Statistics
Scientific paper
Apr 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010eas....42..169p&link_type=abstract
EAS Publications Series, Volume 42, 2010, pp.169-173
Statistics
Scientific paper
We investigate biases in the measurement of exoplanet orbital parameters - especially eccentricity - from radial velocity (RV) observations. In this contribution we consider single-planet systems. We create a mock catalog of RV data, choosing planet masses and orbital periods, and observing patterns to mimic those of actual RV surveys. Using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulations, we generate a posterior sample for each mock data set, calculate best-fit orbital parameters for each data set, and compare these to the true values. We find that the precision of our derived eccentricities is most closely related to the effective signal-to-noise ratio, Ksqrt{N}/σ, where K is the velocity amplitude, σ is the effective single-measurement precision, and N is the number of observations. We also find that eccentricities of planets on nearly circular (e<0.05) orbits are preferentially overestimated. While the Butler et al. (2006) catalog reports e<0.05 for just 20% of its planets, we estimate that the true fraction of e<0.05 orbits is about 50%. We investigate the accuracy, precision, and bias of alternative sets of summary statistics and find that the median values of h=esinω and k=e\cosω (where ω is the longitude of periapse) of the posterior sample typically provide more accurate, more precise, and less biased estimates of eccentricity than traditional measures.
Ford Eric B.
Pan Margaret
Zakamska Nadia L.
No associations
LandOfFree
Observational biases in determining extrasolar planet eccentricities 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 Observational biases in determining extrasolar planet eccentricities, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Observational biases in determining extrasolar planet eccentricities will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1314706