Grzegorz Nowak

A Planetary-Mass Companion to the K0 Giant HD 17092

We report the discovery of a substellar-mass companion to the K0 giant HD 17092 with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. In the absence of any correlation of the observed 360 day periodicity with the standard indicators of stellar activity, the observed radial velocity variations are most plausibly explained in terms of a Keplerian motion of a planetary-mass body around the star. As the estimated stellar mass is 2.3 M_⊙, the minimum mass of the planet is 4.6 M_J. The planets orbit is characterized by a mild eccentricity of e = 0.17 and a semimajor axis of 1.3 AU. This is the tenth published detection of a planetary companion around a red giant star. Such discoveries add to our understanding of planet formation around intermediate-mass stars, and they provide dynamical information on the evolution of planetary systems around post-main-sequence stars.

SUBSTELLAR-MASS COMPANIONS TO THE K-DWARF BD+14 4559 AND THE K-GIANTS HD 240210 AND BD+20 2457

We present the discovery of substellar-mass companions to three stars by the ongoing Penn State-Torun Planet Search conducted with the 9.2 m Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The K2-dwarf, BD+14 4559, has a 1.5 M{sub J} minimum mass companion with the orbital period of 269 days and shows a non-linear, long-term radial velocity (RV) trend, which indicates a possible presence of another planet-mass body in the system. The K3-giant, HD 240210, exhibits RV variations that require modeling with multiple orbits, but the available data are not yet sufficient to do it unambiguously. A tentative, one-planet model calls for a 5.2 M{sub J} minimum mass planet in a 502 day orbit around the star. The most massive of the three stars, the K2-giant, BD+20 2457, whose estimated mass is 2.8 +- 1.5 M {sub sun}, has two companions with the respective minimum masses of 21.4 M{sub J} and 12.5 M{sub J} and orbital periods of 380 and 622 days. Depending on the unknown inclinations of the orbits, the currently very uncertain mass of the star, and the dynamical properties of the system, it may represent the first detection of two brown dwarf-mass companions orbiting a giant. The existence of such objects will have consequencesmorexa0» for the interpretation of the so-called brown dwarf desert known to exist in the case of solar-mass stars.«xa0less

A PLANET IN A 0.6 AU ORBIT AROUND THE K0 GIANT HD 102272

We report the discovery of one or more planet-mass companions to the K0-giant HD 102272 with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. In the absence of any correlation of the observed periodicities with the standard indicators of stellar activity, the observed radial velocity variations are most plausibly explained in terms of a Keplerian motion of at least one planet-mass body around the star. With an estimated stellar mass of 1.9 M ☉, the minimum mass of the confirmed planet is 5.9 MJ . The planets orbit is characterized by a small but nonzero eccentricity e = 0.05 and a semimajor axis of 0.61 AU, which makes it the most compact planet discovered so far around GK spectral type giants. This detection adds to the existing evidence that, as predicted by theory, the minimum size of planetary orbits around intermediate-mass giants is affected by both planet-formation processes and stellar evolution. The currently available evidence of another planet around HD 102272 is insufficient to obtain an unambiguous two-orbit solution.

BD+48 740-Li OVERABUNDANT GIANT STAR WITH A PLANET: A CASE OF RECENT ENGULFMENT?

We report the discovery of a unique object, BD+48 740, a lithium overabundant giant with A(Li) = 2.33 ? 0.04 (where A(Li) = log n Li/n H + 12), that exhibits radial velocity (RV) variations consistent with a 1.6 MJ companion in a highly eccentric, e = 0.67 ? 0.17, and extended, a = 1.89?AU (P = 771?days), orbit. The high eccentricity of the planet is uncommon among planetary systems orbiting evolved stars and so is the high lithium abundance in a giant star. The ingestion by the star of a putative second planet in the system originally in a closer orbit could possibly allow for a single explanation to these two exceptional facts. If the planet candidate is confirmed by future RV observations, it might represent the first example of the remnant of a multiple planetary system recently affected by stellar evolution.

SUBSTELLAR-MASS COMPANIONS TO THE K-GIANTS HD 240237, BD +48 738 AND HD 96127

We present the discovery of substellar-mass companions to three giant stars by the ongoing Penn State-Torun Planet Search conducted with the 9.2 m Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The most massive of the three stars, K2-giant HD 240237, has a 5.3 M{sub J} minimum mass companion orbiting the star at a 746 day period. The K0-giant BD +48 738 is orbited by a {>=}0.91 M{sub J} planet which has a period of 393 days and shows a nonlinear, long-term radial velocity (RV) trend that indicates a presence of another, more distant companion, which may have a substellar mass or be a low-mass star. The K2-giant HD 96127 has a {>=}4.0 M{sub J} mass companion in a 647 day orbit around the star. The two K2-giants exhibit a significant RV noise that complicates the detection of low-amplitude, periodic variations in the data. If the noise component of the observed RV variations is due to solar-type oscillations, we show, using all the published data for the substellar companions to giants, that its amplitude is anti-correlated with stellar metallicity.

BD+15 2940 and HD 233604: Two Giants with Planets Close to the Engulfment Zone

We report the discovery of planetary-mass companions to two red giants by the ongoing Penn State-Torun Planet Search (PTPS) conducted with the 9.2 m Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The 1.1 M{sub Sun} K0-giant, BD+15 2940, has a 1.1 M{sub J} minimum mass companion orbiting the star at a 137.5 day period in a 0.54 AU orbit what makes it the closest-in planet around a giant and possible subject of engulfment as the consequence of stellar evolution. HD 233604, a 1.5 M{sub Sun} K5-giant, is orbited by a 6.6 M{sub J} minimum mass planet which has a period of 192 days and a semi-major axis of only 0.75 AU making it one of the least distant planets to a giant star. The chemical composition analysis of HD 233604 reveals a relatively high {sup 7}Li abundance which may be a sign of its early evolutionary stage or recent engulfment of another planet in the system. We also present independent detections of planetary-mass companions to HD 209458 and HD 88133, and stellar activity-induced radial velocity variations in HD 166435, as part of the discussion of the observing and data analysis methods used in the PTPS project.

The Penn State-Toruń Centre for Astronomy Planet Search stars - I. Spectroscopic analysis of 348 red giants

Aims. We present basic atmospheric parameters (Teff ,l ogg, vt ,a nd [Fe/H]) as well as luminosities, masses, radii, and absolute radial velocities for 348 stars, presumably giants, from the ∼1000 star sample observed within the Penn State-Toru´ n Centre for Astronomy Planet Search with the High Resolution Spectrograph of the 9.2 m Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The stellar parameters (luminosities, masses, radii) are key to properly interpreting newly discovered low-mass companions, while a systematic study of the complete sample will create a basis for future statistical considerations concerning the appearance of low-mass companions around evolved low- and intermediate-mass stars. Methods. The atmospheric parameters were derived using a strictly spectroscopic method based on the LTE analysis of equivalent widths of Fe I and Fe II lines. With existing photometric data and the Hipparcos parallaxes, we estimated stellar masses and ages via evolutionary tracks fitting. The stellar radii were calculated from either estimated masses and the spectroscopic log g or from the spectroscopic Teff and estimated luminosities. The absolute radial velocities were obtained by cross-correlating spectra with a numerical template. Results. We completed the spectroscopic analysis for 332 stars, 327 of which were found to be giants. A simplified analysis was applied to the remaining 16 stars, which had incomplete data. The results show that our sample is composed of stars with effective temperatures ranging from 4055 K to 6239 K, with log g between 1.39 and 4.78 (5 dwarfs were identified). The estimated luminosities

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.

Modeling the RV and BVS of active stars

We present a method of modeling the radial velocity (RV) measurements which can be useful in searching for planets hosted by chromospherically active stars. We assume that the observed RV signal is induced by the reflex motion of a star as well as by distortions of spectral line profiles, measured by the Bisector Velocity Span (BVS). The RVs are fitted with a common planetary model including RV correction term depending linearly on the BVS, which accounts for the stellar activity. The coefficient of correlation is an additional free parameter of the RV model. That approach differs from correcting the RVs before or after fitting the pure planetary model. We test the method on simulated data derived for single-planet systems. The results are compared with the outcomes of algorithms found in the literature.

The Pennsylvania—Toruń Planet Search: Target Characteristics and Recent Results

More than 450 stars hosting planets are known today but only approximately 30 planetary systems were discovered around stars beyond the Main Sequence. The Pennsylvania‐Torun Planet Search, putting an emphasis on extending studies of planetary system formation and evolution to intermediate‐mass stars, is oriented towards the discoveries of substellar‐mass companions to a large sample of evolved stars using high‐precision radial velocity technique. We present the recent status of our survey and detailed characteristic for ∼350 late type giant stars, i.e. the new results of radial velocity analysis and stellar fundamental parameters obtained with extensive spec‐troscopic method. Moreover, in the future we will make an attempt to perform the statistical study of our sample and searching the correlations between the existence of substellar objects and stellar atmospheric parameters according to previous works which investigated the planetary companion impact on the evolution of the host stars.