| 1. |
- Hooton, M.J., et al.
(author)
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Spi-OPS: Spitzer and CHEOPS confirm the near-polar orbit of MASCARA-1 b and reveal a hint of dayside reflection
- 2022
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 658
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. The light curves of tidally locked hot Jupiters transiting fast-rotating, early-type stars are a rich source of information about both the planet and star, with full-phase coverage enabling a detailed atmospheric characterisation of the planet. Although it is possible to determine the true spin-orbit angle ψ-a notoriously difficult parameter to measure-from any transit asymmetry resulting from gravity darkening induced by the stellar rotation, the correlations that exist between the transit parameters have led to large disagreements in published values of ψ for some systems. Aims. We aimed to study these phenomena in the light curves of the ultra-hot Jupiter MASCARA-1 b, which is characteristically similar to well-studied contemporaries such as KELT-9 b and WASP-33 b. Methods. We obtained optical CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) transit and occultation light curves of MASCARA-1 b, and analysed them jointly with a Spitzer/IRAC 4.5 μm full-phase curve to model the asymmetric transits, occultations, and phase-dependent flux modulation. For the latter, we employed a novel physics-driven approach to jointly fit the phase modulation by generating a single 2D temperature map and integrating it over the two bandpasses as a function of phase to account for the differing planet-star flux contrasts. The reflected light component was modelled using the general ab initio solution for a semi-infinite atmosphere. Results. When fitting the CHEOPS and Spitzer transits together, the degeneracies are greatly diminished and return results consistent with previously published Doppler tomography. Placing priors informed by the tomography achieves even better precision, allowing a determination of ψ = 72.1-2.4+2.5 deg. From the occultations and phase variations, we derived dayside and nightside temperatures of 3062-68+66 K and 1720 ± 330 K, respectively.Our retrieval suggests that the dayside emission spectrum closely follows that of a blackbody. As the CHEOPS occultation is too deep to be attributed to blackbody flux alone, we could separately derive geometric albedo Ag = 0.171-0.068+0.066 and spherical albedo As = 0.266-0.100+0.097 from the CHEOPS data, and Bond albedoAB = 0.057-0.101+0.083 from the Spitzer phase curve.Although small, the Ag and As indicate that MASCARA-1 b is more reflective than most other ultra-hot Jupiters, where H- absorption is expected to dominate. Conclusions. Where possible, priors informed by Doppler tomography should be used when fitting transits of fast-rotating stars, though multi-colour photometry may also unlock an accurate measurement of ψ. Our approach to modelling the phase variations at different wavelengths provides a template for how to separate thermal emission from reflected light in spectrally resolved James Webb Space Telescope phase curve data.
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| 2. |
- Morris, B. M., et al.
(author)
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CHEOPS precision phase curve of the Super-Earth 55 Cancri e
- 2021
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 653
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. 55 Cnc e is a transiting super-Earth (radius 1.88 R-circle plus and mass 8 M-circle plus) orbiting a G8V host star on a 17-h orbit. Spitzer observations of the planet's phase curve at 4.5 mu m revealed a time-varying occultation depth, and MOST optical observations are consistent with a time-varying phase curve amplitude and phase offset of maximum light. Both broadband and high-resolution spectroscopic analyses are consistent with either a high mean molecular weight atmosphere or no atmosphere for planet e. A long-term photometric monitoring campaign on an independent optical telescope is needed to probe the variability in this system. Aims. We seek to measure the phase variations of 55 Cnc e with a broadband optical filter with the 30 cm effective aperture space telescope CHEOPS and explore how the precision photometry narrows down the range of possible scenarios. Methods. We observed 55 Cnc for 1.6 orbital phases in March of 2020. We designed a phase curve detrending toolkit for CHEOPS photometry which allowed us to study the underlying flux variations in the 55 Cnc system. Results. We detected a phase variation with a full-amplitude of 72 +/- 7 ppm, but did not detect a significant secondary eclipse of the planet. The shape of the phase variation resembles that of a piecewise-Lambertian; however, the non-detection of the planetary secondary eclipse, and the large amplitude of the variations exclude reflection from the planetary surface as a possible origin of the observed phase variations. They are also likely incompatible with magnetospheric interactions between the star and planet, but may imply that circumplanetary or circumstellar material modulate the flux of the system. Conclusions. This year, further precision photometry of 55 Cnc from CHEOPS will measure variations in the phase curve amplitude and shape over time.
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| 3. |
- Scandariato, Gaetano, et al.
(author)
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Phase curve and geometric albedo of WASP-43b measured with CHEOPS, TESS, and HST WFC3/UVIS
- 2022
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 668
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Observations of the phase curves and secondary eclipses of extrasolar planets provide a window onto the composition and thermal structure of the planetary atmospheres. For example, the photometric observations of secondary eclipses lead to the measurement of the planetary geometric albedo, Ag, which is an indicator of the presence of clouds in the atmosphere. Aims. In this work, we aim to measure the Ag in the optical domain of WASP-43b, a moderately irradiated giant planet with an equilibrium temperature of ~1400 K. Methods. For this purpose, we analyzed the secondary eclipse light curves collected by CHEOPS together with TESS along with observations of the system and the publicly available photometry obtained with HST WFC3/UVIS. We also analyzed the archival infrared observations of the eclipses and retrieve the thermal emission spectrum of the planet. By extrapolating the thermal spectrum to the optical bands, we corrected for the optical eclipses for thermal emission and derived the optical Ag. Results. The fit of the optical data leads to a marginal detection of the phase-curve signal, characterized by an amplitude of 160 ± 60 ppm and 80a-? 50+60 ppm in the CHEOPS and TESS passbands, respectively, with an eastward phase shift of ~50 (1.5Ï ? detection). The analysis of the infrared data suggests a non-inverted thermal profile and solar-like metallicity. The combination of the optical and infrared analyses allows us to derive an upper limit for the optical albedo of Ag< 0.087, with a confidence of 99.9%. Conclusions. Our analysis of the atmosphere of WASP-43b places this planet in the sample of irradiated hot Jupiters, with monotonic temperature-pressure profile and no indication of condensation of reflective clouds on the planetary dayside.
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| 4. |
- Patel, Jayshil Ashokkumar, et al.
(author)
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CHEOPS and TESS view of the ultra-short-period super-Earth TOI-561 b
- 2023
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 679
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Ultra-short-period planets (USPs) are a unique class of super-Earths with an orbital period of less than a day, and hence they are subject to intense radiation from their host star. These planets cannot retain a primordial H/He atmosphere, and most of them are indeed consistent with being bare rocky cores. A few USPs, however, show evidence for a heavyweight envelope, which could be a water layer resilient to evaporation or a secondary metal-rich atmosphere sustained by outgassing of the molten volcanic surface. Much thus remains to be learned about the nature and formation of USPs. Aims. The prime goal of the present work is to refine the bulk planetary properties of the recently discovered TOI-561 b through the study of its transits and occultations. This is crucial in order to understand the internal structure of this USP and to assess the presence of an atmosphere. Methods. We obtained ultra-precise transit photometry of TOI-561 b with CHEOPS, and performed a joint analysis of these data along with three archival visits from CHEOPS and four TESS sectors. Results. Our analysis of TOI-561 b transit photometry put strong constraints on its properties. In particular, we restrict the uncertainties on the planetary radius at similar to 2% retrieving R-p = 1.42 +/- 0.02 R-circle plus. This result informs our internal structure modelling of the planet, which shows that the observations are consistent with a negligible H/He atmosphere; however, other lighter materials are required, in addition to a pure iron core and a silicate mantle, to explain the observed density. We find that this can be explained by the inclusion of a water layer in our model. Additionally, we ran a grid of forward models with a water-enriched atmosphere to explain the transit radius. We searched for variability in the measured R-p/R-star over time, which could trace changes in the structure of the planetary envelope. However, no temporal variations are recovered within the present data precision. In addition to the transit event, we tentatively detect an occultation signal in the TESS data with an eclipse depth L = 27.40(-11.35)(+10.87) ppm. We use models of outgassed atmospheres from the literature to explain this eclipse signal. We find that the thermal emission from the planet can mostly explain the observation. Based on this, we predict that near- to mid-infrared observations with the James Webb Space Telescope should be able to detect silicate species in the atmosphere of the planet. This could also reveal important clues about the planetary interior and help disentangle planet formation and evolution models.
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| 5. |
- Barros, S. C. C., et al.
(author)
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Detection of the tidal deformation of WASP-103b at 3σ with CHEOPS
- 2022
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 657
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Ultra-short period planets undergo strong tidal interactions with their host star which lead to planet deformation and orbital tidal decay.Aims. WASP-103b is the exoplanet with the highest expected deformation signature in its transit light curve and one of the shortest expected spiral-in times. Measuring the tidal deformation of the planet would allow us to estimate the second degree fluid Love number and gain insight into the planet's internal structure. Moreover, measuring the tidal decay timescale would allow us to estimate the stellar tidal quality factor, which is key to constraining stellar physics.Methods. We obtained 12 transit light curves of WASP-103b with the CHaracterising ExOplanet Satellite (CHEOPS) to estimate the tidal deformation and tidal decay of this extreme system. We modelled the high-precision CHEOPS transit light curves together with systematic instrumental noise using multi-dimensional Gaussian process regression informed by a set of instrumental parameters. To model the tidal deformation, we used a parametrisation model which allowed us to determine the second degree fluid Love number of the planet. We combined our light curves with previously observed transits of WASP-103b with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Spitzer to increase the signal-to-noise of the light curve and better distinguish the minute signal expected from the planetary deformation.Results. We estimate the radial Love number of WASP-103b to be h(f) = 1.59(-0.53)(+0.45). This is the first time that the tidal deformation is directly detected (at 3 sigma) from the transit light curve of an exoplanet. Combining the transit times derived from CHEOPS, HST, and Spitzer light curves with the other transit times available in the literature, we find no significant orbital period variation for WASP-103b. However, the data show a hint of an orbital period increase instead of a decrease, as is expected for tidal decay. This could be either due to a visual companion star if this star is bound, the Applegate effect, or a statistical artefact.Conclusions. The estimated Love number of WASP-103b is similar to Jupiter's. This will allow us to constrain the internal structure and composition of WASP-103b, which could provide clues on the inflation of hot Jupiters. Future observations with James Webb Space Telescope can better constrain the radial Love number of WASP-103b due to their high signal-to-noise and the smaller signature of limb darkening in the infrared. A longer time baseline is needed to constrain the tidal decay in this system.
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| 6. |
- Aartsen, M. G., et al.
(author)
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Computational techniques for the analysis of small signals in high-statistics neutrino oscillation experiments
- 2020
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In: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 977
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The current and upcoming generation of Very Large Volume Neutrino Telescopes - collecting unprecedented quantities of neutrino events - can be used to explore subtle effects in oscillation physics, such as (but not restricted to) the neutrino mass ordering. The sensitivity of an experiment to these effects can be estimated from Monte Carlo simulations. With the high number of events that will be collected, there is a trade-off between the computational expense of running such simulations and the inherent statistical uncertainty in the determined values. In such a scenario, it becomes impractical to produce and use adequately-sized sets of simulated events with traditional methods, such as Monte Carlo weighting. In this work we present a staged approach to the generation of expected distributions of observables in order to overcome these challenges. By combining multiple integration and smoothing techniques which address limited statistics from simulation it arrives at reliable analysis results using modest computational resources.
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| 7. |
- Malbet, F., et al.
(author)
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Faint objects in motion: the new frontier of high precision astrometry
- 2021
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In: Experimental Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 51:3, s. 845-886
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sky survey telescopes and powerful targeted telescopes play complementary roles in astronomy. In order to investigate the nature and characteristics of the motions of very faint objects, a flexibly-pointed instrument capable of high astrometric accuracy is an ideal complement to current astrometric surveys and a unique tool for precision astrophysics. Such a space-based mission will push the frontier of precision astrometry from evidence of Earth-mass habitable worlds around the nearest stars, to distant Milky Way objects, and out to the Local Group of galaxies. As we enter the era of the James Webb Space Telescope and the new ground-based, adaptive-optics-enabled giant telescopes, by obtaining these high precision measurements on key objects that Gaia could not reach, a mission that focuses on high precision astrometry science can consolidate our theoretical understanding of the local Universe, enable extrapolation of physical processes to remote redshifts, and derive a much more consistent picture of cosmological evolution and the likely fate of our cosmos. Already several missions have been proposed to address the science case of faint objects in motion using high precision astrometry missions: NEAT proposed for the ESA M3 opportunity, micro-NEAT for the S1 opportunity, and Theia for the M4 and M5 opportunities. Additional new mission configurations adapted with technological innovations could be envisioned to pursue accurate measurements of these extremely small motions. The goal of this White Paper is to address the fundamental science questions that are at stake when we focus on the motions of faint sky objects and to briefly review instrumentation and mission profiles.
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| 8. |
- Bonfanti, A., et al.
(author)
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CHEOPS observations of the HD 108236 planetary system: A fifth planet, improved ephemerides, and planetary radii
- 2021
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 646
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. The detection of a super-Earth and three mini-Neptunes transiting the bright (V = 9.2 mag) star HD 108236 (also known as TOI-1233) was recently reported on the basis of TESS and ground-based light curves. Aims. We perform a first characterisation of the HD 108236 planetary system through high-precision CHEOPS photometry and improve the transit ephemerides and system parameters. Methods. We characterise the host star through spectroscopic analysis and derive the radius with the infrared flux method. We constrain the stellar mass and age by combining the results obtained from two sets of stellar evolutionary tracks. We analyse the available TESS light curves and one CHEOPS transit light curve for each known planet in the system. Results. We find that HD 108236 is a Sun-like star with R? = 0.877 ± 0.008 R? , M? = 0.869-0.048+0.050 M? , and an age of 6.7-5.1+4.0 Gyr. We report the serendipitous detection of an additional planet, HD 108236 f, in one of the CHEOPS light curves. For this planet, the combined analysis of the TESS and CHEOPS light curves leads to a tentative orbital period of about 29.5 days. From the light curve analysis, we obtain radii of 1.615 ± 0.051, 2.071 ± 0.052, 2.539-0.065+0.062, 3.083 ± 0.052, and 2.017-0.057+0.052 R? for planets HD 108236 b to HD 108236 f, respectively. These values are in agreement with previous TESS-based estimates, but with an improved precision of about a factor of two. We perform a stability analysis of the system, concluding that the planetary orbits most likely have eccentricities smaller than 0.1. We also employ a planetary atmospheric evolution framework to constrain the masses of the five planets, concluding that HD 108236 b and HD 108236 c should have an Earth-like density, while the outer planets should host a low mean molecular weight envelope. Conclusions. The detection of the fifth planet makes HD 108236 the third system brighter than V = 10 mag to host more than four transiting planets. The longer time span enables us to significantly improve the orbital ephemerides such that the uncertainty on the transit times will be of the order of minutes for the years to come. A comparison of the results obtained from the TESS and CHEOPS light curves indicates that for a V - 9 mag solar-like star and a transit signal of -500 ppm, one CHEOPS transit light curve ensures the same level of photometric precision as eight TESS transits combined, although this conclusion depends on the length and position of the gaps in the light curve.
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| 9. |
- Szabo, Gy M., et al.
(author)
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Transit timing variations of AU Microscopii b and c*
- 2022
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 659
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Here we report large-amplitude transit timing variations (TTVs) for AU Microcopii b and c as detected in combined TESS (2018, 2020) and CHEOPS (2020, 2021) transit observations. AU Mic is a young planetary system with a debris disk and two transiting warm Neptunes. A TTV on the order of several minutes was previously reported for AU Mic b, which was suggested to be an outcome of mutual perturbations between the planets in the system. In 2021, we observed AU Mic b (five transits) and c (three transits) with the CHEOPS space telescope to follow-up the TTV of AU Mic b and possibly detect a TTV for AU Mic c. When analyzing TESS and CHEOPS 2020-2021 measurements together, we find that a prominent TTV emerges with a full span of >= 23 min between the two TTV extrema. Assuming that the period change results from a periodic process -such as mutual perturbations- we demonstrate that the times of transits in the summer of 2022 are expected to be 30-85 min later than predicted by the available linear ephemeris.
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| 10. |
- Kawamuro, Taiki, et al.
(author)
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AGN X-Ray Irradiation of CO Gas in NGC 2110 Revealed by Chandra and ALMA
- 2020
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 895:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report spatial distributions of the Fe-K alpha line at 6.4 keV and the CO(J = 2-1) line at 230.538 GHz in NGC 2110, which are, respectively, revealed by Chandra and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) at 05. A Chandra 6.2-6.5 keV to 3.0-6.0 keV image suggests that the Fe-K alpha emission extends preferentially in a northwest to southeast direction out to 3 '', or similar to 500 pc, on each side. Spatially resolved spectral analyses support this by finding significant Fe-K alpha emission lines only in the northwest and southeast regions. Moreover, their equivalent widths are found to be similar to 1.5 keV, indicative for the fluorescence by nuclear X-ray irradiation as the physical origin. By contrast, CO(J = 2-1) emission is weak therein. For quantitative discussion, we derive ionization parameters by following an X-ray dominated region (XDR) model. We then find them high enough to interpret the weakness as the result of X-ray dissociation of CO and/or H-2. Another possibility also remains that CO molecules follow a superthermal distribution, resulting in brighter emission in higher-J lines. Further follow-up observations are encouraged to draw a conclusion on what predominantly changes the interstellar matter properties and whether the X-ray irradiation eventually affects the surrounding star formation as active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback.
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