Detecting Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets with the Kepler Photometer via Scattered Light

Details Detecting Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets with the Kepler Photometer via Scattered Light Detecting Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets with the Kepler Photometer via Scattered Light

May 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003dps....35.0709j&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #35, #07.09; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 35, p.923

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

NASA's Kepler Mission will be launched in 2007 primarily to search for transiting Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of solar-like stars. In addition, it will be poised to detect the reflected light component from close-in extrasolar giant planets (CEGPs) similar to 51 Peg b. Here we use the DIARAD/SOHO time series along with models for the reflected light signatures of CEGPs to evaluate Kepler's ability to detect such planets. We examine the detectability as a function of stellar brightness, stellar rotation period, planetary orbital inclination angle, and planetary orbital period, and then estimate the total number of CEGPs that Kepler will detect over its four year mission. The analysis shows that intrinsic stellar variability of solar-like stars is a major obstacle to detecting the reflected light from CEGPs. Monte Carlo trials are used to estimate the detection threshold required to limit the total number of expected false alarms to no more than one for a survey of 100,000 stellar light curves. Kepler will likely detect 100-760 51 Peg b-like planets by reflected light with orbital periods up to 7 days.
LRD was supported by the Carl Sagan Chair at the Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, a division of the SETI Institute. JMJ received support from the Kepler Mission Photometer and Science Office at NASA Ames Research Center.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Detecting Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets with the Kepler Photometer via Scattered Light does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Detecting Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets with the Kepler Photometer via Scattered Light, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Detecting Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets with the Kepler Photometer via Scattered Light will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1374252