- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/159/57
- Title:
- HST spectroscopic LCs of Kepler 51b & 51d
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/159/57
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The Kepler mission revealed a class of planets known as "super-puffs," with masses only a few times larger than Earth's but radii larger than Neptune, giving them very low mean densities. All three of the known planets orbiting the young solar-type star Kepler 51 are super-puffs. The Kepler 51 system thereby provides an opportunity for a comparative study of the structures and atmospheres of this mysterious class of planets, which may provide clues about their formation and evolution. We observed two transits each of Kepler 51b and 51d with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on the Hubble Space Telescope. Combining new WFC3 transit times with reanalyzed Kepler data and updated stellar parameters, we confirmed that all three planets have densities lower than 0.1g/cm^3^. We measured the WFC3 transmission spectra to be featureless between 1.15 and 1.63{mu}m, ruling out any variations greater than 0.6 scale heights (assuming a H/He-dominated atmosphere), thus showing no significant water absorption features. We interpreted the flat spectra as the result of a high-altitude aerosol layer (pressure <3mbar) on each planet. Adding this new result to the collection of flat spectra that have been observed for other sub-Neptune planets, we find support for one of the two hypotheses introduced by Crossfield & Kreidberg (2017AJ....154..261C), that planets with cooler equilibrium temperatures have more high-altitude aerosols. We strongly disfavor their other hypothesis that the H/He mass fraction drives the appearance of large-amplitude transmission features.
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- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/634/L4
- Title:
- HST/STIS FUV spectra of K2-18
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/634/L4
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- K2-18 b is a transiting mini-Neptune that orbits a nearby (38pc), cool M3 dwarf and is located inside its region of temperate irradiation. We report on the search for hydrogen escape from the atmosphere K2-18 b using Lyman-{alpha} transit spectroscopy with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument installed on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We analyzed the time-series of fluxes of the stellar Lyman-{alpha} emission of K2-18 in both its blue- and redshifted wings. We found that the average blueshifted emission of K2-18 decreases by 67%+/-18% during the transit of the planet compared to the pre-transit emission, tentatively indicating the presence of H atoms escaping vigorously and being blown away by radiation pressure. This interpretation is not definitive because it relies on one partial transit. Based on the reconstructed Lyman-{alpha} emission of K2-18, we estimate an EUV irradiation in the range 10^1^-10^2^erg/s/cm^2^ and a total escape rate on the order of 10^8^g/s. The inferred escape rate suggests that the planet will lose only a small fraction (<1%) of its mass and retain its volatile-rich atmosphere during its lifetime. More observations are needed to rule out stellar variability effects, confirm the in-transit absorption, and better assess the atmospheric escape and high-energy environment of K2-18 b.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/161/269
- Title:
- HST WFC3/UVIS normalized light curve of WASP-43
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/161/269
- Date:
- 16 Mar 2022 00:05:36
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Optical reflected light eclipse observations provide a direct probe of exoplanet scattering properties, such as from aerosols. We present here the photometric reflected light observations of WASP-43b using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFC3/UVIS instrument with the F350LP filter (346-822nm) encompassing the entire optical band. This is the first reflected light photometric eclipse using UVIS in scanning mode; as such, we further detail our scanning extraction and analysis pipeline Arctor. Our HST WFC3/UVIS eclipse light curve for WASP-43b derived a 3{sigma} upper limit of 67ppm on the eclipse depth, which implies that WASP-43b has a very dark dayside atmosphere. With our atmospheric modeling campaign, we compared our reflected light constraints with predictions from global circulation and cloud models benchmarked with HST and Spitzer observations of WASP-43b. We infer that we do not detect clouds on the dayside within the pressure levels probed by HST WFC3/UVIS with the F350LP filter (P>1bar). This is consistent with the general circulation model predictions based on previous WASP-43b observations. Dayside emission spectroscopy results from WASP-43b with HST and Spitzer observations are likely to not be significantly affected by contributions from cloud particles.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/159/98
- Title:
- I-band LC of the microlensing event KMT-2016-BLG-1836
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/159/98
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We report the discovery of a super-Jovian planet in the microlensing event KMT-2016-BLG-1836, which was found by the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) high-cadence observations ({Gamma}~4/hr). The planet-host mass ratio q~0.004. A Bayesian analysis indicates that the planetary system is composed of a super-Jovian M_planet_=2.2_-1.1_^+1.9^M_J_ planet orbiting an M or K dwarf, M_host_=0.49_-0.25_^+0.38^M_{sun}_, at a distance of D_L_=7.1_-2.4_^+0.8^kpc. The projected planet-host separation is 3.5_-0.9_^+1.1^au, implying that the planet is located beyond the snow line of the host star. Future high-resolution images can potentially strongly constrain the lens brightness and thus the mass and distance of the planetary system. Without considering detailed detection efficiency, selection, or publication biases, we find a potential mass-ratio desert at -3.7<~logq<~-3.0 for the 31 published KMTNet planets.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/162/96
- Title:
- I-band light curve of KMT-2016-BLG-2605 with KMTNet
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/162/96
- Date:
- 11 Mar 2022 14:37:06
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- With a planet-host mass ratio q=0.012{+/-}0.001, KMT-2016-BLG-2605 has the shortest Einstein timescale, tE=3.41{+/-}0.13days, of any planetary microlensing event to date. This prompts us to examine the full sample of seven short (tE<7days) planetary events with good q measurements. We find that six have clustered Einstein radii {theta}E=115{+/-}20{mu}as and lens-source relative proper motions {mu}rel~9.5{+/-}2.5mas/yr. For the seventh, these two quantities could not be measured. These distributions are consistent with a Galactic bulge population of very low mass (VLM) hosts near the hydrogen-burning limit. This conjecture could be verified by imaging at first adaptive optics light on next-generation (30m) telescopes. Based on a preliminary assessment of the sample, "planetary" companions (i.e., below the deuterium-burning limit) are divided into "genuine planets," formed in their disks by core accretion, and VLM brown dwarfs, which form like stars. We discuss techniques for expanding the sample, which include taking account of the peculiar "anomaly-dominated" morphology of the KMT-2016-BLG-2605 light curve.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/162/267
- Title:
- I-band light curve of OGLE-2019-BLG-1058 with KMTNet
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/162/267
- Date:
- 25 Mar 2022 06:06:33
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We show that because the conditions for producing terrestrial microlens parallax (TPRX; i.e., a nearby disk lens) will also tend to produce a large lens-source relative proper motion ({mu}rel), source proper motion ({mu}S) measurements in general provide a strong test of TPRX signals, which Gould & Yee (2013) showed were an important probe of free-floating planet (FFP) candidates. As a case study, we report a single-lens/single-source microlensing event designated as OGLE-2019-BLG-1058. For this event, the short timescale (~2.5days) and very fast {mu}rel (~17.6mas/yr) suggest that this isolated lens is an FFP candidate located in the disk of our Galaxy. For this event, we find a TPRX signal consistent with a disk FFP, but at low significance. A direct measurement of the {mu}S shows that the large {mu}rel is due to an extreme {mu}S, and thus, the lens is consistent with being a very-low-mass star in the bulge and the TPRX measurement is likely spurious. By contrast, we show how a precise measurement of {mu}S with the mean properties of the bulge proper motion distribution would have given the opposite result; i.e., provided supporting evidence for an FFP in the disk and the TPRX measurement.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/159/116
- Title:
- I-band light curves of OGLE-2015-BLG-1771Lb
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/159/116
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We report the discovery and the analysis of the short (t_E_<5days) planetary microlensing event, OGLE-2015-BLG-1771. The event was discovered by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment, and the planetary anomaly (at I~19) was captured by The Korea Microlensing Telescope Network. The event has three surviving planetary models that explain the observed light curves, with planet-host mass ratio q~5.4x10^-3^, 4.5x10^-3^ and 4.5x10^-2^, respectively. The first model is the best-fit model, while the second model is disfavored by {Delta}_{chi}^2^_~3. The last model is strongly disfavored by {Delta}_{chi}^2^_~15 but not ruled out. A Bayesian analysis using a Galactic model indicates that the first two models are probably composed of a Saturn-mass planet orbiting a late M dwarf, while the third one could consist of a super-Jovian planet and a mid-mass brown dwarf. The source-lens relative proper motion is {mu}_rel_~9mas/yr, so the source and lens could be resolved by current adaptive-optics instruments in 2020 if the lens is luminous.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/157/169
- Title:
- Identifying exoplanets with deep learning in K2
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/157/169
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- For years, scientists have used data from NASA's Kepler Space Telescope to look for and discover thousands of transiting exoplanets. In its extended K2 mission, Kepler observed stars in various regions of the sky all across the ecliptic plane, and therefore in different galactic environments. Astronomers want to learn how the populations of exoplanets are different in these different environments. However, this requires an automatic and unbiased way to identify exoplanets in these regions and rule out false-positive signals that mimic transiting planet signals. We present a method for classifying these exoplanet signals using deep learning, a class of machine learning algorithms that have become popular in fields ranging from medical science to linguistics. We modified a neural network previously used to identify exoplanets in the Kepler field to be able to identify exoplanets in different K2 campaigns that exist in a range of galactic environments. We train a convolutional neural network, called AstroNet-K2, to predict whether a given possible exoplanet signal is really caused by an exoplanet or a false positive. AstroNet-K2 is highly successful at classifying exoplanets and false positives, with accuracy of 98% on our test set. It is especially efficient at identifying and culling false positives, but for now, it still needs human supervision to create a complete and reliable planet candidate sample. We use AstroNet-K2 to identify and validate two previously unknown exoplanets. Our method is a step toward automatically identifying new exoplanets in K2 data and learning how exoplanet populations depend on their galactic birthplace.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/474/2094
- Title:
- Inferring probabilistic stellar rotation periods
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/474/2094
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Variability in the light curves of spotted, rotating stars is often non-sinusoidal and quasi-periodic - spots move on the stellar surface and have finite lifetimes, causing stellar flux variations to slowly shift in phase. A strictly periodic sinusoid therefore cannot accurately model a rotationally modulated stellar light curve. Physical models of stellar surfaces have many drawbacks preventing effective inference, such as highly degenerate or high-dimensional parameter spaces. In this work, we test an appropriate effective model: a Gaussian Process with a quasi-periodic covariance kernel function. This highly flexible model allows sampling of the posterior probability density function of the periodic parameter, marginalizing over the other kernel hyperparameters using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach. To test the effectiveness of this method, we infer rotation periods from 333 simulated stellar light curves, demonstrating that the Gaussian process method produces periods that are more accurate than both a sine-fitting periodogram and an autocorrelation function method. We also demonstrate that it works well on real data, by inferring rotation periods for 275 Kepler stars with previously measured periods. We provide a table of rotation periods for these and many more, altogether 1102 Kepler objects of interest, and their posterior probability density function samples. Because this method delivers posterior probability density functions, it will enable hierarchical studies involving stellar rotation, particularly those involving population modelling, such as inferring stellar ages, obliquities in exoplanet systems, or characterizing star-planet interactions. The code used to implement this method is available online (https://github.com/RuthAngus/GProtation/).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/160/253
- Title:
- Infrared photometry of late-type dwarfs in Kepler Field
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/160/253
- Date:
- 08 Dec 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- While it is well-established that giant-planet occurrence rises rapidly with host star metallicity, it is not yet clear if small-planet occurrence around late-type dwarf stars depends on host star metallicity. Using the Kepler Data Release 25 planet candidate list and its completeness data products, we explore planet occurrence as a function of metallicity in the Kepler field's late-type dwarf stellar population. We find that planet occurrence increases with metallicity for all planet radii Rp down to at least Rp~2R{Earth}, and that in the range 2R{Earth}<~Rp<~5R{Earth}, planet occurrence scales linearly with metallicity Z. Extrapolating our results, we predict that short-period planets with Rp<~2R{Earth} should be rare around early-M dwarf stars with [M/H]<~-0.5 or late-M dwarf stars with [M/H]<~+0.0. This dependence of planet occurrence on metallicity observed in the Kepler field emphasizes the need to control for metallicity in estimates of planet occurrence for late-type dwarf stars like those targeted by Kepler's K2 extension and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. We confirm the theoretical expectation that the small-planet occurrence-host star metallicity relation is stronger for low-mass stars than for solar-type stars. We establish that the expected solid mass in planets around late-type dwarfs in the Kepler field is comparable to the total amount of planet-making solids in their protoplanetary disks. We argue that this high efficiency of planet formation favors planetesimal accretion over pebble accretion as the origin of the small planets observed by Kepler around late-type dwarf stars.
