Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Bradley M. S. Hansen
Summary: Moons orbiting exoplanets experience accelerated tidal evolution and may merge or become unstable. Atmospheric tides can change the outcome from merger to escape in some cases. Unbound moons are likely to collide with their parent planet, releasing dust that can be observed as transient clouds. Late collisions with returning moons may sterilize habitable planets.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Anjali A. A. Piette, Nikku Madhusudhan, Avi M. Mandell
Summary: Emission spectroscopy is a promising technique for observing the atmospheres of rocky exoplanets to understand their chemical and thermal properties. Researchers have developed a framework called hydro to interpret the thermal emission spectra of rocky exoplanets with unknown atmospheric compositions. Using hydro, they assessed the chemical constraints that can be placed on these atmospheres with the upcoming JWST observations.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
J. Polman, L. B. F. M. Waters, M. Min, Y. Miguel, N. Khorshid
Summary: In this paper, the abundances of sulphur-bearing species in hot Jupiter atmospheres are discussed, and their observability is explored. It is found that H2S and SO2 are the most likely species to be detected in the coming years with the JWST.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Katy L. Chubb, Michiel Min
Summary: The aim of this study is to create a retrieval framework for analyzing the three-dimensional nature of exoplanet atmospheres and apply it to observed emission phase curve and transmission spectra of the exoplanet WASP-43b. The results show that the choice of Spitzer emission phase data has a significant impact on atmospheric heat distribution, hotspot shift, and temperature structure. There are some trends in molecular abundances as a function of phase. The authors conclude that further observations will greatly improve our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
K. S. Olsen, A. Trokhimovskiy, L. Montabone, A. A. Fedorova, M. Luginin, F. Lefevre, O. I. Korablev, F. Montmessin, F. Forget, E. Millour, A. Bierjon, L. Baggio, J. Alday, C. F. Wilson, P. G. J. Irwin, D. A. Belyaev, A. Patrakeev, A. Shakun
Summary: Hydrogen chloride was discovered in the atmosphere of Mars for the first time during a global dust storm in Mars year 34, leading to the proposal of a novel surface-atmosphere coupling. Monitoring of HCl activity after seasonal dust activity restarted in Mars year 35 confirmed the existence of this coupling, showing rapid increases in HCl mixing ratios coinciding with the onset of the dust season.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mary Anne Limbach, Andrew Vanderburg, Kevin B. Stevenson, Simon Blouin, Caroline Morley, Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, Melinda Soares-Furtado, Markus Janson
Summary: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) can detect infrared excess from the blended light of terrestrial exoplanets orbiting white dwarfs. It is capable of detecting warm Earths, super-Earths, and hot Mercury analogues, as well as cold Jupiter-sized exoplanets. These observations provide valuable information about the atmospheres of these planets.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
D. Blain, B. Charnay, B. Bezard
Summary: Researchers simulated the atmosphere of K2-18b using the Exo-REM model and found that the atmospheric metallicity may be between 40 and 500 times solar, potentially forming H2O-ice clouds but not liquid H2O clouds. They also discovered that CH4 absorption features dominate the transmission spectrum in the HST spectral range.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Alfred Curry, Amy Bonsor, Tim Lichtenberg, Oliver Shorttle
Summary: Short-lived radioisotopes, such as Al-26, played a crucial role in the formation of planetary bodies, providing additional heat source and leading to melting and iron core formation. The prevalence of these radioisotopes in exoplanetary systems is important for understanding volatile budget and atmospheric diversity. White dwarfs that have accreted planetary material offer a unique opportunity to study iron core formation in extrasolar planetesimals. Based on the evidence from white dwarfs, a significant fraction of exoplanetesimals are likely to have formed an iron core.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
E. Kleisioti, D. Dirkx, M. Rovira-Navarro, M. A. Kenworthy
Summary: This study aims to identify the orbital parameter space of a tidally heated exomoon (THEM) that can be observed in infrared wavelengths with MIRI/JWST around e Eridani b. By studying the constraints on orbital eccentricity and interior properties, we investigate the exomoon properties that need to be known in order to place these constraints. Our findings suggest that tidal dissipation can constrain the orbital eccentricity and interior properties of the satellite if the semi-major axis and radius of the moon are known.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rosanna H. Tilbrook, Matthew R. Burleigh, Jean C. Costes, Samuel Gill, Louise D. Nielsen, Jose Vines, Didier Queloz, Simon T. Hodgkin, Hannah L. Worters, Michael R. Goad, Jack S. Acton, Beth A. Henderson, David J. Armstrong, David R. Anderson, Daniel Bayliss, Francois Bouchy, Joshua T. Briegal, Edward M. Bryant, Sarah L. Casewell, Alexander Chaushev, Benjamin F. Cooke, Philipp Eigmuller, Edward Gillen, Maximilian N. Gunther, Aleisha Hogan, James S. Jenkins, Monika Lendl, James McCormac, Maximiliano Moyano, Liam Raynard, Alexis M. S. Smith, Stephane Udry, Christopher A. Watson, Richard G. West, Peter J. Wheatley, Hannes Breytenbach, Ramotholo R. Sefako, Jessymol K. Thomas, Douglas R. Alves
Summary: The study reports the discovery of four new Hot Jupiters with NGTS, finding them to be potentially inflated but with underlying mechanisms poorly understood. Analysis suggests that including additional hyperparameters and an updated catalogue of Hot Jupiters could refine inflationary models, advancing understanding of the physical processes that lead to inflated planets.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Beth A. Biller, Daniel Apai, Mickael Bonnefoy, Silvano Desidera, Raffaele Gratton, Markus Kasper, Matthew Kenworthy, Anne-Marie Lagrange, Cecilia Lazzoni, Dino Mesa, Arthur Vigan, Kevin Wagner, Johanna M. Vos, Alice Zurlo
Summary: The study found that the planets HR8799bc display similar colors and spectra to other young exoplanets, suggesting similar variability trends. However, differences were observed in the satellite spot lightcurves. By tracking non-shared variations between different planets and analyzing simulated lightcurves, they explored the differences.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
C. Ferrari, A. Lucas, S. Jacquemoud
Summary: This study presents a thermophysical model parametrised by regolith properties and local topography to explore the effects of space weathering and other alteration processes on the upper surface of Saturn's icy moons. Results show that the topographic model and regolith properties have significant impacts on surface temperature and emissivity.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lokesh Mishra, Yann Alibert, Stephane Udry, Christoph Mordasini
Summary: In this paper, a model-independent framework for characterizing planetary system architecture at the system level is proposed. The formation pathways leading to four architecture classes are investigated using synthetic planetary systems. The study reveals the relationship between system architecture and initial conditions, as well as the influence of dynamical interactions and metallicity.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Katy L. Chubb, Marco Rocchetto, Sergei N. Yurchenko, Michiel Min, Ingo Waldmann, Joanna K. Barstow, Paul Molliere, Ahmed F. Al-Refaie, Mark W. Phillips, Jonathan Tennyson
Summary: The ExoMolOP database contains opacity data for over 80 species of molecules of astrophysical interest, suitable for characterizing high-temperature exoplanets or cool stellar and substellar atmospheres. The data are formatted in different ways for different exoplanet atmosphere retrieval codes.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
A. S. Bonomo, X. Dumusque, A. Massa, A. Mortier, R. Bongiolatti, L. Malavolta, A. Sozzetti, L. A. Buchhave, M. Damasso, R. D. Haywood, A. Morbidelli, D. W. Latham, E. Molinari, F. Pepe, E. Poretti, S. Udry, L. Affer, W. Boschin, D. Charbonneau, R. Cosentino, M. Cretignier, A. Ghedina, E. Lega, M. Lopez-Morales, M. Margini, A. F. Martinez Fiorenzano, M. Mayor, G. Micela, M. Pedani, M. Pinamonti, K. Rice, D. Sasselov, R. Tronsgaard, A. Vanderburg
Summary: This article studies the exoplanet population around sun-like stars and finds that Jupiter may be one of the reasons for the absence of small planets and cold Jupiters in our solar system. Based on the data collected, there is no significant anti-correlation between small planets and cold Jupiters.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rebecca G. Martin, Stephen Lepp, Stephen H. Lubow, Matthew A. Kenworthy, Grant M. Kennedy, David Vallet
Summary: This study considers a hierarchical triple system with an inner eccentric binary and an outer companion, and analyzes the effects of different torques on the misalignment of a circumbinary disk around the inner binary. The study finds that the disk aligns to a polar orientation when the torque from the inner binary dominates, undergoes KL oscillations when the torque from the outer companion dominates, and experiences eccentricity oscillations while maintaining a close-to-polar inclination when the torques are similar.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Patrick F. Cronin-Coltsmann, Grant M. Kennedy, Christian Adam, Quentin Kral, Jean-Francois Lestrade, Sebastian Marino, Luca Matra, Simon J. Murphy, Johan Olofsson, Mark C. Wyatt
Summary: We present new ALMA Band 7 observations of the M1V star GSC 07396-00759's edge-on debris disc, providing a multiwavelength view of the system's dust distribution under the influence of stellar wind forces. Our findings suggest a Gaussian torus structure for the mm dust grains and reveal the absence of CO in the system. Furthermore, we observe a discrepancy in brightness asymmetry between scattered light and ALMA observations, implying that the physical mechanism only affects smaller grain sizes.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. A. Kenworthy, D. Gonzalez Picos, E. Elizondo, R. G. Martin, D. M. van Dam, J. E. Rodriguez, G. M. Kennedy, C. Ginski, M. Mugrauer, N. Vogt, C. Adam, R. J. Oelkers
Summary: By studying the young multiple stellar system V773 Tau, we can gain insights into the orientation and structure of circumstellar discs and predict the occurrence of eclipses. This research is important for understanding the formation of circumstellar discs and planetary systems.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Olga Zakhozhay, Ralf Launhardt, Andre Mueller, Stefan S. Brems, Paul Eigenthaler, Mario Gennaro, Angela Hempel, Maren Hempel, Thomas Henning, Grant M. Kennedy, Sam Kim, Martin Kuerster, Regis Lachaume, Yashodhan Manerikar, Jayshil A. Patel, Alexey Pavlov, Sabine Reffert, Trifon Trifonov
Summary: This study introduces the Radial Velocity Survey for Planets around Young stars (RVSPY) to search for substellar companions around young stars, leading to the discovery of several previously unknown companions with orbital periods between 10 and 100 days. No hot companions with orbital periods below 10 days were detected for stars younger than 500 Myr. Analysis of photometric time series data revealed significant periodicities for most target stars.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sasha Hinkley, Aarynn L. Carter, Shrishmoy Ray, Andrew Skemer, Beth Biller, Elodie Choquet, Maxwell A. Millar-Blanchaer, Stephanie Sallum, Brittany Miles, Niall Whiteford, Polychronis Patapis, Marshall Perrin, Laurent Pueyo, Glenn Schneider, Karl Stapelfeldt, Jason Wang, Kimberly Ward-Duong, Brendan P. Bowler, Anthony Boccaletti, Julien H. Girard, Dean Hines, Paul Kalas, Jens Kammerer, Pierre Kervella, Jarron Leisenring, Eric Pantin, Yifan Zhou, Michael Meyer, Michael C. Liu, Mickael Bonnefoy, Thayne Currie, Michael McElwain, Stanimir Metchev, Mark Wyatt, Olivier Absil, Jea Adams, Travis Barman, Isabelle Baraffe, Mariangela Bonavita, Mark Booth, Marta Bryan, Gael Chauvin, Christine Chen, Camilla Danielski, Matthew De Furio, Samuel M. Factor, Michael P. Fitzgerald, Jonathan J. Fortney, Carol Grady, Alexandra Greenbaum, Thomas Henning, Kielan K. W. Hoch, Markus Janson, Grant Kennedy, Matthew Kenworthy, Adam Kraus, Masayuki Kuzuhara, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Anne-Marie Lagrange, Ralf Launhardt, Cecilia Lazzoni, James Lloyd, Sebastian Marino, Mark Marley, Raquel Martinez, Christian Marois, Brenda Matthews, Elisabeth C. Matthews, Dimitri Mawet, Johan Mazoyer, Mark Phillips, Simon Petrus, Sascha P. Quanz, Andreas Quirrenbach, Julien Rameau, Isabel Rebollido, Emily Rickman, Matthias Samland, B. Sargent, Joshua E. Schlieder, Anand Sivaramakrishnan, Jordan M. Stone, Motohide Tamura, Pascal Tremblin, Taichi Uyama, Malavika Vasist, Arthur Vigan, Kevin Wagner, Marie Ygouf
Summary: The direct characterization of exoplanetary systems with high-contrast imaging is a top priority for the exoplanet community. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will observe extrasolar planets at mid-infrared wavelengths beyond 5 μm, providing detailed spectroscopy and sensitivity to analogs of our solar system ice-giant planets.
PUBLICATIONS OF THE ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
G. Cugno, T. D. Pearce, R. Launhardt, M. J. Bonse, J. Ma, T. Henning, A. Quirrenbach, D. Segransan, E. C. Matthews, S. P. Quanz, G. M. Kennedy, A. Mueller, S. Reffert, E. L. Rickman
Summary: The study used principal component analysis to detect protoplanetary disks around 45 young stars and found a new binary system, a triple system, and 12 known companions. Signals from 17 disks were also detected, including two imaged for the first time. The study revealed a forming planet occurrence rate of approximately 21.2%, 14.8%, and 10.8% for semi-major axes in the range of [20-500] au and temperatures in the range of [600-3000] K. However, the detectability of forming objects may be affected by extinction from circumstellar and circumplanetary material.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Marc G. Brouwers, Andrew M. Buchan, Amy Bonsor, Uri Malamud, Elliot Lynch, Laura Rogers, Detlev Koester
Summary: Volatiles, especially water, play a crucial role in the habitability of rocky planets. This study focuses on the accretion process and its impact on the composition of white dwarf pollutants. The researchers propose testable predictions and emphasize the need for statistically interpreting pollutant compositions and reducing uncertainties for accurate measurements.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Marc G. Brouwers, Amy Bonsor, Uri Malamud
Summary: Polluted white dwarfs act as astrophysical mass spectrometers, revealing the composition of accreted planetary material. Due to asymmetries in the accretion process, the composition of the falling material can vary with time, affecting the photospheric abundances. This study predicts that the core/mantle fraction of accreting material changes during tidal disruption events, making it difficult to determine the core fraction in white dwarfs with short diffusion time-scales.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Amy Bonsor, Tim Lichtenberg, Joanna Drazkowska, Andrew M. Buchan
Summary: Observational evidence from white dwarf planetary systems suggests that planetary accretion may have started within a few hundred thousand years after molecular cloud collapse.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Clement Perrot, Johan Olofsson, Quentin Kral, Philippe Thebault, Matias Montesinos, Grant Kennedy, Amelia Bayo, Daniela Iglesias, Rob van Holstein, Christophe Pinte
Summary: In this study, new scattered light observations from VLT/SPHERE are used to characterize the morphology and dust properties of the gas-rich debris disk around HD121617. The results show a sharp inner edge, possibly sculpted by an undetected planet or gas drag, and a steeper outer edge than expected for an unperturbed disk, potentially caused by a planet or gas drag. The analysis of the spectral energy distribution also provides information on the dust mass and size distribution.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Amaia Imaz Blanco, Sebastian Marino, Luca Matra, Mark Booth, John Carpenter, Virginie Faramaz, Thomas Henning, A. Meredith Hughes, Grant M. Kennedy, Sebastian Perez, Luca Ricci, Mark C. Wyatt
Summary: In this paper, a three-phase analytical model is proposed to analyze the collisional evolution of solids in debris discs, focusing on their joint radial and temporal dependence. The model is applied to observational data of seven wide debris discs to test their inner edges for shallow and consistent collisional evolution. Four out of seven systems show inner edges consistent with collisional evolution, while the remaining systems have sharper inner edges, suggesting possible truncation by planets. The seven discs have surface densities below the Minimum Mass Solar Nebula, avoiding the disc mass problem.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Patrick F. Cronin-Coltsmann, Grant M. Kennedy, Quentin Kral, Jean-Francois Lestrade, Sebastian Marino, Luca Matra, Mark C. Wyatt
Summary: This study used ALMA to survey M-dwarf stars in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group and found that the detection rate of debris discs around M-dwarf stars is consistent with other types of stars, but requires longer wavelengths and higher sensitivity observations.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew Kenworthy, Simon Lock, Grant Kennedy, Richelle van Capelleveen, Eric Mamajek, Ludmila Carone, Franz-Josef Hambsch, Joseph Masiero, Amy Mainzer, J. Davy Kirkpatrick, Edward Gomez, Zoe Leinhardt, Jingyao Dou, Pavan Tanna, Arttu Sainio, Hamish Barker, Stephane Charbonnel, Olivier Garde, Pascal Le Du, Lionel Mulato, Thomas Petit, Michael Rizzo Smith
Summary: Observations of the young star ASASSN-21qj reveal an infrared brightening and optical eclipse, which are interpreted as the result of a collision between two exoplanets and transit of their debris causing the eclipse.
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew Kenworthy, Simon Lock, Grant Kennedy, Richelle van Capelleveen, Eric Mamajek, Ludmila Carone, Franz-Josef Hambsch, Joseph Masiero, Amy Mainzer, J. Davy Kirkpatrick, Edward Gomez, Zoe Leinhardt, Jingyao Dou, Pavan Tanna, Arttu Sainio, Hamish Barker, Stephane Charbonnel, Olivier Garde, Pascal Le Du, Lionel Mulato, Thomas Petit, Michael Rizzo Smith
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
R. J. Anslow, A. Bonsor, P. B. Rimmer
Summary: This work explores the potential of cometary impacts to deliver complex organic molecules and prebiotic building blocks to rocky exoplanets. It shows that impacts at very low velocities are required for the survival of these molecules. The study finds that comets scattered from beyond the snow-line into the habitable zone have a lower minimum impact velocity for planets orbiting Solar-type stars compared to M-dwarfs. The research suggests that the intact delivery of complex organic molecules is more likely in tightly packed planetary systems around high-mass stars. However, impacts onto planets around low-mass stars are sensitive to the planetary architecture and may not support the survival of complex prebiotic molecules. Rocky planets around M-dwarfs also face more high velocity impacts, which could pose challenges for life on these planets. In conclusion, the study predicts that the presence of biosignatures will be correlated with decreasing planetary mass, increasing stellar mass, and decreasing planetary separation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
(2023)