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At least 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

VLT/SPHERE Multiwavelength High-contrast Imaging of the HD 115600 Debris Disk: New Constraints on the Dust Geometry and the Presence of Young Giant Planets

Young and dynamically active planetary systems can form disks of debris that are easier to image than the planets themselves. The morphology and evolution of these disks can help to infer the properties of the putative planets responsible for generating and shaping the debris structures. We present integral field spectroscopy and dual-band imaging from VLT/SPHERE (1.0–1.7 μm) of the debris disk around the young F2V/F3V star HD 115600. We aim to (1) characterize the geometry and composition of the debris ring, (2) search for thermal emission of young giant planets, and (3) in the absence of detected planets, to refine the inferred properties of plausible planets around HD 115600 to prepare future attempts to detect them. Using a different dust scattering model (ZODIPIC) than in the discovery paper to model the disk geometry, we find a {sub 0} = 46 ± 2 au for the disk’s central radius and offsets Δα, Δδ = −1.0 ± 0.5, 0.5 ± 0.5 au. This offset is smaller than previously found, suggesting that unseen planets of lower masses could be sculpting the disk. Spectroscopy of the disk in Y-J bands with SPHERE shows reddish color, which becomes neutral or slightly blue in H-band seen with GPI, broadly consistent with a mixed bulk disk composition of processed organics and water ice. While our observed field contains numerous background objects at wide separations, no exoplanet has been directly observed to a mass sensitivity limit of 2 − 3(5 − 7) M {sub J} between a projected separation of 40 and 200 au for hot (cold)-start models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Two Planets Straddling the Habitable Zone of the Nearby K Dwarf Gl 414A

We present the discovery of two planets orbiting the nearby (D = 11.9 pc) K7 dwarf Gl 414A. Gl 414A b is a sub-Neptune mass planet with M{sub b}sini{sub b}=7.60{sub −2.19}{sup +2.44} M {sub ⊕} and a semimajor axis of 0.23 ± 0.01 au. Gl 414A c is a sub-Saturn mass planet with M{sub c}sini{sub c}=53.83{sub −8.58}{sup +9.18} M {sub ⊕} and a semimajor axis of 1.43 ± 0.06 au. We jointly analyzed radial velocity data from Keck/HIRES and the Automated Planet Finder at Lick Observatory, as well as photometric data from KELT, to detect the two planets and two additional signals related to the rotationally modulated activity and the long-term magnetic activity cycle of the star. The outer planet in this system may be a potential candidate for future direct-imaging missions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Planet Occurrence Rate Correlated to Stellar Dynamical History: Evidence from Kepler and Gaia

The dynamical history of stars influences the formation and evolution of planets significantly. To explore the influence of dynamical history on the planet formation and evolution using observations, we assume stars that experienced significantly different dynamical histories tend to have different relative velocities. Utilizing the accurate Gaia–Kepler Stellar Properties Catalog, we select single main-sequence stars and divide these stars into three groups according to their relative velocities, i.e., high-V, medium-V, and low-V stars. After considering the known biases from Kepler data and adopting prior and posterior correction to minimize the influence of stellar properties on planet occurrence rate, we find that high-V stars have a lower occurrence rate of super-Earths and sub-Neptunes (1–4 R {sub ⊕}, P < 100 days) and a higher occurrence rate of sub-Earth (0.5–1 R {sub ⊕}, P < 30 days) than low-V stars. Additionally, high-V stars have a lower occurrence rate of hot Jupiter-sized planets (4–20 R {sub ⊕}, P < 10 days) and a slightly higher occurrence rate of warm or cold Jupiter-sized planets (4–20 R {sub ⊕}, 10 < P < 400 days). After investigating multiplicity and eccentricity, we find that high-V planet hosts prefer a higher fraction of multiplanet systems and lower average eccentricity, which are consistent with the eccentricity–multiplicity dichotomy of Kepler planetary systems. All of these statistical results favor the scenario that high-V stars with large relative velocity may experience fewer gravitational events, while low-V stars may be influenced by stellar clustering significantly.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1997

Habitable planets with high obliquities

Earth's obliquity would vary chaotically from 0 degrees to 85 degrees were it not for the presence of the Moon (J. Laskar, F. Joutel, and P. Robutel, 1993, Nature 361, 615-617). The Moon itself is thought to be an accident of accretion, formed by a glancing blow from a Mars-sized planetesimal. Hence, planets with similar moons and stable obliquities may be extremely rare. This has lead Laskar and colleagues to suggest that the number of Earth-like planets with high obliquities and temperate, life-supporting climates may be small. To test this proposition, we have used an energy-balance climate model to simulate Earth's climate at obliquities up to 90 degrees. We show that Earth's climate would become regionally severe in such circumstances, with large seasonal cycles and accompanying temperature extremes on middle- and high-latitude continents which might be damaging to many forms of life. The response of other, hypothetical, Earth-like planets to large obliquity fluctuations depends on their land-sea distribution and on their position within the habitable zone (HZ) around their star. Planets with several modest-sized continents or equatorial supercontinents are more climatically stable than those with polar supercontinents. Planets farther out in the HZ are less affected by high obliquities because their atmospheres should accumulate CO2 in response to the carbonate-silicate cycle. Dense, CO2-rich atmospheres transport heat very effectively and therefore limit the magnitude of both seasonal cycles and latitudinal temperature gradients. We conclude that a significant fraction of extrasolar Earth-like planets may still be habitable, even if they are subject to large obliquity fluctuations.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
DOE OSTI2021

A New Era of Nuclear Criticality Experiments: The First 10 Years of Planet Operations at NCERC

Planet is a vertical-lift assembly machine currently located at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) at the Nevada National Security Site. In the past, Planet resided at Technical Area-18 in Los Alamos, New Mexico, as part of the Los Alamos Critical Experiments Facility (LACEF). Following the de-inventorying of LACEF, the Planet assembly was relocated to NCERC in 2008 and became fully operational in June of 2011. The Class Foils experiment, which involves stacking highly enriched uranium foils to obtain a critical configuration, was the first critical experiment performed on Planet. As a major component of the Nuclear Criticality Safety Class taught for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Criticality Safety Program, the Class Foils experiment allows personnel from all over the DOE complex to handle nuclear material and to complete the approach to critical safely and successfully. This paper describes the Planet vertical assembly and recent engineering upgrade and a selection of the experiments that have been performed on Planet since its transition to NCERC 10 years ago.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

Constraints on a second planet in the WASP-3 system

There have been previous hints that the transiting planet WASP-3b is accompanied by a second planet in a nearby orbit, based on small deviations from strict periodicity of the observed transits. Here we present 17 precise radial velocity (RV) measurements and 32 transit light curves that were acquired between 2009 and 2011. These data were used to refine the parameters of the host star and transiting planet. This has resulted in reduced uncertainties for the radii and masses of the star and planet. The RV data and the transit times show no evidence for an additional planet in the system. Therefore, we have determined the upper limit on the mass of any hypothetical second planet, as a function of its orbital period.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

ABUNDANCES OF REFRACTORY ELEMENTS FOR G-TYPE STARS WITH EXTRASOLAR PLANETS

We confirm the difference in chemical abundance between stars with and without exoplanets and present the relation between chemical abundances and physical properties of exoplanets, such as planetary mass and the semimajor axis of planetary orbit. We obtained the spectra of 52 G-type stars from the Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory (BOAO) Echelle Spectrograph and carried out abundance analyses for 12 elements: Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, and Ni. We first found that the [Mn/Fe] ratios of planet-host stars are higher than those of comparison stars over the entire metallicity range, and we then found that in metal-poor stars of [Fe/H] < -0.4 the abundance difference was larger than in metal-rich samples, especially for the elements of Mg, Al, Sc, Ti, V, and Co. After examining the relation between planet properties and metallicities of planet-host stars, we observed that planet-host stars with low metallicities tend to have several low-mass planets (<M{sub J}) instead of a massive gas-giant planet.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

HOW DO MOST PLANETS FORM?-CONSTRAINTS ON DISK INSTABILITY FROM DIRECT IMAGING

Core accretion and disk instability have traditionally been regarded as the two competing possible paths of planet formation. In recent years, evidence has accumulated in favor of core accretion as the dominant mode, at least for close-in planets. However, it might be hypothesized that a significant population of wide planets formed by disk instabilities could exist at large separations, forming an invisible majority. In previous work, we addressed this issue through a direct imaging survey of B2-A0-type stars and concluded that <30% of such stars form and retain planets and brown dwarfs through disk instability, leaving core accretion as the likely dominant mechanism. In this paper, we extend this analysis to FGKM-type stars by applying a similar analysis to the Gemini Deep Planet Survey sample. The results strengthen the conclusion that substellar companions formed and retained around their parent stars by disk instabilities are rare. Specifically, we find that the frequency of such companions is <8% for FGKM-type stars under our most conservative assumptions, for an outer disk radius of 300 AU, at 99% confidence. Furthermore, we find that the frequency is always <10% at 99% confidence independently of outer disk radius, for any radius from 5 to 500 AU. We also simulate migration at a wide range of rates and find that the conclusions hold even if the companions move substantially after formation. Hence, core accretion remains the likely dominant formation mechanism for the total planet population, for every type of star from M-type through B-type.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

PLANETS AROUND THE K-GIANTS BD+20 274 AND HD 219415

We present the discovery of planet-mass companions to two giant stars by the ongoing Penn State-Torun Planet Search conducted with the 9.2 m Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The less massive of these stars, K5-giant BD+20 274, has a 4.2 M{sub J} minimum mass planet orbiting the star at a 578 day period and a more distant, likely stellar-mass companion. The best currently available model of the planet orbiting the K0-giant HD 219415 points to a {approx}> Jupiter-mass companion in a 5.7 year, eccentric orbit around the star, making it the longest period planet yet detected by our survey. This planet has an amplitude of {approx}18 m s{sup -1}, comparable to the median radial velocity 'jitter', typical of giant stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE LICK-CARNEGIE SURVEY: A NEW TWO-PLANET SYSTEM AROUND THE STAR HD 207832

Keck/HIRES precision radial velocities of HD 207832 indicate the presence of two Jovian-type planetary companions in Keplerian orbits around this G star. The planets have minimum masses of Msin i = 0.56 M{sub Jup} and 0.73 M{sub Jup}, with orbital periods of {approx}162 and {approx}1156 days, and eccentricities of 0.13 and 0.27, respectively. Stroemgren b and y photometry reveals a clear stellar rotation signature of the host star with a period of 17.8 days, well separated from the period of the radial velocity variations, reinforcing their Keplerian origin. The values of the semimajor axes of the planets suggest that these objects have migrated from the region of giant planet formation to closer orbits. In order to examine the possibility of the existence of additional (small) planets in the system, we studied the orbital stability of hypothetical terrestrial-sized objects in the region between the two planets and interior to the orbit of the inner body. Results indicated that stable orbits exist only in a small region interior to planet b. However, the current observational data offer no evidence for the existence of additional objects in this system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THREE NEW ECLIPSING WHITE-DWARF-M-DWARF BINARIES DISCOVERED IN A SEARCH FOR TRANSITING PLANETS AROUND M-DWARFS

We present three new eclipsing white-dwarf/M-dwarf binary systems discovered during a search for transiting planets around M-dwarfs. Unlike most known eclipsing systems of this type, the optical and infrared emission is dominated by the M-dwarf components, and the systems have optical colors and discovery light curves consistent with being Jupiter-radius transiting planets around early M-dwarfs. We detail the PTF/M-dwarf transiting planet survey, part of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). We present a graphics processing unit (GPU)-based box-least-squares search for transits that runs approximately 8 Multiplication-Sign faster than similar algorithms implemented on general purpose systems. For the discovered systems, we decompose low-resolution spectra of the systems into white-dwarf and M-dwarf components, and use radial velocity measurements and cooling models to estimate masses and radii for the white dwarfs. The systems are compact, with periods between 0.35 and 0.45 days and semimajor axes of approximately 2 R{sub Sun} (0.01 AU). The M-dwarfs have masses of approximately 0.35 M{sub Sun }, and the white dwarfs have hydrogen-rich atmospheres with temperatures of around 8000 K and have masses of approximately 0.5 M{sub Sun }. We use the Robo-AO laser guide star adaptive optics system to tentatively identify one of the objects as a triple system. We also use high-cadence photometry to put an upper limit on the white-dwarf radius of 0.025 R{sub Sun} (95% confidence) in one of the systems. Accounting for our detection efficiency and geometric factors, we estimate that 0.08%{sub -0.05%}{sup +0.10%} (90% confidence) of M-dwarfs are in these short-period, post-common-envelope white-dwarf/M-dwarf binaries where the optical light is dominated by the M-dwarf. The lack of detections at shorter periods, despite near-100% detection efficiency for such systems, suggests that binaries including these relatively low-temperature white dwarfs are preferentially found at relatively large orbital radii. Similar eclipsing binary systems can have arbitrarily small eclipse depths in red bands and generate plausible small-planet-transit light curves. As such, these systems are a source of false positives for M-dwarf transiting planet searches. We present several ways to rapidly distinguish these binaries from transiting planet systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE ROSSITER-McLAUGHLIN EFFECT FOR EXOMOONS OR BINARY PLANETS

In this paper, we study possible signatures of binary planets or exomoons on the Rossiter-McLaughlin (R-M) effect. Our analyses show that the R-M effect for a binary planet or an exomoon during its complete transit phase can be divided into two parts. The first is the conventional one similar to the R-M effect from the transit of a single planet, of which the mass and the projected area are the combinations of the binary components; the second is caused by the orbital rotation of the binary components, which may add a sine- or linear-mode deviation to the stellar radial velocity curve. We find that the latter effect can be up to several ten m s{sup -1}. Our numerical simulations as well as analyses illustrate that the distribution and dispersion of the latter effects obtained from multiple transit events can be used to constrain the dynamical configuration of the binary planet, such as how the inner orbit of the binary planet is inclined to its orbit rotating around the central star. We find that the signatures caused by the orbital rotation of the binary components are more likely to be revealed if the two components of a binary planet have different masses and mass densities, especially if the heavy one has a high mass density and the light one has a low density. Similar signatures on the R-M effect may also be revealed in a hierarchical triple star system containing a dark compact binary and a tertiary star.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

DECOUPLING PHASE VARIATIONS IN MULTI-PLANET SYSTEMS

Due to the exquisite photometric precision, transiting exoplanet discoveries from the Kepler mission are enabling several new techniques of confirmation and characterization. One of these newly accessible techniques analyzes the phase variations of planets as they orbit their stars. The predicted phase variation for multi-planet systems can become rapidly complicated and depends upon the period, radius, and albedo distributions for planets in the system. Here we describe the confusion that may occur due to short-period terrestrial planets and/or non-transiting planets in a system, which can add high-frequency correlated noise or low-frequency trends to the data stream. We describe these sources of ambiguity with several examples, including that of our solar system. We further show how decoupling of these signals may be achieved with application to the Kepler-20 and Kepler-33 multi-planet systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

EMERGING TRENDS IN A PERIOD-RADIUS DISTRIBUTION OF CLOSE-IN PLANETS

We analyze the distribution of extrasolar planets (both confirmed and Kepler candidates) according to their orbital periods P and planetary radii R. Among confirmed planets, we find compelling evidence for a paucity of bodies with 3 R {sub Circled-Plus} < R < 10 R {sub Circled-Plus }, where R {sub Circled-Plus} is Earth's radius and P < 2-3 days. We have christened this region a sub-Jovian Pampas. The same trend is detected in multiplanet Kepler candidates. Although approximately 16 Kepler single-planet candidates inhabit this Pampas, at least 7 are probable false positives (FPs). This last number could be significantly higher if the ratio of FPs is higher than 10%, as suggested by recent studies. In a second part of the paper we analyze the distribution of planets in the (P, R) plane according to stellar metallicities. We find two interesting trends: (1) a lack of small planets (R < 4 R {sub Circled-Plus }) with orbital periods P < 5 days in metal-poor stars and (2) a paucity of sub-Jovian planets (4 R {sub Circled-Plus} < R < 8 R {sub Circled-Plus }) with P < 100 days, also around metal-poor stars. Although all these trends are preliminary, they appear statistically significant and deserve further scrutiny. If confirmed, they could represent important constraints on theories of planetary formation and dynamical evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

AN ANALYTIC THEORY FOR THE ORBITS OF CIRCUMBINARY PLANETS

Three transiting circumbinary planets (Kepler-16 b, Kepler-34 b, and Kepler-35 b) have recently been discovered from photometric data taken by the Kepler spacecraft. Their orbits are significantly non-Keplerian because of the large secondary-to-primary mass ratio and orbital eccentricity of the binaries, as well as the proximity of the planets to the binaries. We present an analytic theory, with the planet treated as a test particle, which shows that the planetary motion can be represented by the superposition of the circular motion of a guiding center, the forced oscillations due to the non-axisymmetric components of the binary's potential, the epicyclic motion, and the vertical motion. In this analytic theory, the periapse and ascending node of the planet precess at nearly equal rates in opposite directions. The largest forced oscillation term corresponds to a forced eccentricity (which is an explicit function of the parameters of the binary and of the guiding center radius of the planet), and the amplitude of the epicyclic motion (which is a free parameter of the theory) is the free eccentricity. Comparisons with direct numerical orbit integrations show that this analytic theory gives an accurate description of the planetary motion for all three Kepler systems. We find that all three Kepler circumbinary planets have nonzero free eccentricities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

LOW-MASS PLANETS IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS WITH NET VERTICAL MAGNETIC FIELDS: THE PLANETARY WAKE AND GAP OPENING

Some regions in protoplanetary disks are turbulent, while some regions are quiescent (e.g. the dead zone). In order to study how planets open gaps in both inviscid hydrodynamic disk (e.g. the dead zone) and the disk subject to magnetorotational instability (MRI), we carried out both shearing box two-dimensional inviscid hydrodynamical simulations and three-dimensional unstratified magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) simulations (having net vertical magnetic fields) with a planet at the box center. We found that, due to the nonlinear wave steepening, even a low mass planet can open gaps in both cases, in contradiction to the ''thermal criterion'' for gap opening. In order to understand if we can represent the MRI turbulent stress with the viscous {alpha} prescription for studying gap opening, we compare gap properties in MRI-turbulent disks to those in viscous HD disks having the same stress, and found that the same mass planet opens a significantly deeper and wider gap in net vertical flux MHD disks than in viscous HD disks. This difference arises due to the efficient magnetic field transport into the gap region in MRI disks, leading to a larger effective {alpha} within the gap. Thus, across the gap, the Maxwell stress profile is smoother than the gap density profile, and a deeper gap is needed for the Maxwell stress gradient to balance the planetary torque density. Comparison with previous results from net toroidal flux/zero flux MHD simulations indicates that the magnetic field geometry plays an important role in the gap opening process. We also found that long-lived density features (termed zonal flows) produced by the MRI can affect planet migration. Overall, our results suggest that gaps can be commonly produced by low mass planets in realistic protoplanetary disks, and caution the use of a constant {alpha}-viscosity to model gaps in protoplanetary disks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

INTERIOR STRUCTURE OF WATER PLANETS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THEIR DYNAMO SOURCE REGIONS

Recent discoveries of water-rich, sub-Neptunian- to Neptunian-massed exoplanets with short-period orbits present a new parameter space for the study of exoplanetary dynamos. We explore the geometry of the dynamo source region within this parameter space using 1D interior structure models. We model planets with four chemically distinct layers that consist of (1) an iron core, (2) a silicate layer, (3) an H{sub 2}O layer, and (4) an H/He envelope. By varying the total planetary mass in the range of 1-19 M{sub Circled-Plus }, the mass fraction of the H/He envelope between 0.1% and 5.1%, and the equilibrium temperature between 100 K and 1000 K, a survey of the parameter space for potential dynamo source region geometries is conducted. We find that due to the nature of the phase diagram of water at pressure and temperature conditions of planetary interiors, two different dynamo source region geometries are obtainable. Specifically, we find that smaller planets, and planets with thicker H/He envelopes, are likely to be in the regime of a thick-shelled dynamo. Massive planets, and planets with thin H/He envelopes, are likely to be in the regime of a thin-shelled dynamo. Also, small variations of these parameters can produce large interior structure differences. This implies the potential to constrain these parameters based on observations of a planet's magnetic field signature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE INFLUENCE OF THERMAL EVOLUTION IN THE MAGNETIC PROTECTION OF TERRESTRIAL PLANETS

Magnetic protection of potentially habitable planets plays a central role in determining their actual habitability and/or the chances of detecting atmospheric biosignatures. Here we develop a thermal evolution model of potentially habitable Earth-like planets and super-Earths (SEs). Using up-to-date dynamo-scaling laws, we predict the properties of core dynamo magnetic fields and study the influence of thermal evolution on their properties. The level of magnetic protection of tidally locked and unlocked planets is estimated by combining simplified models of the planetary magnetosphere and a phenomenological description of the stellar wind. Thermal evolution introduces a strong dependence of magnetic protection on planetary mass and rotation rate. Tidally locked terrestrial planets with an Earth-like composition would have early dayside magnetopause distances between 1.5 and 4.0 R{sub p} , larger than previously estimated. Unlocked planets with periods of rotation {approx}1 day are protected by magnetospheres extending between 3 and 8 R{sub p} . Our results are robust in comparison with variations in planetary bulk composition and uncertainties in other critical model parameters. For illustration purposes, the thermal evolution and magnetic protection of the potentially habitable SEs GL 581d, GJ 667Cc, and HD 40307g were also studied. Assuming an Earth-like composition, we found that the dynamos of these planets are already extinct or close to being shut down. While GL 581d is the best protected, the protection of HD 40307g cannot be reliably estimated. GJ 667Cc, even under optimistic conditions, seems to be severely exposed to the stellar wind, and, under the conditions of our model, has probably suffered massive atmospheric losses.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗