Deepak Raghavan

Two Suns in the Sky: Stellar Multiplicity in Exoplanet Systems

We present results of a reconnaissance for stellar companions to all 131 radial velocity-detected candidate extrasolar planetary systems known as of 2005 July 1. Common proper-motion companions were investigated using the multiepoch STScI Digitized Sky Surveys and confirmed by matching the trigonometric parallax distances of the primaries to companion distances estimated photometrically. We also attempt to confirm or refute companions listed in the Washington Double Star Catalog, in the Catalogs of Nearby Stars Series by Gliese and Jahreis, in Hipparcos results, and in Duquennoy & Mayors radial velocity survey. Our findings indicate that a lower limit of 30 (23%) of the 131 exoplanet systems have stellar companions. We report new stellar companions to HD 38529 and HD 188015 and a new candidate companion to HD 169830. We confirm many previously reported stellar companions, including six stars in five systems, that are recognized for the first time as companions to exoplanet hosts. We have found evidence that 20 entries in the Washington Double Star Catalog are not gravitationally bound companions. At least three (HD 178911, 16 Cyg B, and HD 219449), and possibly five (including HD 41004 and HD 38529), of the exoplanet systems reside in triple-star systems. Three exoplanet systems (GJ 86, HD 41004, and γ Cep) have potentially close-in stellar companions, with planets at roughly Mercury-Mars distances from the host star and stellar companions at projected separations of ~20 AU, similar to the Sun-Uranus distance. Finally, two of the exoplanet systems contain white dwarf companions. This comprehensive assessment of exoplanet systems indicates that solar systems are found in a variety of stellar multiplicity environments—singles, binaries, and triples—and that planets survive the post-main-sequence evolution of companion stars.

Spitzer IRAC Photometry of M, L, and T Dwarfs

We present the results of a program to acquire photometry for 86 late M, L, and T dwarfs using the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on the Spitzer Space Telescope. We examine the behavior of these cool dwarfs in various color-color and color-magnitude diagrams composed of near-IR and IRAC data. The T dwarfs exhibit the most distinctive positions in these diagrams. In M_(5.8) versus [5.8]-[8.0], the IRAC data for T dwarfs are not monotonic in either magnitude or color, giving the clearest indication yet that the T dwarfs are not a one-parameter family in T_(eff). Because metallicity does not vary enough in the solar neighborhood to act as the second parameter, the most likely candidate then is gravity, which in turn translates to mass. Among objects with similar spectral type, the range of mass suggested by our sample is about a factor of 5 (~70M_J to ~15M_J), with the less massive objects making up the younger members of the sample. We also find the IRAC 4.5 μm fluxes to be lower than expected, from which we infer a stronger CO fundamental band at ~4.67 μm. This suggests that equilibrium CH_4/CO chemistry underestimates the abundance of CO in T dwarf atmospheres, confirming earlier results based on M-band observations from the ground. In combining IRAC photometry with near-IR JHK photometry and parallax data, we find the combination of K_s, IRAC 3.6 μm, and 4.5 μm bands to provide the best color-color discrimination for a wide range of M, L, and T dwarfs. Also noteworthy is the M_k versus K_s-[4.5] relation, which shows a smooth progression over spectral type, and splits the M, L, and T types cleanly.

Angular Diameters of the G Subdwarf μ Cassiopeiae A and the K Dwarfs σ Draconis and HR 511 from Interferometric Measurements with the CHARA Array

Using the longest baselines of the CHARA Array, we have measured the angular diameter of the G5?V subdwarf ??Cas?A, the first such determination for a halo population star. We compare this result to new diameters for the higher metallicity K0?V stars, ??Dra and HR?511, and find that the metal-poor star, ??Cas?A, has an effective temperature ( -->Teff = 5297 ? 32 K), radius ( -->R = 0.791 ? 0.008 R?), and absolute luminosity ( -->L = 0.442 ? 0.014 L?) comparable to those of the other two stars with later spectral types. We show that stellar models show a discrepancy in the predicted temperature and radius for ??Cas?A, and we discuss these results and how they provide a key to understanding the fundamental relationships for stars with low metallicity.

SEPARATED FRINGE PACKET OBSERVATIONS WITH THE CHARA ARRAY. I. METHODS AND NEW ORBITS FOR χ DRACONIS, HD 184467, AND HD 198084

We present the modification of the orbits of χ Draconis and HD 184467, and a completely new orbit for HD 198084, including data taken at the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array. These data were obtained using a modification of the technique of separated fringe packets (SFPs). The accuracy of the SFP data surpasses that of data taken by speckle, but the technique is much more time and labor intensive. Additionally, using SFPs with the CHARA Array, it is possible to obtain separations below the detection range of speckle interferometry (30 mas) above the range in “classic” long-baseline interferometry where fringes from a binary overlap are no longer separated (10 mas). Using spectroscopic binary systems with published speckle orbits, we are able to test our new measurements against their ephemerides to calibrate the method as well as produce entirely new orbits for systems with no current astrometric observations.

Joint Hα and X-Ray Observations of Massive X-Ray Binaries. I. The B Supergiant System LS I +65 010 = 2S 0114+650

We report on a 3 yr spectroscopic monitoring program of the Hα emission in the massive X-ray binary LS I +65 010 = 2S 0114+650, which consists of a B supergiant and a slowly rotating X-ray pulsar. We present revised orbital elements that yield a period of P = 11.5983 ± 0.0006 days and confirm that the orbit has a nonzero eccentricity e = 0.18 ± 0.05. The Hα emission profile is formed in the base of the wind of the B supergiant primary, and we show how this spectral feature varies on timescales that are probably related to the rotational period of the B supergiant. We also examine the X-ray fluxes from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer All-Sky Monitor instrument, and we show that the X-ray orbital light curve has a maximum at periastron and a minimum at the inferior conjunction of the B supergiant. We also show that the wind emission strength and the high-energy X-ray flux appear to vary in tandem on timescales of approximately 1 yr.

INNER ORBITS IN HIERARCHICAL TRIPLE SYSTEMS FROM THE CHARA ARRAY. I. V819 Her B

We employ the wide component of a triple system to calibrate the interferometric visibility of the inner, short-period orbit in the case of V819 Her. The orbit for V819 Her B was thereby derived by performing a χ2 fit to interferometric visibility measurements from observations of fringe packets at the CHARA Array. Comparing this orbit to that of V819 Her AB (the wider orbit in this hierarchical triple system), the mutual inclination was found to be 335 ± 93, consistent with observations of other triple systems. Also, due to the presence of an evolved component in the system, the age of the system can be estimated to be 1.9 Gyr ± 1.1 Gyr.

KNOW THE STAR, KNOW THE PLANET. II. SPECKLE INTERFEROMETRY OF EXOPLANET HOST STARS

A study of the host stars to exoplanets is important for understanding their environment. To that end, we report new speckle observations of a sample of exoplanet host primaries. The bright exoplanet host HD 8673 (= HIP 6702) is revealed to have a companion, although at this time we cannot definitively establish the companion as physical or optical. The observing lists for planet searches and for these observations have for the most part been pre-screened for known duplicity, so the detected binary fraction is lower than what would otherwise be expected. Therefore, a large number of double stars were observed contemporaneously for verification and quality control purposes, to ensure that the lack of detection of companions for exoplanet hosts was valid. In these additional observations, 10 pairs are resolved for the first time and 60 pairs are confirmed. These observations were obtained with the USNO speckle camera on the NOAO 4 m telescopes at both KPNO and CTIO from 2001 to 2010.

A SEARCH FOR SEPARATED FRINGE PACKET BINARIES USING THE CHARA ARRAY

We present the results of a comprehensive search for new companions to nearby solar-type stars using the separated fringe packet (SFP) technique at the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array. Our search included 636 observations of 186 stars, searching for companions with separations of approximately 8-80 mas and moderate brightness ratios ({Delta}K {approx}< 1.5). This survey was undertaken to support a comprehensive assessment of companions to solar-type stars within 25 pc. We detected separated fringe companions to two stars (HD 3196 and 79096) and found faint companion signatures to two more stars (HD 98231 and 137763). All of these companions are previously known by spectroscopic methods, and three of them have speckle interferometric observations as well. The faint companion seen to HD 98231 represents the first visual detection of this spectroscopic companion. Our null detection for new companions implies that the presumed gap between spectroscopic and visual techniques has largely been filled for nearby solar-type stars, thanks to systematic radial-velocity observations over multiple decades and a thorough coverage using visual techniques, especially speckle interferometric observations. We also generate simulated fringe packets to derive detection limits for SFP binaries using the CHARA Array.

MWC 314: binary results from optical interferometry compared with spectroscopy and photometry

We initiated a multi-technique campaign to understand the physics and properties of the massive binary system MWC 314. Our observations included optical high-resolution spectroscopy and Johnson photometry, nearinfrared spectrophotometry, and K′−band long-baseline interferometry with the CHARA Array. Our results place strong constraints on the spectroscopic orbit, along with reasonable observations of the phase-locked photometric variability. Our interferometry, with input from the spectrophotometry, provides information on the geometry of the system that appears to consist of a primary star filling its Roche Lobe and loosing mass both onto a hidden companion and through the outer Lagrangian point, feeding a circumbinary disk. While the multi-faceted observing program is allowing us to place some constraints on the system, there is also a possibility that the outflow seen by CHARA is actually a jet and not a circumbinary disk.

Speckle Interferometry of Red Dwarf Stars

We report high resolution optical speckle observations of 336 M dwarfs which result in 113 measurements of relative position of 80 systems and 256 other stars with no indications of duplicity. These are the first measurements for two of the systems. We also present the earliest measures of relative position for 17 others. We include orbits for six of the systems, two revised and four reported for the first time. For one of the systems with a new orbit, G 161-7, we determine masses of 0.156 +/- 0.011 and 0.1175 +/-0.0079 \msun for the A and B components, respectively. All six of these new calculated orbits have short periods between five and thirty-eight years and hold the promise of deriving accurate masses in the near future. For many other pairs we can establish their nature as physical or chance alignment depending on their relative motion. Of the 80 systems, 32 have calculated orbits, 25 others are physical pairs, 4 are optical pairs and 19 are currently unknown.