No Arabic abstract
The recently discovered transiting very hot Jupiter, HAT-P-7b, a planet detected by the telescopes of HATNet, turned out to be among the ones subjected to the highest irradiation from the parent star. As known, the combination of photometric and spectroscopic data for such an object yields the stellar, orbital and planetary parameters. In order to best characterize this particular planet, we carried out a complex analysis based on a complete and simultaneous Monte-Carlo solution using all available data. We included the discovery light curves, partial follow-up light curves, the radial velocity data, and we used the stellar evolution models to infer the stellar properties. This self-consistent way of modeling provides the most precise estimate of the a posteriori distributions of all of the system parameters of interest, and avoids making assumptions on the values and uncertainties of any of the internally derived variables describing the system. This analysis demonstrates that even partial light curve information can be valuable. This may become very important for future discoveries of planets with longer periods -- and therefore longer transit durations -- where the chance of observing a full event is small.
We present refined parameters for the extrasolar planetary system HAT-P-2 (also known as HD 147506), based on new radial velocity and photometric data. HAT-P-2b is a transiting extrasolar planet that exhibits an eccentric orbit. We present a detailed analysis of the planetary and stellar parameters, yielding consistent results for the mass and radius of the star, better constraints on the orbital eccentricity, and refined planetary parameters. The improved parameters for the host star are M_star = 1.36 +/- 0.04 M_sun and R_star = 1.64 +/- 0.08 R_sun, while the planet has a mass of M_p = 9.09 +/- 0.24 M_Jup and radius of R_p = 1.16 +/- 0.08 R_Jup. The refined transit epoch and period for the planet are E = 2,454,387.49375 +/- 0.00074 (BJD) and P = 5.6334729 +/- 0.0000061 (days), and the orbital eccentricity and argument of periastron are e = 0.5171 +/- 0.0033 and omega = 185.22 +/- 0.95 degrees. These orbital elements allow us to predict the timings of secondary eclipses with a reasonable accuracy of ~15 minutes. We also discuss the effects of this significant eccentricity including the characterization of the asymmetry in the transit light curve. Simple formulae are presented for the above, and these, in turn, can be used to constrain the orbital eccentricity using purely photometric data. These will be particularly useful for very high precision, space-borne observations of transiting planets.
High-resolution spectroscopy of U Gem was obtained during quiescence. We did not find a hot spot or gas stream around the outer boundaries of the accretion disk. Instead, we detected a strong narrow emission near the location of the secondary star. We measured the radial velocity curve from the wings of the double-peaked H$alpha$ emission line, and obtained a semi-amplitude value that is in excellent agreement with the obtained from observations in the ultraviolet spectral region by Sion et al. (1998). We present also a new method to obtain K_2, which enhances the detection of absorption or emission features arising in the late-type companion. Our results are compared with published values derived from the near-infrared NaI line doublet. From a comparison of the TiO band with those of late type M stars, we find that a best fit is obtained for a M6V star, contributing 5 percent of the total light at that spectral region. Assuming that the radial velocity semi-amplitudes reflect accurately the motion of the binary components, then from our results: K_em = 107+/-2 km/s; K_abs = 310+/-5 km/s, and using the inclination angle given by Zhang & Robinson(1987); i = 69.7+/-0.7, the system parameters become: M_WD = 1.20+/-0.05 M_sun,; M_RD = 0.42+/-0.04 M_sun; and a = 1.55+/- 0.02 R_sun. Based on the separation of the double emission peaks, we calculate an outer disk radius of R_out/a ~0.61, close to the distance of the inner Lagrangian point L_1/a~0.63. Therefore we suggest that, at the time of observations, the accretion disk was filling the Roche-Lobe of the primary, and that the matter leaving the L_1 point was colliding with the disc directly, producing the hot spot at this location.
We develop atmosphere models of two of the three Kepler-field planets that were known prior to the start of the Kepler mission (HAT-P-7b and TrES-2). We find that published Kepler and Spitzer data for HAT-P-7b appear to require an extremely hot upper atmosphere on the dayside, with a strong thermal inversion and little day-night redistribution. The Spitzer data for TrES-2 suggest a mild thermal inversion with moderate day-night redistribution. We examine the effect of nonequilibrium chemistry on TrES-2 model atmospheres and find that methane levels must be adjusted by extreme amounts in order to cause even mild changes in atmospheric structure and emergent spectra. Our best-fit models to the Spitzer data for TrES-2 lead us to predict a low secondary eclipse planet-star flux ratio (~2 x 10^-5) in the Kepler bandpass, which is consistent with what very recent observations have found. Finally, we consider how the Kepler-band optical flux from a hot exoplanet depends on the strength of a possible extra optical absorber in the upper atmosphere. We find that the optical flux is not monotonic in optical opacity, and the non-monotonicity is greater for brighter, hotter stars.
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 $Delta T=$80 s-level, placing a limit on the possible strength of planet-planet interactions ($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.
We present observations of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect for two exoplanetary systems, revealing the orientations of their orbits relative to the rotation axes of their parent stars. HAT-P-4b is prograde, with a sky-projected spin-orbit angle of lambda = -4.9 +/- 11.9 degrees. In contrast, HAT-P-14b is retrograde, with lambda = 189.1 +/- 5.1 degrees. These results conform with a previously noted pattern among the stellar hosts of close-in giant planets: hotter stars have a wide range of obliquities and cooler stars have low obliquities. This, in turn, suggests that three-body dynamics and tidal dissipation are responsible for the short-period orbits of many exoplanets. In addition, our data revealed a third body in the HAT-P-4 system, which could be a second planet or a companion star.