Analysis of Angular Momentum in Planetary Systems and Host Stars

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Analysis of Angular Momentum in Planetary Systems and Host Stars Analysis of Angular Momentum in Planetary Systems and Host Stars by Stacy Ann Irwin Bachelor of Science, Computer Science University of Houston 2000 Master of Science, Space Sciences Florida Institute of Technology 2009 A dissertation submitted to the College of Science at Florida Institute of Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Space Sciences Melbourne, Florida July 2015 c Copyright 2015 Stacy Ann Irwin All Rights Reserved The author grants permission to make single copies We the undersigned committee hereby recommend that the attached document be accepted as fulfilling in part the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Space Sciences. \Analysis of Angular Momentum in Planetary Systems and Host Stars," a dissertation by Stacy Ann Irwin Samuel T. Durrance, Ph.D. Professor, Physics and Space Sciences Major Advisor Daniel Batcheldor, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Physics and Space Sciences Committee Member Darin Ragozzine, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Physics and Space Sciences Committee Member Semen Koksal, Ph.D. Professor, Mathematical Sciences Outside Committee Member Daniel Batcheldor, Ph.D. Professor, Physics and Space Sciences Department Head Abstract Analysis of Angular Momentum in Planetary Systems and Host Stars by Stacy Ann Irwin Dissertation Advisor: Samuel T. Durrance, Ph.D. The spin angular momentum of single Main Sequence stars has long been shown to follow a primary power law of stellar mass, J M α, excluding stars of <2 solar masses. Lower mass / stars rotate more slowly with and have smaller moments of inertia, and as a result they contain much less spin angular momentum. A secondary power law describes the upper bound of angular momenta of these less massive stars with a steeper slope. The Solar System's orbital angular momentum, however, is of the same order of magnitude as the primary law, whereas the Sun's spin angular momentum is consistent with the secondary relationship. This suggests that planets are an important clue to answering questions about stellar angular momentum loss and transfer. With recent advances in exoplanet discovery and characterization, the angular momenta of exoplanetary systems can now be determined. A method is developed to calculate planetary system angular momenta from the spin and orbital angular momenta of a sample including 426 host stars and 532 planets. To maximize the size of the working sample, systems discovered by both the transit and radial velocity methods are included, and the biases of both techniques are identified. Self-consistent stellar moment of inertia parameters are interpolated from grids of stellar evolutionary models. iii Main Sequence host stars range from 0.6 to 1.7 solar masses, and their angular mo- menta are shown to agree well with previous studies of stellar angular momentum, generally falling on or below the appropriate power law, and exhibiting detection method biases. The systems' angular momenta, including both the planetary orbital and stellar spin compo- nents, are widely spread above and below the primary power law, but on average agree well with the primary relationship. The results indicate that the primary power law describes angular momenta of stars of <2 solar masses well, when planetary angular momentum is included. This relationship also holds across host star evolutionary classifications. For 90% of the systems, the angular momentum contained in the planets is greater than the spin angular momentum of the host star, a characteristic shared by the Solar System. Undetected planets contribute significant bias to the system angular momentum as well as to the proportion of angular momentum contained in the planets. This bias is used to identify systems which are likely to harbor additional planets in already known planetary systems, assuming the Solar System's proportions are typical. iv Contents List of Figures ix List of Tables xi List of Symbols, Constants, and Abbreviations xii Acknowledgements xv 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Stellar Mass, Rotation, and Angular Momentum . 1 1.1.1 An Angular Momentum Puzzle . 2 1.1.2 The Kraft Curve . 6 1.1.3 Commonalities . 8 1.2 Star Formation and Angular Momentum Loss . 13 1.3 The Solar System and Exoplanetary Systems . 18 1.4 Motivations and Goals . 24 2 Method 27 v 2.1 Angular Momentum Defined . 27 2.2 Angular Momentum and Specific Angular Momentum . 29 2.3 Stars and Spin Angular Momentum . 32 2.3.1 Angular Velocity . 33 2.3.2 Moment of Inertia . 36 2.4 Planets and Orbital Angular Momentum . 41 2.5 Planetary Systems . 44 2.6 Biases . 47 3 Data 49 3.1 Planet Discovery Techniques . 49 3.1.1 Overview . 49 3.1.2 Detection Method Biases: RV and Transit . 54 3.2 Sources and Selection . 54 3.3 The Exoplanet Orbit Database . 58 3.4 Data Cleaning . 60 3.4.1 Inclusions and Exclusions . 61 3.4.2 Corrections and Conflicts . 61 3.4.3 Missing Data . 63 3.4.4 Other Adjustments . 65 3.5 Stellar Classification . 66 3.6 Stellar Properties . 71 3.7 Planetary Properties . 74 vi 4 Results and Discussion 78 4.1 Quantified Angular Momentum . 78 4.1.1 About the Plots . 78 4.1.2 Stars . 81 4.1.3 System Totals . 85 4.1.4 Fitting the Kraft Relation . 88 4.1.5 Discussion . 92 4.2 System Distribution of J ............................. 98 4.2.1 and K .................................. 98 L 4.2.2 Toward Determination of System Completeness . 103 4.3 Biases . 107 5 Summary, Conclusions, and Suggestions for Future Work 112 5.1 Summary . 113 5.2 Conclusions . 115 5.3 Suggestions for Future Work . 117 A Appendix A: Stellar Inertial Models 120 A.1 PKD Models . 121 A.2 CG Models . 125 A.3 Comparison of PKD and CG Models . 129 A.4 Claret (2004) Models . 131 vii B Appendix B: Treatment of Uncertainties and Error Propagation 134 C Appendix C: Stellar Properties 137 D Appendix D: Planetary Properties 148 E Appendix E: System Properties 162 viii List of Figures 1.1 Rotation of Low-mass Stars . 2 1.2 McNally j-M Plot . 4 1.3 Carrasco et al. j-M Plot . 6 1.4 Kraft j-M Plot . 8 1.5 Kawaler J-M Plot . 9 1.6 McNally and Kawaler J-M Plot . 10 1.7 Wolff et al. Plots . 12 1.8 Alves et al. Plots . 21 1.9 Paz-Chinch´onet al. Plots . 23 2.1 CG logm and logβ ................................ 39 3.1 Planet Discoveries by Year . 53 3.2 Planet Mass and Semi-major Axis . 55 3.3 HR Diagrams . 70 3.4 Stellar Mass Distribution . 72 3.5 Host Star Metalicity Distributions . 73 ix 3.6 Planet Mass Distribution . 75 4.1 J-M Model . 79 4.2 J∗ Sample Histogram . 81 4.3 J∗ Histograms . 82 4.4 J∗ Results: MS and Non-MS . 83 4.5 J∗ Results: RV and Transit . 84 4.6 Jsys Results: MS and Non-MS . 86 4.7 Jsys Results: RV and Transit . 88 4.8 Binned Results: All Systems . 96 4.9 Binned Results: Main Sequence . 97 4.10 Histograms . 98 L 4.11 Histogram: Detection Methods . 99 L 4.12 K Histograms . 100 4.13 Logarithmic K Histogram . 101 4.14 Angular Momentum of High-K MS Systems . 104 A.1 PKD Inertial Evolution . 123 A.2 PKD Interpolation Equation . 126 A.3 CG Inertial Evolution . 127 A.4 CG log m and log β ................................ 128 A.5 Plot of MS Interpolation Equation from Model Data . 133 A.6 Evolution of γ for Selected Masses . 133 x List of Tables 1.1 Angular Momentum Distribution of the Solar System . 19 3.1 EOD Downloaded Fields . 60 3.2 Summary of Host Star and System Classifications . 71 3.3 Summary of System Type and Discovery Methods . 71 4.1 Kraft Relations for Sample Subgroups . 102 4.2 K Values of Solar System Planets . 105 4.3 K Values of HD 10180 Planets . 105 A.1 PKD Model Ages at ZAMS and Mid-MS log I . 124 A.2 Interpolated Inertial Coefficient Equations . 132 C.1 Stellar Parameters . 138 D.1 Planetary Parameters . 149 E.1 System Parameters . ..
Recommended publications
  • High Precision Photometry of Transiting Exoplanets
    McNair Scholars Research Journal Volume 3 Article 3 2016 High Precision Photometry of Transiting Exoplanets Maurice Wilson Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Jason Eastman Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics John Johnson Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.erau.edu/mcnair Recommended Citation Wilson, Maurice; Eastman, Jason; and Johnson, John (2016) "High Precision Photometry of Transiting Exoplanets," McNair Scholars Research Journal: Vol. 3 , Article 3. Available at: https://commons.erau.edu/mcnair/vol3/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in McNair Scholars Research Journal by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Wilson et al.: High Precision Photometry of Transiting Exoplanets High Precision Photometry of Transiting Exoplanets Maurice Wilson1,2, Jason Eastman2, and John Johnson2 1Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 2Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics In order to increase the rate of finding, confirming, and characterizing Earth-like exoplanets, the MINiature Exoplanet Radial Velocity Array (MINERVA) was recently built with the purpose of obtaining the spectroscopic and photometric precision necessary for these tasks. Achieving the satisfactory photometric precision is the primary focus of this work. This is done with the four telescopes of MINERVA and the defocusing technique. The satisfactory photometric precision derives from the defocusing technique. The use of MINERVA’s four telescopes benefits the relative photometry that must be conducted. Typically, it is difficult to find satisfactory comparison stars within a telescope’s field of view when the primary target is very bright.
    [Show full text]
  • Astronomie in Theorie Und Praxis 8. Auflage in Zwei Bänden Erik Wischnewski
    Astronomie in Theorie und Praxis 8. Auflage in zwei Bänden Erik Wischnewski Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Beobachtungen mit bloßem Auge 37 Motivation 37 Hilfsmittel 38 Drehbare Sternkarte Bücher und Atlanten Kataloge Planetariumssoftware Elektronischer Almanach Sternkarten 39 2 Atmosphäre der Erde 49 Aufbau 49 Atmosphärische Fenster 51 Warum der Himmel blau ist? 52 Extinktion 52 Extinktionsgleichung Photometrie Refraktion 55 Szintillationsrauschen 56 Angaben zur Beobachtung 57 Durchsicht Himmelshelligkeit Luftunruhe Beispiel einer Notiz Taupunkt 59 Solar-terrestrische Beziehungen 60 Klassifizierung der Flares Korrelation zur Fleckenrelativzahl Luftleuchten 62 Polarlichter 63 Nachtleuchtende Wolken 64 Haloerscheinungen 67 Formen Häufigkeit Beobachtung Photographie Grüner Strahl 69 Zodiakallicht 71 Dämmerung 72 Definition Purpurlicht Gegendämmerung Venusgürtel Erdschattenbogen 3 Optische Teleskope 75 Fernrohrtypen 76 Refraktoren Reflektoren Fokus Optische Fehler 82 Farbfehler Kugelgestaltsfehler Bildfeldwölbung Koma Astigmatismus Verzeichnung Bildverzerrungen Helligkeitsinhomogenität Objektive 86 Linsenobjektive Spiegelobjektive Vergütung Optische Qualitätsprüfung RC-Wert RGB-Chromasietest Okulare 97 Zusatzoptiken 100 Barlow-Linse Shapley-Linse Flattener Spezialokulare Spektroskopie Herschel-Prisma Fabry-Pérot-Interferometer Vergrößerung 103 Welche Vergrößerung ist die Beste? Blickfeld 105 Lichtstärke 106 Kontrast Dämmerungszahl Auflösungsvermögen 108 Strehl-Zahl Luftunruhe (Seeing) 112 Tubusseeing Kuppelseeing Gebäudeseeing Montierungen 113 Nachführfehler
    [Show full text]
  • Lurking in the Shadows: Wide-Separation Gas Giants As Tracers of Planet Formation
    Lurking in the Shadows: Wide-Separation Gas Giants as Tracers of Planet Formation Thesis by Marta Levesque Bryan In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Pasadena, California 2018 Defended May 1, 2018 ii © 2018 Marta Levesque Bryan ORCID: [0000-0002-6076-5967] All rights reserved iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank Heather Knutson, who I had the great privilege of working with as my thesis advisor. Her encouragement, guidance, and perspective helped me navigate many a challenging problem, and my conversations with her were a consistent source of positivity and learning throughout my time at Caltech. I leave graduate school a better scientist and person for having her as a role model. Heather fostered a wonderfully positive and supportive environment for her students, giving us the space to explore and grow - I could not have asked for a better advisor or research experience. I would also like to thank Konstantin Batygin for enthusiastic and illuminating discussions that always left me more excited to explore the result at hand. Thank you as well to Dimitri Mawet for providing both expertise and contagious optimism for some of my latest direct imaging endeavors. Thank you to the rest of my thesis committee, namely Geoff Blake, Evan Kirby, and Chuck Steidel for their support, helpful conversations, and insightful questions. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Brendan Bowler. His talk at Caltech my second year of graduate school introduced me to an unexpected population of massive wide-separation planetary-mass companions, and lead to a long-running collaboration from which several of my thesis projects were born.
    [Show full text]
  • Where Are the Distant Worlds? Star Maps
    W here Are the Distant Worlds? Star Maps Abo ut the Activity Whe re are the distant worlds in the night sky? Use a star map to find constellations and to identify stars with extrasolar planets. (Northern Hemisphere only, naked eye) Topics Covered • How to find Constellations • Where we have found planets around other stars Participants Adults, teens, families with children 8 years and up If a school/youth group, 10 years and older 1 to 4 participants per map Materials Needed Location and Timing • Current month's Star Map for the Use this activity at a star party on a public (included) dark, clear night. Timing depends only • At least one set Planetary on how long you want to observe. Postcards with Key (included) • A small (red) flashlight • (Optional) Print list of Visible Stars with Planets (included) Included in This Packet Page Detailed Activity Description 2 Helpful Hints 4 Background Information 5 Planetary Postcards 7 Key Planetary Postcards 9 Star Maps 20 Visible Stars With Planets 33 © 2008 Astronomical Society of the Pacific www.astrosociety.org Copies for educational purposes are permitted. Additional astronomy activities can be found here: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov Detailed Activity Description Leader’s Role Participants’ Roles (Anticipated) Introduction: To Ask: Who has heard that scientists have found planets around stars other than our own Sun? How many of these stars might you think have been found? Anyone ever see a star that has planets around it? (our own Sun, some may know of other stars) We can’t see the planets around other stars, but we can see the star.
    [Show full text]
  • Arxiv:1809.07342V1 [Astro-Ph.SR] 19 Sep 2018
    Draft version September 21, 2018 Preprint typeset using LATEX style emulateapj v. 11/10/09 FAR-ULTRAVIOLET ACTIVITY LEVELS OF F, G, K, AND M DWARF EXOPLANET HOST STARS* Kevin France1, Nicole Arulanantham1, Luca Fossati2, Antonino F. Lanza3, R. O. Parke Loyd4, Seth Redfield5, P. Christian Schneider6 Draft version September 21, 2018 ABSTRACT We present a survey of far-ultraviolet (FUV; 1150 { 1450 A)˚ emission line spectra from 71 planet- hosting and 33 non-planet-hosting F, G, K, and M dwarfs with the goals of characterizing their range of FUV activity levels, calibrating the FUV activity level to the 90 { 360 A˚ extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) stellar flux, and investigating the potential for FUV emission lines to probe star-planet interactions (SPIs). We build this emission line sample from a combination of new and archival observations with the Hubble Space Telescope-COS and -STIS instruments, targeting the chromospheric and transition region emission lines of Si III,N V,C II, and Si IV. We find that the exoplanet host stars, on average, display factors of 5 { 10 lower UV activity levels compared with the non-planet hosting sample; this is explained by a combination of observational and astrophysical biases in the selection of stars for radial-velocity planet searches. We demonstrate that UV activity-rotation relation in the full F { M star sample is characterized by a power-law decline (with index α ≈ −1.1), starting at rotation periods & 3.5 days. Using N V or Si IV spectra and a knowledge of the star's bolometric flux, we present a new analytic relationship to estimate the intrinsic stellar EUV irradiance in the 90 { 360 A˚ band with an accuracy of roughly a factor of ≈ 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Prospects of Detecting the Polarimetric Signature of the Earth-Mass Planet Α Centauri B B with SPHERE/ZIMPOL
    A&A 556, A64 (2013) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201321881 & c ESO 2013 Astrophysics Prospects of detecting the polarimetric signature of the Earth-mass planet α Centauri B b with SPHERE/ZIMPOL J. Milli1,2, D. Mouillet1,D.Mawet2,H.M.Schmid3, A. Bazzon3, J. H. Girard2,K.Dohlen4, and R. Roelfsema3 1 Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), University Joseph Fourier, CNRS, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble, France e-mail: [email protected] 2 European Southern Observatory, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile 3 Institute for Astronomy, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland 4 Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM),13388 Marseille, France Received 12 May 2013 / Accepted 4 June 2013 ABSTRACT Context. Over the past five years, radial-velocity and transit techniques have revealed a new population of Earth-like planets with masses of a few Earth masses. Their very close orbit around their host star requires an exquisite inner working angle to be detected in direct imaging and sets a challenge for direct imagers that work in the visible range, such as SPHERE/ZIMPOL. Aims. Among all known exoplanets with less than 25 Earth masses we first predict the best candidate for direct imaging. Our primary objective is then to provide the best instrument setup and observing strategy for detecting such a peculiar object with ZIMPOL. As a second step, we aim at predicting its detectivity. Methods. Using exoplanet properties constrained by radial velocity measurements, polarimetric models and the diffraction propaga- tion code CAOS, we estimate the detection sensitivity of ZIMPOL for such a planet in different observing modes of the instrument.
    [Show full text]
  • Homogeneous Spectroscopic Parameters for Bright Planet Host Stars from the Northern Hemisphere the Impact on Stellar and Planetary Mass (Research Note)
    A&A 576, A94 (2015) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201425227 & c ESO 2015 Astrophysics Homogeneous spectroscopic parameters for bright planet host stars from the northern hemisphere The impact on stellar and planetary mass (Research Note) S. G. Sousa1,2,N.C.Santos1,2, A. Mortier1,3,M.Tsantaki1,2, V. Adibekyan1, E. Delgado Mena1,G.Israelian4,5, B. Rojas-Ayala1,andV.Neves6 1 Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Universidade do Porto, CAUP, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto, Portugal e-mail: [email protected] 2 Departamento de Física e Astronomia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal 3 SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9SS, UK 4 Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain 5 Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidade de La Laguna, 38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain 6 Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil Received 27 October 2014 / Accepted 19 February 2015 ABSTRACT Aims. In this work we derive new precise and homogeneous parameters for 37 stars with planets. For this purpose, we analyze high resolution spectra obtained by the NARVAL spectrograph for a sample composed of bright planet host stars in the northern hemisphere. The new parameters are included in the SWEET-Cat online catalogue. Methods. To ensure that the catalogue is homogeneous, we use our standard spectroscopic analysis procedure, ARES+MOOG, to derive effective temperatures, surface gravities, and metallicities. These spectroscopic stellar parameters are then used as input to compute the stellar mass and radius, which are fundamental for the derivation of the planetary mass and radius.
    [Show full text]
  • Arxiv:Astro-Ph/0609369 V2 15 Sep 2006 Ahntnd,54 Ra Rnhr.N,Wsigo DC, Washington NW, Rd
    Draft version September 18, 2006 – VERSION Accepted for publication in ApJ A Preprint typeset using LTEX style emulateapj v. 12/14/05 HAT-P-1b: A LARGE-RADIUS, LOW-DENSITY EXOPLANET TRANSITING ONE MEMBER OF A STELLAR BINARY† ⋆ G. A.´ Bakos1,2, R. W. Noyes1, G. Kovacs´ 3, D. W. Latham1, D. D. Sasselov1, G. Torres1, D. A. Fischer6, R. P. Stefanik1, B. Sato7, J. A. Johnson8, A. Pal´ 4,1, G. W. Marcy8, R. P. Butler9, G. A. Esquerdo1, K. Z. Stanek10, J. Laz´ ar´ 5, I. Papp5, P. Sari´ 5 & B. Sipocz˝ 4,1 Draft version September 18, 2006 – VERSION Accepted for publication in ApJ ABSTRACT Using small automated telescopes in Arizona and Hawaii, the HATNet project has detected an object transiting one member of the double star system ADS 16402. This system is a pair of G0 main-sequence stars with age about 3 Gyr at a distance of ∼139 pc and projected separation of ∼1550 AU. The transit signal has a period of 4.46529 days and depth of 0.015 mag. From follow-up photometry and spectroscopy, we find that the object is a “hot Jupiter” planet with mass about 0.53 MJ and radius ∼1.36 RJ traveling in an orbit with semimajor axis 0.055 AU and inclination about 85◦.9, thus transiting the star at impact parameter 0.74 of the stellar radius. Based on a data set spanning three years, ephemerides for the transit center are: TC = 2453984.397+ Ntr ∗ 4.46529. The planet, designated HAT-P-1b, appears to be at least as large in radius, and smaller in mean density, than any previously-known planet.
    [Show full text]
  • Thermodynamics of Spacetime: the Einstein Equation of State
    gr-qc/9504004 UMDGR-95-114 Thermodynamics of Spacetime: The Einstein Equation of State Ted Jacobson Department of Physics, University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742-4111, USA [email protected] Abstract The Einstein equation is derived from the proportionality of entropy and horizon area together with the fundamental relation δQ = T dS connecting heat, entropy, and temperature. The key idea is to demand that this relation hold for all the local Rindler causal horizons through each spacetime point, with δQ and T interpreted as the energy flux and Unruh temperature seen by an accelerated observer just inside the horizon. This requires that gravitational lensing by matter energy distorts the causal structure of spacetime in just such a way that the Einstein equation holds. Viewed in this way, the Einstein equation is an equation of state. This perspective suggests that it may be no more appropriate to canonically quantize the Einstein equation than it would be to quantize the wave equation for sound in air. arXiv:gr-qc/9504004v2 6 Jun 1995 The four laws of black hole mechanics, which are analogous to those of thermodynamics, were originally derived from the classical Einstein equation[1]. With the discovery of the quantum Hawking radiation[2], it became clear that the analogy is in fact an identity. How did classical General Relativity know that horizon area would turn out to be a form of entropy, and that surface gravity is a temperature? In this letter I will answer that question by turning the logic around and deriving the Einstein equation from the propor- tionality of entropy and horizon area together with the fundamental relation δQ = T dS connecting heat Q, entropy S, and temperature T .
    [Show full text]
  • A Proxy for Stellar Extreme Ultraviolet Fluxes
    Astronomy & Astrophysics manuscript no. main ©ESO 2020 November 2, 2020 Ca ii H&K stellar activity parameter: a proxy for stellar Extreme Ultraviolet Fluxes A. G. Sreejith1, L. Fossati1, A. Youngblood2, K. France2, and S. Ambily2 1 Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Schmiedlstrasse 6, 8042 Graz, Austria e-mail: [email protected] 2 Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, UCB 600, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA Received date / Accepted date ABSTRACT Atmospheric escape is an important factor shaping the exoplanet population and hence drives our understanding of planet formation. Atmospheric escape from giant planets is driven primarily by the stellar X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. Furthermore, EUV and longer wavelength UV radiation power disequilibrium chemistry in the middle and upper atmosphere. Our understanding of atmospheric escape and chemistry, therefore, depends on our knowledge of the stellar UV fluxes. While the far-ultraviolet fluxes can be observed for some stars, most of the EUV range is unobservable due to the lack of a space telescope with EUV capabilities and, for the more distant stars, to interstellar medium absorption. Thus, it becomes essential to have indirect means for inferring EUV fluxes from features observable at other wavelengths. We present here analytic functions for predicting the EUV emission of F-, G-, K-, and M-type ′ stars from the log RHK activity parameter that is commonly obtained from ground-based optical observations of the ′ Ca ii H&K lines. The scaling relations are based on a collection of about 100 nearby stars with published log RHK and EUV flux values, where the latter are either direct measurements or inferences from high-quality far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectra.
    [Show full text]
  • Naming the Extrasolar Planets
    Naming the extrasolar planets W. Lyra Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, K¨onigstuhl 17, 69177, Heidelberg, Germany [email protected] Abstract and OGLE-TR-182 b, which does not help educators convey the message that these planets are quite similar to Jupiter. Extrasolar planets are not named and are referred to only In stark contrast, the sentence“planet Apollo is a gas giant by their assigned scientific designation. The reason given like Jupiter” is heavily - yet invisibly - coated with Coper- by the IAU to not name the planets is that it is consid- nicanism. ered impractical as planets are expected to be common. I One reason given by the IAU for not considering naming advance some reasons as to why this logic is flawed, and sug- the extrasolar planets is that it is a task deemed impractical. gest names for the 403 extrasolar planet candidates known One source is quoted as having said “if planets are found to as of Oct 2009. The names follow a scheme of association occur very frequently in the Universe, a system of individual with the constellation that the host star pertains to, and names for planets might well rapidly be found equally im- therefore are mostly drawn from Roman-Greek mythology. practicable as it is for stars, as planet discoveries progress.” Other mythologies may also be used given that a suitable 1. This leads to a second argument. It is indeed impractical association is established. to name all stars. But some stars are named nonetheless. In fact, all other classes of astronomical bodies are named.
    [Show full text]
  • Correlations Between the Stellar, Planetary, and Debris Components of Exoplanet Systems Observed by Herschel⋆
    A&A 565, A15 (2014) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201323058 & c ESO 2014 Astrophysics Correlations between the stellar, planetary, and debris components of exoplanet systems observed by Herschel J. P. Marshall1,2, A. Moro-Martín3,4, C. Eiroa1, G. Kennedy5,A.Mora6, B. Sibthorpe7, J.-F. Lestrade8, J. Maldonado1,9, J. Sanz-Forcada10,M.C.Wyatt5,B.Matthews11,12,J.Horner2,13,14, B. Montesinos10,G.Bryden15, C. del Burgo16,J.S.Greaves17,R.J.Ivison18,19, G. Meeus1, G. Olofsson20, G. L. Pilbratt21, and G. J. White22,23 (Affiliations can be found after the references) Received 15 November 2013 / Accepted 6 March 2014 ABSTRACT Context. Stars form surrounded by gas- and dust-rich protoplanetary discs. Generally, these discs dissipate over a few (3–10) Myr, leaving a faint tenuous debris disc composed of second-generation dust produced by the attrition of larger bodies formed in the protoplanetary disc. Giant planets detected in radial velocity and transit surveys of main-sequence stars also form within the protoplanetary disc, whilst super-Earths now detectable may form once the gas has dissipated. Our own solar system, with its eight planets and two debris belts, is a prime example of an end state of this process. Aims. The Herschel DEBRIS, DUNES, and GT programmes observed 37 exoplanet host stars within 25 pc at 70, 100, and 160 μm with the sensitiv- ity to detect far-infrared excess emission at flux density levels only an order of magnitude greater than that of the solar system’s Edgeworth-Kuiper belt. Here we present an analysis of that sample, using it to more accurately determine the (possible) level of dust emission from these exoplanet host stars and thereafter determine the links between the various components of these exoplanetary systems through statistical analysis.
    [Show full text]