Characterizing the Sensitivity of Transit Timing Observations for Detecting Terrestrial Planets

Details Characterizing the Sensitivity of Transit Timing Observations for Detecting Terrestrial Planets Characterizing the Sensitivity of Transit Timing Observations for Detecting Terrestrial Planets

May 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dda....40.0605v&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DDA meeting #40, #6.05; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.899

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Both ground and space-based transit observatories are poised to significantly increase the number of known transiting planets and the number of precisely measured transit times. Variations in a planet's transit times may be used to infer the presence of additional non-transiting planets. Deducing the orbital parameters of such planets from transit time variations (TTVs) is a rich and increasingly relevant challenge for dynamicists. We have simulated and analyzed a large ensemble of TTV signatures for planetary systems containing one typical ``hot-Jupiter'' plus a non-transiting, lower-mass planet in an exterior orbit. To aid in interpreting TTVs, we identify four dominant regimes: 1) low-eccentricity secular, 2) high-eccentricity secular, 3) resonant, and 4) non-resonant planets with nearly commensurate orbital periods. We emphasize three main points: 1) TTVs can probe planets near mean motion resonances (even for high-order mean motion resonances such as 10:1), 2) the shape, timescale, and amplitude of TTV signals depend sensitively on the exact values of initial orbital angles and phases, and 3) the TTV amplitude may be weakly or strongly dependent of the number of transits observed depending on the system's architecture. These points complicate identification of the planet's orbital parameters, but offer intuition that can aid in the interpretation of future TTV data sets.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Characterizing the Sensitivity of Transit Timing Observations for Detecting Terrestrial 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 Characterizing the Sensitivity of Transit Timing Observations for Detecting Terrestrial Planets, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Characterizing the Sensitivity of Transit Timing Observations for Detecting Terrestrial Planets will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-808672