Model-independent Stellar and Planetary Masses from Multi-transiting Exoplanetary Systems
- Creators
- Montet, Benjamin T.
- Johnson, John Asher
Abstract
Precise exoplanet characterization requires precise classification of exoplanet host stars. The masses of host stars are commonly estimated by comparing their spectra to those predicted by stellar evolution models. However, spectroscopically determined properties are difficult to measure accurately for stars that are substantially different from the Sun, such as M-dwarfs and evolved stars. Here, we propose a new method to dynamically measure the masses of transiting planets near mean-motion resonances and their host stars by combining observations of transit timing variations with radial velocity (RV) measurements. We derive expressions to analytically determine the mass of each member of the system and demonstrate the technique on the Kepler-18 system. We compare these analytic results to numerical simulations and find that the two are consistent. We identify eight systems for which our technique could be applied if follow-up RV measurements are collected. We conclude that this analysis would be optimal for systems discovered by next-generation missions similar to TESS or PLATO, which will target bright stars that are amenable to efficient RV follow-up.
Additional Information
© 2013 American Astronomical Society. Received 2012 September 7; accepted 2012 November 18; published 2012 December 20. We thank Rebekah Dawson, Jonathan Swift, Daniel Fabrycky, and Michael Bottom for insightful discussions and helpful comments during the preparation of this manuscript. We also thank Philip Muirhead for thoughtful commentary and discussion during the 2012 July Sagan Exoplanet Summer Workshop. The data presented herein were obtained in part at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and NASA and was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. We extend special thanks to those of Hawaiian ancestry on whose sacred mountain of Mauna Kea we are privileged to be guests. Without their generous hospitality, the HIRES observations presented herein would not have been possible.Attached Files
Published - 0004-637X_762_2_112.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 36779
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20130205-105940529
- W. M. Keck Foundation
- Created
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2013-02-05Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-09Created from EPrint's last_modified field