosen following two basic criteria: they make part of a limited volume and they do not present the signature of a planetary host companion. The spectroscopic analysis, done using the very same technique as previous works on the metallicity of stars with planets, permitted a direct and non-biased comparison of the samples. The results have revealed that metallicity plays an impressive role on the giant planet formation. The chemical composition of the molecular cloud is probably the key parameter to form giant planets. Some evidences exist, however, showing the possibility of accretion of matter in the stellar outer convective zone. These conclusions impose serious constraints on the planetary systems formation and evolution models.

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arXiv1999

Detection of Planetary Transits Across a Sun-like Star

We report high precision, high cadence photometric measurements of the star HD 209458, which is known from radial velocity measurements to have a planetary mass companion in a close orbit. We detect two separate transit events at times that are consistent with the radial velocity measurements. In both cases, the detailed shape of the transit curve due to both the limb darkening of the star and the finite size of the planet is clearly evident. Assuming stellar parameters of 1.1 R_Sun and 1.1 M_Sun, we find that the data are best interpreted as a gas giant with a radius of 1.27 +/- 0.02 R_Jup in an orbit with an inclination of 87.1 +/- 0.2 degrees. We present values for the planetary surface gravity, escape velocity, and average density, and discuss the numerous observations that are warranted now that a planet is known to transit the disk of its parent star.

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arXiv1999

Investigation of the Praesepe cluster. III. Radial velocity and binarity of the F5-K0 Klein-Wassink stars

Coravel observations of 103 F5-K0 stars in the Praesepe cluster yielded 24 spectroscopic binaries (3 are non-members), and 20 orbits were determined, with periods from 4 to 7400 days. Based on a complete sample in the colour range 0.40 < B-V < 0.80 (80 stars, including KW 244 = TX Cnc), the companion star fraction CSF = 0.45. The percentage of spectroscopic binaries with P < 1000d is 20% (16/80). The combined photometric and spectroscopic analysis showed that 12 among 18 single-lined spectroscopic binaries are located within the "single" star sequence in the (V,B-V) diagram and cannot be detected by the photometric analysis in the UBV system. In addition, seven photometrically analysed binaries were not detected with the radial velocity observations, but are confirmed members. The number of single:binary:triple stars is 47:30:3.

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arXiv1999

Accurate masses of very low mass stars: I Gl 570BC (0.6+0.4 Msol)

We present very accurate individual masses (1.2% relative accuracy) for the two components of Gl 570BC, an interferometric and double-lined spectroscopic binary system. They were obtained from new high accuracy radial velocity and angular separation measurements, analysed together with previously published measurements. From those data we determine a much improved orbit through a simultaneous least square fit to the radial velocity, visual, and parallax information. The derived masses and absolute magnitudes generally validate the theoretical and empirical mass-luminosity relations around 0.5 Msol, but point towards some low level discrepancies at the 0.1 to 0.15 magnitude level. Forthcoming results of this observing program will extend the comparison to much lower masses with similar accuracy.

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arXiv1998

The closest extrasolar planet: A giant planet around the M4 dwarf Gl 876

High precision radial velocity observations of the nearby M4 dwarf Gl 876 with the Observatoire de Haute Provence 1.93 m telescope and the new 1.20 m swiss telescope at la Silla indicate the presence of a jovian mass companion to this star. The orbital fit to the data gives a period of 60.8 days, a velocity amplitude of 246 m/s and an eccentricity of 0.34. Assuming that Gl 876 has a mass of 0.3 solar masses, the mass function implies a mass for the companion of 2/sin(i) Jupiter masses.

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