Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2012
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012aas...21940404m&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219, #404.04
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
The large relative sizes of circumplanetary and circumstellar disks imply that they might be seen in eclipse in stellar light curves. We present photometric and spectroscopic data for a complex disk eclipse of a post-accretion, solar-mass pre-main sequence star. The star 1SWASP J140747.93-394542.6 is a 16 Myr-old member of the Upper Centaurus-Lupus subgroup of Sco-Cen at 130 pc, and was discovered in a spectroscopic survey for new low-mass Sco-Cen members by Pecaut & Mamajek. SuperWASP and ASAS V-band time series photometry reveal that this star exhibited a remarkably long, deep, and complex eclipse event in April 2007. At least 5 multi-day dimming events of >0.5 mag are identified, with an asymmetric >3.3 mag deep eclipse bracketed by two pairs of 1 mag eclipses symmetrically occurring +-12 days and +-26 days before and after. We place a firm lower limit on the period of the eclipser of 850 days. We hypothesize that this star is being eclipsed by a low-mass object with an orbiting dust disk with significant radial substructure ("rings" and gaps) and mass on the order of lunar masses. Combining theoretical predictions of the sizes and masses of circumplanetary disks around young gas giants with observational constraints on the incidence of such planets, shows that their eclipses should be of sufficient optical depth and duration to be plausibly detectable, albeit extraordinarily rarely. LSST surveys of post-accretion stars ( 10 Myr) should yield disk eclipses around at least 10-4 of the stars. Eclipses by circumplanetary and circumsecondary disks will provide us fine-scale observational constraints on the physical and chemical conditions of the dust and gas which spawn satellite systems around gas giant planets and planetary systems around stars. This research was supported by NSF grant AST-1008908 and funds from the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Rochester.
Collier Cameron Andrew
Kenworthy Matthew A.
Mamajek Eric E.
Moolekamp Fred
Parley Neil
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