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Register a new userAliasing in the Radial Velocities of YZ Ceti: An Ultra-Short Period for YZ Ceti c?
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Authors
Paul Robertson
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Mid-late M stars are opportunistic targets for the study of low-mass exoplanets in transit because of the high planet-to-star radius ratios of their planets. Recent studies of such stars have shown that, like their early-M counterparts, they often host multi-resonant networks of small planets. Here, we reanalyze radial velocity measurements of YZ Ceti, an active M4 dwarf for which the HARPS exoplanet survey recently discovered three exoplanets on short-period (P = 4.66, 3.06, 1.97 days) orbits. Our analysis finds that the orbital periods of the inner two planets cannot be uniquely determined using the published HARPS velocities. In particular, it appears likely that the 3.06-day period of YZ Ceti c is an alias, and that its true period is 0.75 days. If so, the revised minimum mass of this planet is less than 0.6 Earth masses, and its geometric transit probability increases to 10%. We encourage additional observations to determine the true periods of YZ Ceti b and c, and suggest a search for transits at the 0.75-day period in TESS lightcurves.
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The nearby ultra-compact multiplanetary system YZ Ceti consists of at least three planets. The orbital period of each planet is the subject of discussion in the literature due to strong aliasing in the radial velocity data. The stellar activity of this M dwarf also hampers significantly the derivation of the planetary parameters. With an additional 229 radial velocity measurements obtained since the discovery publication, we reanalyze the YZ Ceti system and resolve the alias issues. We use model comparison in the framework of Bayesian statistics and periodogram simulations based on a method by Dawson and Fabrycky to resolve the aliases. We discuss additional signals in the RV data, and derive the planetary parameters by simultaneously modeling the stellar activity with a Gaussian process regression model. To constrain the planetary parameters further we apply a stability analysis on our ensemble of Keplerian fits. We resolve the aliases: the three planets orbit the star with periods of $2.02$ d, $3.06$ d, and $4.66$ d. We also investigate an effect of the stellar rotational signal on the derivation of the planetary parameters, in particular the eccentricity of the innermost planet. Using photometry we determine the stellar rotational period to be close to $68$ d. From the absence of a transit event with TESS, we derive an upper limit of the inclination of $i_mathrm{max} = 87.43$ deg. YZ Ceti is a prime example of a system where strong aliasing hindered the determination of the orbital periods of exoplanets. Additionally, stellar activity influences the derivation of planetary parameters and modeling them correctly is important for the reliable estimation of the orbital parameters in this specific compact system. Stability considerations then allow additional constraints to be placed on the planetary parameters.
The abilities of radial velocity exoplanet surveys to detect the lowest-mass extra-solar planets are currently limited by a combination of instrument precision, lack of data, and jitter. Jitter is a general term for any unknown features in the noise, and reflects a lack of detailed knowledge of stellar physics (asteroseismology, starspots, magnetic cycles, granulation, and other stellar surface phenomena), as well as the possible underestimation of instrument noise. We study an extensive set of radial velocities for the star HD 10700 ($tau$ Ceti) to determine the properties of the jitter arising from stellar surface inhomogeneities, activity, and telescope-instrument systems, and perform a comprehensive search for planetary signals in the radial velocities. We perform Bayesian comparisons of statistical models describing the radial velocity data to quantify the number of significant signals and the magnitude and properties of the excess noise in the data. We reach our goal by adding artificial signals to the flat radial velocity data of HD 10700 and by seeing which one of our statistical noise models receives the greatest posterior probabilities while still being able to extract the artificial signals correctly from the data. We utilise various noise components to assess properties of the noise in the data and analyse the HARPS, AAPS, and HIRES data for HD 10700 to quantify these properties and search for previously unknown low-amplitude Keplerian signals. ...
We present ULTRACAM photometry of ES Cet, an ultracompact binary with a 620s orbital period. The mass transfer in systems such as this one is thought to be driven by gravitational radiation, which causes the binary to evolve to longer periods since the semi-degenerate donor star expands in size as it loses mass. We supplement these ULTRACAM+WHT data with observations made with smaller telescopes around the world over a nine year baseline. All of the observations show variation on the orbital period, and by timing this variation we track the period evolution of this system. We do not detect any significant departure from a linear ephemeris, implying a donor star that is of small mass and close to a fully degenerate state. This finding favours the double white dwarf formation channel for this AM CVn star. An alternative explanation is that the system is in the relatively short-lived phase in which the mass transfer rate climbs towards its long-term value.
We report a long-term study of the eclipse times in the 10-minute helium binary ES Ceti. The binary period increases rapidly, with P/P-dot = 6.2x10^6 yr. This is consistent with the assumption that gravitational radiation (GR) drives the mass transfer, and appears to be the first dynamical evidence that GR is indeed the driver of evolution in this class of very old cataclysmic variables -- the AM Canum Venaticorum stars.
We present ~0.4 resolution images of CO(3-2) and associated continuum emission from the gas-bearing debris disk around the nearby A star 49 Ceti, observed with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). We analyze the ALMA visibilities in tandem with the broad-band spectral energy distribution to measure the radial surface density profiles of dust and gas emission from the system. The dust surface density decreases with radius between ~100 and 310 au, with a marginally significant enhancement of surface density at a radius of ~110 au. The SED requires an inner disk of small grains in addition to the outer disk of larger grains resolved by ALMA. The gas disk exhibits a surface density profile that increases with radius, contrary to most previous spatially resolved observations of circumstellar gas disks. While ~80% of the CO flux is well described by an axisymmetric power-law disk in Keplerian rotation about the central star, residuals at ~20% of the peak flux exhibit a departure from axisymmetry suggestive of spiral arms or a warp in the gas disk. The radial extent of the gas disk (~220 au) is smaller than that of the dust disk (~300 au), consistent with recent observations of other gas-bearing debris disks. While there are so far only three broad debris disks with well characterized radial dust profiles at millimeter wavelengths, 49 Cetis disk shows a markedly different structure from two radially resolved gas-poor debris disks, implying that the physical processes generating and sculpting the gas and dust are fundamentally different.
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