Search for circum‐planetary material and orbital period variations of short‐period <i>Kepler</i> exoplanet candidates

Garai, Z.; Zhou, G.; Budaj, J.; Stellingwerf, R. F.

doi:10.1002/asna.201312126

Cited by 25 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…With increasing distance from the planet, the dust grains speed up with respect to the planet. They also gradually sublimate due to the intense stellar irradiation, decreasing their 1 A search for more such objects amongst short-period Kepler exoplanet candidates did not find any additional ones (Garai et al 2014). …”

Section: Evaporating Rocky Exoplanetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dusty tails of evaporating exoplanets

Lieshout

Min

Dominik

et al. 2016

A&A

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Context. Evaporating rocky exoplanets, such as KIC 12557548b, eject large amounts of dust, which can trail the planet in a comet-like tail. When such objects occult their host star, the resulting transit signal contains information about the dust in the tail. Aims. We aim to use the detailed shape of the Kepler light curve of KIC 12557548b to constrain the size and composition of the dust grains that make up the tail, as well as the mass loss rate of the planet. Methods. Using a self-consistent numerical model of the dust dynamics and sublimation, we calculated the shape of the tail by following dust grains from their ejection from the planet to their destruction due to sublimation. From this dust cloud shape, we generated synthetic light curves (incorporating the effects of extinction and angle-dependent scattering), which were then compared with the phase-folded Kepler light curve. We explored the free-parameter space thoroughly using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method. Results. Our physics-based model is capable of reproducing the observed light curve in detail. Good fits are found for initial grain sizes between 0.2 and 5.6 µm and dust mass loss rates of 0.6 to 15.6 M ⊕ Gyr −1 (2σ ranges). We find that only certain combinations of material parameters yield the correct tail length. These constraints are consistent with dust made of corundum (Al 2 O 3 ), but do not agree with a range of carbonaceous, silicate, or iron compositions. Conclusions. Using a detailed, physically motivated model, it is possible to constrain the composition of the dust in the tails of evaporating rocky exoplanets. This provides a unique opportunity to probe to interior composition of the smallest known exoplanets.

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Section: Evaporating Rocky Exoplanetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dusty tails of evaporating exoplanets

Lieshout

Min

Dominik

et al. 2016

A&A

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“…The mass of the planet must be relatively small too, less than that of Mars, otherwise the material would not be able to escape from its deep gravitational well. This is supported by Garai et al (2014) who found no evidence for the dusty tails in other more massive close-in exoplanets observed by Kepler. The planet's tail is dominated by radiative and gravitational forces as well as an interplay between the grain condensation and evaporation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Mysterious eclipses in the light curve of KIC8462852: a possible explanation

Neslušan

Budaj

2017

A&A

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Context. Apart from thousands of 'regular' exoplanet candidates, Kepler satellite has discovered a few stars exhibiting peculiar eclipse-like events. They are most probably caused by disintegrating bodies transiting in front of the star. However, the nature of the bodies and obscuration events, such as those observed in KIC8462852, remain mysterious. A swarm of comets or artificial alien mega-structures have been proposed as an explanation for the latter object. Aims. We explore the possibility that such eclipses are caused by the dust clouds associated with massive parent bodies orbiting the host star. Methods. We assumed a massive object and a simple model of the dust cloud surrounding the object. Then, we used the numerical integration to simulate the evolution of the cloud, its parent body, and resulting light-curves as they orbit and transit the star. Results. We found that it is possible to reproduce the basic features in the light-curve of KIC8462852 with only four objects enshrouded in dust clouds. The fact that they are all on similar orbits and that such models require only a handful of free parameters provides additional support for this hypothesis. Conclusions. This model provides an alternative to the comet scenario. With such physical models at hand, at present, there is no need to invoke alien mega-structures for an explanation of these light-curves.

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“…These are 64 842 observations with an exposure time of about 30 min. Kepler observations were reduced in a similar manner to in Budaj (2013) and Garai et al (2014). Results of the period analysis of KOI 2700b.…”

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gravity of the more massive planets would provide too deep a potential barrier for the wind. Garai et al (2014) searched for comet-like tails in a sample of 20 close-in exoplanet candidates with a period similar to KIC 12557548b from the Kepler mission, however, none of the exoplanet candidates showed signs of a comet-like tail. This result is in agreement with the model proposed by Perez-Becker & Chiang (2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Light-curve analysis of KOI 2700b: the second extrasolar planet with a comet-like tail

Garai

2018

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Context. The Kepler object KOI 2700b (KIC 8639908b) was discovered recently as the second exoplanet with a comet-like tail. It exhibits a distinctly asymmetric transit profile, likely indicative of the emission of dusty effluents and reminiscent of KIC 12557548b, the first exoplanet with a comet-like tail. Aims. The scientific goal of this work is to verify the disintegrating-planet scenario of KOI 2700b by modeling its light curve and to put constraints on various tail and planet properties, as was done in the case of KIC 12557548b. Methods. We obtained the phase-folded and binned transit light curve of KOI 2700b, which we subsequently iteratively modeled using the radiative-transfer code SHELLSPEC. We modeled the comet-like tail as part of a ring around the parent star and we also included the solid body of the planet in the model. During the modeling we applied selected species and dust particle sizes. Results. We confirmed the disintegrating-planet scenario of KOI 2700b. Furthermore, via modeling, we derived some interesting features of KOI 2700b and its comet-like tail. It turns out that the orbital plane of the planet and its tail are not edge-on, but the orbital inclination angle is from the interval [85.1, 88.6] deg. In comparison with KIC 12557548b, KOI 2700b exhibits a relatively low dust density decreasing in its tail. We also derived the dust density at the beginning of the ring and the highest optical depth through the tail in front of the star, based on a tail-model with a cross-section of 0.05 × 0.05R ⊙ at the beginning and 0.09 × 0.09R ⊙ at its end. Our results show that the dimension of the planet is R p /R s ≤ 0.014 (R p ≤ 0.871R ⊕ , or ≤ 5551 km). We also estimated the mass-loss rate from KOI 2700b, and we obtainedṀ values from the interval [5.05 × 10 7 , 4.41 × 10 15 ] g.s −1 . On the other hand, we could not draw any satisfactory conclusions about the typical grain size in the dust tail.

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Search for circum‐planetary material and orbital period variations of short‐period Kepler exoplanet candidates

Cited by 25 publications

References 53 publications

Dusty tails of evaporating exoplanets

Dusty tails of evaporating exoplanets

Mysterious eclipses in the light curve of KIC8462852: a possible explanation

Light-curve analysis of KOI 2700b: the second extrasolar planet with a comet-like tail

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