Mercedes Lopez-Morales

Stellar Diameters and Temperatures. II. Main-sequence K- and M-stars

We present interferometric angular diameter measurements of 21 low-mass, K- and M-dwarfs made with the CHARA Array. This sample is enhanced by adding a collection of radius measurements published in the literature to form a total data set of 33 K-M-dwarfs with diameters measured to better than 5%. We use these data in combination with the Hipparcos parallax and new measurements of the stars bolometric flux to compute absolute luminosities, linear radii, and effective temperatures for the stars. We develop empirical relations for ~K0 to M4 main-sequence stars that link the stellar temperature, radius, and luminosity to the observed (B – V), (V – R), (V – I), (V – J), (V – H), and (V – K) broadband color index and stellar metallicity [Fe/H]. These relations are valid for metallicities ranging from [Fe/H] = –0.5 to +0.1 dex and are accurate to ~2%, ~5%, and ~4% for temperature, radius, and luminosity, respectively. Our results show that it is necessary to use metallicity-dependent transformations in order to properly convert colors into stellar temperatures, radii, and luminosities. Alternatively, we find no sensitivity to metallicity on relations we construct to the global properties of a star omitting color information, e.g., temperature-radius and temperature-luminosity. Thus, we are able to empirically quantify to what order the stars observed color index is impacted by the stellar iron abundance. In addition to the empirical relations, we also provide a representative look-up table via stellar spectral classifications using this collection of data. Robust examinations of single star temperatures and radii compared to evolutionary model predictions on the luminosity-temperature and luminosity-radius planes reveal that models overestimate the temperatures of stars with surface temperatures <5000 K by ~3%, and underestimate the radii of stars with radii <0.7 R_☉ by ~5%. These conclusions additionally suggest that the models over account for the effects that the stellar metallicity may have on the astrophysical properties of an object. By comparing the interferometrically measured radii for the single star population to those of eclipsing binaries, we find that for a given mass, single and binary star radii are indistinguishable. However, we also find that for a given radius, the literature temperatures for binary stars are systematically lower compared to our interferometrically derived temperatures of single stars by ~200 to 300 K. The nature of this offset is dependent on the validation of binary star temperatures, where bringing all measurements to a uniform and correctly calibrated temperature scale is needed to identify any influence stellar activity may have on the physical properties of a star. Lastly, we present an empirically determined H-R diagram using fundamental properties presented here in combination with those in Boyajian et al. for a total of 74 nearby, main-sequence, A- to M-type stars, and define regions of habitability for the potential existence of sub-stellar mass companions in each system.

On the Correlation between the Magnetic Activity Levels, Metallicities, and Radii of Low-Mass Stars

The recent increase in the number of radius measurements of very low mass stars from eclipsing binaries and interferometry of single stars has raised more questions about what could be causing the discrepancy between the observed radii and those predicted by models. The two main explanations being proposed are a correlation between the radii of the stars and either their activity levels or their metallicities. This paper presents a study of such correlations using all the data published to date. The study also investigates correlations between the radius deviations from the models and the masses of the stars. There is no clear correlation between activity level and radius for the single stars in the sample. These single stars are slow rotators, with typical velocities vrot sin i < 3.0 km s-1. A clear correlation however exists in the case of the faster rotating members of binaries. This result is based on the X-ray emission levels of the stars. There also appears to be an increase in the deviation of the radii of single stars from the models as a function of metallicity, as previously indicated by Berger et al. The stars in binaries do not seem to follow the same trend. Finally, the Baraffe et al. models reproduce well the radius observations below 0.30-0.35 M☉, where the stars become fully convective, although this result is preliminary since almost all the sample stars in that mass range are slow rotators and metallicities have not been measured for most of them. The results indicate that stellar activity and metallicity play an important role in determining the radius of very low mass stars, at least above 0.35 M☉.

An Earth-sized planet with an Earth-like density

Recent analyses of data from the NASA Kepler spacecraft have established that planets with radii within 25 per cent of the Earth’s () are commonplace throughout the Galaxy, orbiting at least 16.5 per cent of Sun-like stars. Because these studies were sensitive to the sizes of the planets but not their masses, the question remains whether these Earth-sized planets are indeed similar to the Earth in bulk composition. The smallest planets for which masses have been accurately determined are Kepler-10b (1.42) and Kepler-36b (1.49), which are both significantly larger than the Earth. Recently, the planet Kepler-78b was discovered and found to have a radius of only 1.16. Here we report that the mass of this planet is 1.86 Earth masses. The resulting mean density of the planet is 5.57 g cm−3, which is similar to that of the Earth and implies a composition of iron and rock.

GU Bootis: A New 0.6 M☉ Detached Eclipsing Binary

We have found a new low-mass, double-lined, detached eclipsing binary, GU Boo, among a sample of new variables from the ROTSE-I database. The binary has an orbital period of 0.488728 ± 0.000002 days and estimated apparent magnitudes Vrotse 13.7 and I 11.8. Our analysis of the light and radial velocity curves of the system yields individual masses and radii of M1 = 0.610 ± 0.007 M☉, M2 = 0.599 ± 0.006 M☉, R1 = 0.623 ± 0.016 R☉, and R2 = 0.620 ± 0.020 R☉. The stars in GU Boo are therefore very similar to the components of the eclipsing binary YY Gem. For this study we have adopted a mean effective temperature for the binary of Teff = 3870 ± 130 K. Based on its space velocities we suggest that GU Boo is a main-sequence binary, possibly with an age of several Gyr. The metallicity of the binary is not well constrained at this point, but we speculate that it should not be very different from solar. We have compared the physical parameters of GU Boo with current low-mass stellar models, accounting for uncertainties in age and metallicity by considering a wide range of values for those parameters. Our comparisons reveal that all the models underestimate the radii of the components of GU Boo by at least 10%-15%. This result is in agreement with the recent studies of YY Gem and CU Cnc.

THE KEPLER-10 PLANETARY SYSTEM REVISITED BY HARPS-N: A HOT ROCKY WORLD AND A SOLID NEPTUNE-MASS PLANET*

Kepler-10b was the first rocky planet detected by the Kepler satellite and confirmed with radial velocity follow-up observations from Keck-HIRES. The mass of the planet was measured with a precision of around 30%, which was insufficienttoconstrainmodelsofitsinternalstructureandcompositionindetail.InadditiontoKepler-10b,asecond planet transiting the same star with a period of 45 days was statistically validated, but the radial velocities were only good enough to set an upper limit of 20 M⊕ for the mass of Kepler-10c. To improve the precision on the mass for planet b, the HARPS-N Collaboration decided to observe Kepler-10 intensively with the HARPS-N spectrograph on the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo on La Palma. In total, 148 high-quality radial-velocity measurements were obtained over two observing seasons. These new data allow us to improve the precision of the mass determination for Kepler-10b to 15%. With a mass of 3.33 ± 0.49 M⊕ and an updated radius of 1.47 +0.03 −0.02 R⊕, Kepler-10b has a density of 5.8 ± 0.8 g cm −3 , very close to the value predicted by models with the same internal structure and composition as the Earth. We were also able to determine a mass for the 45-day period planet Kepler-10c, with an even better precision of 11%. With a mass of 17.2 ± 1.9 M⊕ and radius of 2.35 +0.09

THE MASS OF KEPLER-93B AND THE COMPOSITION OF TERRESTRIAL PLANETS *

Kepler-93b is a 1.478 ± 0.019 R⊕ planet with a 4.7 day period around a bright (V = 10.2), astroseismically characterized host star with a mass of 0.911 ± 0.033 Mand a radius of 0.919 ± 0.011 R� . Based on 86 radial velocity observations obtained with the HARPS-N spectrograph on the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo and 32 archival Keck/HIRES observations, we present a precise mass estimate of 4.02 ± 0.68 M⊕. The corresponding high density of 6.88 ± 1.18 g cm −3 is consistent with a rocky composition of primarily iron and magnesium silicate. We compare Kepler-93b to other dense planets with well-constrained parameters and find that between 1 and 6 M⊕, all dense planets including the Earth and Venus are well-described by the same fixed ratio of iron to magnesium silicate. There are as of yet no examples of such planets with masses > 6 M⊕. All known planets in this mass regime have lower densities requiring significant fractions of volatiles or H/He gas. We also constrain the mass and period of the outer companion in the Kepler-93 system from the long-term radial velocity trend and archival adaptive optics images. As the sample of dense planets with well-constrained masses and radii continues to grow, we will be able to test whether the fixed compositional model found for the seven dense planets considered in this paper extends to the full population of 1-6 M⊕ planets.

WEIGHING THE NON-TRANSITING HOT JUPITER τ Boo b

We report the detection of the orbital velocity of non-transiting hot Jupiter τ Boo b. By employing high-resolution ground-based spectroscopy around 2.3 μm during one half-night, we are able to detect carbon monoxide absorption lines produced in the planet atmosphere, which shift significantly in wavelength during the course of the observations due to the orbital motion of the planet. This detection of the planetary signal results in the determination of the orbital inclination as being i = 47+7 – 6 deg and, furthermore, allows us to solve for the exact planetary mass, m p = 5.6 ± 0.7 M Jup. This clearly confirms the planetary nature of the non-transiting companion to τ Boo.

Gran Telescopio Canarias OSIRIS Transiting Exoplanet Atmospheric Survey: Detection of potassium in XO-2b from narrowband spectrophotometry

We present Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) optical transit narrow-band photometry of the hot-Jupiter exoplanet XO-2b using the OSIRIS instrument. This unique instrument has the capabilities to deliver high cadence narrow-band photometric lightcurves, allowing us to probe the atmospheric composition of hot Jupiters from the ground. The observations were taken during three transit events which cover four wavelengths at spectral resolutions near 500, necessary for observing atmospheric features, and have near-photon limited sub-mmag precisions. Precision narrow-band photometry on a large aperture telescope allows for atmospheric transmission spectral features to be observed for exoplanets around much fainter stars than those of the well studied targets HD 209458b and HD 189733b, providing access to the majority of known transiting planets. For XO-2b, we measure planet-to-star radius contrasts of Rpl/R?=0.10508 0.00052 at 6792 A, 0.10640 0.00058 at 7582 A, and 0.10686 0.00060 at 7664.9 A, and 0.10362 0.00051 at 8839 A. These measurements reveal signicant spectral features at two wavelengths, with an absorption level of 0.067

How Eccentric Orbital Solutions Can Hide Planetary Systems in 2:1 Resonant Orbits

The Doppler technique measures the reflex radial motion of a star induced by the presence of companions and is the most successful method to detect exoplanets. If several planets are present, their signals will appear combined in the radial motion of the star, leading to potential misinterpretations of the data. Specifically, two planets in 2:1 resonant orbits can mimic the signal of a single planet in an eccentric orbit. We quantify the implications of this statistical degeneracy for a representative sample of the reported single exoplanets with available data sets, finding that (1) around 35% of the published eccentric one-planet solutions are statistically indistinguishable from planetary systems in 2:1 orbital resonance, (2) another 40% cannot be statistically distinguished from a circular orbital solution, and (3) planets with masses comparable to Earth could be hidden in known orbital solutions of eccentric super-Earths and Neptune mass planets.

55 CANCRI: STELLAR ASTROPHYSICAL PARAMETERS, A PLANET IN THE HABITABLE ZONE, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE RADIUS OF A TRANSITING SUPER-EARTH

The bright star 55 Cancri is known to host five planets, including a transiting super-Earth. The study presented here yields directly determined values for 55 Cncs stellar astrophysical parameters based on improved interferometry: R = 0.943 ± 0.010 R_☉, T EFF = 5196 ± 24 K. We use isochrone fitting to determine 55 Cncs age to be 10.2 ± 2.5 Gyr, implying a stellar mass of 0.905 ± 0.015 M_☉. Our analysis of the location and extent of the systems habitable zone (HZ; 0.67-1.32 AU) shows that planet f, with period ~260 days and M sin i = 0.155 M_(Jupiter), spends the majority of the duration of its elliptical orbit in the circumstellar HZ. Though planet f is too massive to harbor liquid water on any planetary surface, we elaborate on the potential of alternative low-mass objects in planet fs vicinity: a large moon and a low-mass planet on a dynamically stable orbit within the HZ. Finally, our direct value for 55 Cancris stellar radius allows for a model-independent calculation of the physical diameter of the transiting super-Earth 55 Cnc e (~2.05 ± 0.15 R_⊕), which, depending on the planetary mass assumed, implies a bulk density of 0.76 ρ_⊕ or 1.07 ρ_⊕.