- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/497/3790
- Title:
- TRAPPIST-South UCD Transit Survey
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/497/3790
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We conducted a global analysis of the TRAPPIST Ultra-Cool Dwarf Transit Survey - a prototype of the SPECULOOS transit search conducted with the TRAPPIST-South robotic telescope in Chile from 2011 to 2017 - to estimate the occurrence rate of close-in planets such as TRAPPIST-1b orbiting ultra-cool dwarfs. For this purpose, the photometric data of 40 nearby ultra-cool dwarfs were reanalysed in a self-consistent and fully automated manner starting from the raw images. The pipeline developed specifically for this task generates differential light curves, removes non-planetary photometric features and stellar variability, and searches for transits. It identifies the transits of TRAPPIST-1b and TRAPPIST-1c without any human intervention. To test the pipeline and the potential output of similar surveys, we injected planetary transits into the light curves on a star-by-star basis and tested whether the pipeline is able to detect them. The achieved photometric precision enables us to identify Earth-sized planets orbiting ultra-cool dwarfs as validated by the injection tests. Our planet-injection simulation further suggests a lower limit of 10 per cent on the occurrence rate of planets similar to TRAPPIST-1b with a radius between 1 and 1.3 R_{Earth}_ and the orbital period between 1.4 and 1.8d.
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21392. TRAPPIST-1 transit timings
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/640/A112
- Title:
- TRAPPIST-1 transit timings
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/640/A112
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- With more than 1000 hours of observation from Feb 2016 to Oct 2019, the Spitzer Exploration Program Red Worlds (ID: 13067, 13175 and 14223) exclusively targeted TRAPPIST-1, a nearby (12pc) ultracool dwarf star, finding that it is orbited by seven transiting Earth-sized planets. At least three of these planets orbit within the classical habitable zone of the star, and all of them are well-suited for a detailed atmospheric characterization with the upcoming JWST. The main goals of the Spitzer Red Worlds program were (1) to explore the system for new transiting planets, (2) to intensively monitor the planets' transits to yield the strongest possible constraints on their masses, sizes, compositions, and dynamics, and (3) to assess the infrared variability of the host star. In this paper, we present the global results of the project. We analyzed 88 new transits and combined them with 100 previously analyzed transits, for a total of 188 transits observed at 3.6 or 4.5um. For a comprehensive study, we analyzed all light curves both individually and globally. We also analyzed 29 occultations (secondary eclipses) of planet b and eight occultations of planet c observed at 4.5um to constrain the brightness temperatures of their daysides. We identify several orphan transit-like structures in our Spitzer photometry, but all of them are of low significance. We do not confirm any new transiting planets. We do not detect any significant variation of the transit depths of the planets throughout the different campaigns. Comparing our individual and global analyses of the transits, we estimate for TRAPPIST-1 transit depth measurements mean noise floors of ~35 and 25ppm in channels 1 and 2 of Spitzer/IRAC, respectively. We estimate that most of this noise floor is of instrumental origins and due to the large inter-pixel inhomogeneity of IRAC InSb arrays, and that the much better interpixel homogeneity of JWST instruments should result in noise floors as low as 10ppm, which is low enough to enable the atmospheric characterization of the planets by transit transmission spectroscopy. Our analysis reveals a few outlier transits, but we cannot conclude whether or not they correspond to spot or faculae crossing events. We construct updated broadband transmission spectra for all seven planets which show consistent transit depths between the two Spitzer channels. Although we are limited by instrumental precision, the combined transmission spectrum of planet b to g tells us that their atmospheres seem unlikely to be CH_4_-dominated. We identify and model five distinct high energy flares in the whole dataset, and discuss our results in the context of habitability. Finally, we fail to detect occultation signals of planets b and c at 4.5um, and can only set 3{sigma} upper limits on their dayside brightness temperatures (611K for b 586K for c).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/154/115
- Title:
- Travel times of stars within about 300 lt-yr
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/154/115
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- New means of interstellar travel are now being considered by various research teams, assuming lightweight spaceships to be accelerated via either laser or solar radiation to a significant fraction of the speed of light (c). We recently showed that gravitational assists can be combined with the stellar photon pressure to decelerate an incoming lightsail from Earth and fling it around a star or bring it to rest. Here, we demonstrate that photogravitational assists are more effective when the star is used as a bumper (i.e., the sail passes "in front of" the star) rather than as a catapult (i.e., the sail passes "behind" or "around" the star). This increases the maximum deceleration at {alpha} Cen A and B and reduces the travel time of a nominal graphene-class sail (mass-to-surface ratio 8.6*10^-4^g/m^2^) from 95 to 75 years. The maximum possible velocity reduction upon arrival depends on the required deflection angle from {alpha} Cen A to B and therefore on the binary's orbital phase. Here, we calculate the variation of the minimum travel times from Earth into a bound orbit around Proxima for the next 300 years and then extend our calculations to roughly 22000 stars within about 300lt-yr. Although {alpha} Cen is the most nearby star system, we find that Sirius A offers the shortest possible travel times into a bound orbit: 69 years assuming 12.5% c can be obtained at departure from the solar system. Sirius A thus offers the opportunity of flyby exploration plus deceleration into a bound orbit of the companion white dwarf after relatively short times of interstellar travel.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/893/27
- Title:
- TRENDS high-contrast imaging survey. VIII.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/893/27
- Date:
- 19 Jan 2022 00:39:50
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The physical properties of faint stellar and substellar objects often rely on indirect, model-dependent estimates. For example, the masses of brown dwarfs are usually inferred using evolutionary models, which are age dependent and have yet to be properly calibrated. With the goal of identifying new benchmark objects to test low-mass stellar and substellar models, we have carried out a comprehensive adaptive optics survey as part of the TaRgetting bENchmark-objects with the Doppler Spectroscopy (TRENDS) high-contrast imaging program. Using legacy radial velocity measurements from the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer at Keck, we have identified several dozen stars that show long-term Doppler accelerations. We present follow-up high-contrast observations from the campaign and report the discovery of 31 comoving companions, as well as 11 strong candidate companions, to solar-type stars with well-determined parallax and metallicity values. Benchmark objects of this nature lend themselves to orbit determinations, dynamical mass estimates, and independent compositional assessment. This compendium of benchmark objects will serve as a convenient test group to substantiate theoretical evolutionary and atmospheric models near the hydrogen fusing limit.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/510/A107
- Title:
- TrES-2b multi-band transit observations
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/510/A107
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a new data set of transit observations of the TrES-2b exoplanet taken in spring 2009, using the 1.2m Oskar-Luehning telescope (OLT) of Hamburg Observatory and the 2.2m telescope at Calar Alto Observatory using BUSCA (Bonn University Simultaneous CAmera). Both the new OLT data, taken with the same instrumental setup as our data taken in 2008, as well as the simultaneously recorded multicolor BUSCA data confirm the low inclination values reported previously, and in fact suggest that the TrES-2b exoplanet has already passed the first inclination threshold (i_min,1_=83.417{deg}) and is not eclipsing the full stellar surface any longer.
21396. TrES-4b RV and Ic curves
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/575/L15
- Title:
- TrES-4b RV and Ic curves
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/575/L15
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We update the TrES-4 system parameters using high-precision HARPS-N radial-velocity measurements and new photometric light curves. A combined spectroscopic and photometric analysis allows us to determine a spectroscopic orbit with a semi-amplitude K=51+/-3m/s. The derived mass of TrES-4b is found to be M_p_=0.49+/-0.04M_Jup_, significantly lower than previously reported. Combined with the large radius (R_p_=1.84_-0.09_^+0.08^R_Jup_) inferred from our analysis, TrES-4b becomes the transiting hot Jupiter with the second-lowest density known. We discuss several scenarios to explain the puzzling discrepancy in the mass of TrES-4b in the context of the exotic class of highly inflated transiting giant planets.
21397. TrES-3b UBVIz' light curves
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/608/A26
- Title:
- TrES-3b UBVIz' light curves
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/608/A26
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Transit events of extrasolar planets offer the opportunity to study the composition of their atmospheres. Previous work on transmission spectroscopy of the close-in gas giant TrES-3 b revealed an increase in absorption towards blue wavelengths of very large amplitude in terms of atmospheric pressure scale heights, too large to be explained by Rayleigh- scattering in the planetary atmosphere. We present a follow-up study of the optical transmission spectrum of the hot Jupiter TrES-3 b to investigate the strong increase in opacity towards short wavelengths found by a previous study. Furthermore, we aim to estimate the effect of stellar spots on the transmission spectrum. This work uses previously published long slit spectroscopy transit data of the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) and published broad band observations as well as new observations in different bands from the near-UV to the near-IR, for a homogeneous transit light curve analysis. Additionally, a long-term photometric monitoring of the TrES-3 host star was performed. Our newly analysed GTC spectroscopic transit observations show a slope of much lower amplitude than previous studies. We conclude from our results the previously reported increasing signal towards short wavelengths is not intrinsic to the TrES-3 system. Furthermore, the broad band spectrum favours a flat spectrum. Long-term photometric monitoring rules out a significant modification of the transmission spectrum by unocculted star spots.
21398. TrES-1 equivalent widths
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/131/2274
- Title:
- TrES-1 equivalent widths
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/131/2274
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a detailed chemical abundance analysis of the parent star of the transiting extrasolar planet TrES-1. Based on high-resolution Keck HIRES and Hobby-Eberly Telescope HRS spectra, we have determined abundances relative to the Sun for 16 elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, and Ba).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/656/A88
- Title:
- TrES-5 photometric timeseries
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/656/A88
- Date:
- 22 Feb 2022
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The orbital motion of the transiting hot Jupiter TrES-5 b was reported to be perturbed by a planetary companion on a nearby orbit. Such compact systems do not frequently occur in nature, and learning their orbital architecture could shed some light on hot Jupiters' formation processes. We acquired fifteen new precise photometric time series for twelve transits of TrES-5 b between June 2019 and October 2020 using 0.9-2.0m telescopes. The method of precise transit timing was employed to verify the deviation of the planet from the Keplerian motion. Although our results show no detectable short-time variation in the orbital period of TrES-5 b and the existence of the additional nearby planet is not confirmed, the new transits were observed about two minutes earlier than expected. We conclude that the orbital period of the planet could vary in a long timescale. We found that the most likely explanation of the observations is the line-of-sight acceleration of the system's barycentre due to the orbital motion induced by a massive, wide-orbiting companion.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/793/62
- Title:
- Triangulum-Andromeda stellar properties
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/793/62
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- As large-scale stellar surveys have become available over the past decade, the ability to detect and characterize substructures in the Galaxy has increased dramatically. These surveys have revealed the Triangulum-Andromeda (TriAnd) region to be rich with substructures in the distance range 20-30 kpc, and the relation of these features to each other, if any, remains unclear. An exploration using Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) photometry reveals not only the faint sequence in M giants detected by Rocha-Pinto et al. (2004ApJ...615..732R) spanning the range 100{deg}<l<160{deg} and -50{deg}<b<-15{deg}, but, in addition, a second, brighter and more densely populated sequence. These sequences are likely associated with the distinct main sequences (MSs) discovered (and labeled TriAnd1 and TriAnd2) by Martin et al. (2007ApJ...668L.123M) in an optical survey in the direction of M31, where TriAnd2 is the optical counterpart of the fainter red giant branch (RGB)/asymptotic giant branch sequence of Rocha-Pinto et al. Here, the age, distance, and metallicity ranges for TriAnd1 and TriAnd2 are estimated by simultaneously fitting isochrones to the 2MASS RGB tracks and the optical MS/MS turn-off features. The two populations are clearly distinct in age and distance: the brighter sequence (TriAnd1) is younger (6-10 Gyr) and closer (distance of ~15-21 kpc), whereas the fainter sequence (TriAnd2) is older (10-12 Gyr) and at an estimated distance of ~24-32 kpc. A comparison with simulations demonstrates that the differences and similarities between TriAnd1 and TriAnd2 can simultaneously be explained if they represent debris originating from the disruption of the same dwarf galaxy, but torn off during two distinct pericentric passages.
