On the Period Distribution of Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets

Details On the Period Distribution of Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets On the Period Distribution of Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets

2004-09-17

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0409443v3

Astrophys.J. 623 (2005) 472-481

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

11 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Minor changes. Accepted to ApJ, to appear in the April 20, 2005 issue (v623)

Scientific paper

10.1086/428478

Transit (TR) surveys for extrasolar planets have recently uncovered a population of ``very hot Jupiters,'' planets with orbital periods of P< 3 d. At first sight this may seem surprising, given that radial velocity (RV) surveys have found a dearth of such planets, despite the fact that their sensitivity increases with decreasing P. We examine the confrontation between RV and TR survey results, paying particular attention to selection biases that favor short-period planets in transit surveys. We demonstrate that, when such biases and small-number statistics are properly taken into account, the period distribution of planets found by RV and TR surveys are consistent at better than the 1-sigma level. This consistency holds for a large range of reasonable assumptions. In other words, there are not enough planets detected to robustly conclude that the RV and TR short-period planet results are inconsistent. Assuming a logarithmic distribution of periods, we find that the relative frequency of very hot Jupiters (VHJ: P=1-3 d) to hot Jupiters (HJ: P=3-9 d) is 10-20%. Given an absolute frequency of HJ of ~1%, this implies that approximately one star in ~500-1000 has a VHJ. We also note that VHJ and HJ appear to be distinct in terms of their upper mass limit. We discuss the implications of our results for planetary migration theories, as well as present and future TR and RV surveys.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

On the Period Distribution of Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets 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 On the Period Distribution of Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and On the Period Distribution of Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-304350