[en] HAT-P-13b is a Jupiter-mass transiting exoplanet that has settled onto a stable, short-period, and mildly eccentric orbit as a consequence of the action of tidal dissipation and perturbations from a second, highly eccentric, outer companion. Owing to the special orbital configuration of the HAT-P-13 system, the magnitude of HAT-P-13b's eccentricity (e_b) is in part dictated by its Love number ($k_{2_b}$), which is in turn a proxy for the degree of central mass concentration in its interior. Thus, the measurement of e_b constrains $k_{2_b}$ and allows us to place otherwise elusive constraints on the mass of HAT-P-13b's core (M_core,b). In this study we derive new constraints on the value of e_b by observing two secondary eclipses of HAT-P-13b with the Infrared Array Camera on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. We fit the measured secondary eclipse times simultaneously with radial velocity measurements and find that e_b = 0.00700 ± 0.00100. We then use octupole-order secular perturbation theory to find the corresponding $k_{2_b}={0.31}_{-<!--\; ???\; -->0.05}^{+0.08}$. Applying structural evolution models, we then find, with 68% confidence, that M_core,b is less than 25 Earth masses (M_⊕). The most likely value is M_core,b = 11 M_⊕, which is similar to the core mass theoretically required for runaway gas accretion. This is the tightest constraint to date on the core mass of a hot Jupiter. Additionally, we find that the measured secondary eclipse depths, which are in the 3.6 and 4.5 μm bands, best match atmospheric model predictions with a dayside temperature inversion and relatively efficient day–night circulation.

[en] We report the discovery of two super-Earth-mass planets orbiting the nearby K0.5 dwarf HD 7924, which was previously known to host one small planet. The new companions have masses of 7.9 and 6.4 $M_{\oplus <!--\; ???\; -->}$, and orbital periods of 15.3 and 24.5 days. We perform a joint analysis of high-precision radial velocity data from Keck/HIRES and the new Automated Planet Finder Telescope (APF) to robustly detect three total planets in the system. We refine the ephemeris of the previously known planet using 5 yr of new Keck data and high-cadence observations over the last 1.3 yr with the APF. With this new ephemeris, we show that a previous transit search for the inner-most planet would have covered 70% of the predicted ingress or egress times. Photometric data collected over the last eight years using the Automated Photometric Telescope shows no evidence for transits of any of the planets, which would be detectable if the planets transit and their compositions are hydrogen-dominated. We detect a long-period signal that we interpret as the stellar magnetic activity cycle since it is strongly correlated with the Ca ii H and K activity index. We also detect two additional short-period signals that we attribute to rotationally modulated starspots and a one-month alias. The high-cadence APF data help to distinguish between the true orbital periods and aliases caused by the window function of the Keck data. The planets orbiting HD 7924 are a local example of the compact, multi-planet systems that the Kepler Mission found in great abundance.

[en] HAT-P-11 is a mid-K dwarf that hosts one of the first Neptune-sized planets found outside the solar system. The orbit of HAT-P-11b is misaligned with the star’s spin—one of the few known cases of a misaligned planet orbiting a star less massive than the Sun. We find an additional planet in the system based on a decade of precision radial velocity (RV) measurements from Keck/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer. HAT-P-11c is similar to Jupiter in its mass ($M_P\sin <!--\; ???\; -->i=1.6\pm <!--\; ??\; -->0.1$ M _J) and orbital period ($P={9.3}_{-<!--\; ???\; -->0.5}^{+1.0}$ year), but has a much more eccentric orbit (e = 0.60 ± 0.03). In our joint modeling of RV and stellar activity, we found an activity-induced RV signal of ∼7 $\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{s}}^{-<!--\; ???\; -->1}$, consistent with other active K dwarfs, but significantly smaller than the 31 $\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{s}}^{-<!--\; ???\; -->1}$ reflex motion due to HAT-P-11c. We investigated the dynamical coupling between HAT-P-11b and c as a possible explanation for HAT-P-11b’s misaligned orbit, finding that planet–planet Kozai interactions cannot tilt planet b’s orbit due to general relativistic precession; however, nodal precession operating on million year timescales is a viable mechanism to explain HAT-P-11b’s high obliquity. This leaves open the question of why HAT-P-11c may have such a tilted orbit. At a distance of 38 pc, the HAT-P-11 system offers rich opportunities for further exoplanet characterization through astrometry and direct imaging.

[en] We present 10 new transit light curves of the transiting hot Jupiter HAT-P-13b, obtained during two observational seasons by three different telescopes. When combined with 12 previously published light curves, we have a sample consisting of 22 transit light curves, spanning 1041 days across four observational seasons. We use this sample to examine the recently observed large-amplitude transit timing variations (TTVs) by Pal et al. and give refined system parameters. We find that the transit times are consistent with a linear ephemeris, with the exception of a single transit time, from UT 2009 November 5, for which the measured mid-transit time significantly deviates from our linear ephemeris. The nature of this deviation is not clear, and the rest of the data do not show any significant TTVs.

[en] We have identified three K2 transiting star–planet systems, K2-51 (EPIC 202900527), K2-67 (EPIC 206155547), and K2-76 (EPIC 206432863), as stellar binaries with low-mass stellar secondaries. The three systems were statistically validated as transiting planets, and through measuring their orbits by radial velocity (RV) monitoring we have derived the companion masses to be ${0.1459}_{-<!--\; ???\; -->0.0032}^{+0.0029}$ $M_{\odot <!--\; ???\; -->}$ (EPIC 202900527 B), ${0.1612}_{-<!--\; ???\; -->0.0067}^{+0.0072}$ $M_{\odot <!--\; ???\; -->}$ (EPIC 206155547 B), and 0.0942 ± 0.0019 $M_{\odot <!--\; ???\; -->}$ (EPIC 206432863 B). Therefore, they are not planets but small stars, part of the small sample of low-mass stars with measured radius and mass. The three systems are at an orbital period range of 12–24 days, and the secondaries have a radius within 0.9–1.9 $R_{\mathrm{J}}$, not inconsistent with the properties of warm Jupiter planets. These systems illustrate some of the existing challenges in the statistical validation approach. We point out a few possible origins for the initial misclassification of these objects, including poor characterization of the host star, the difficulty in detecting a secondary eclipse in systems on an eccentric orbit, and the difficulty in distinguishing between the smallest stars and gas giant planets as the two populations have indistinguishable radius distributions. Our work emphasizes the need for obtaining medium-precision RV measurements to distinguish between companions that are small stars, brown dwarfs, and gas giant planets.

[en] Uncovering the occurrence rate of terrestrial planets within the habitable zone (HZ) of their host stars has been a particular focus of exoplanetary science in recent years. The statistics of these occurrence rates have largely been derived from transiting planet discoveries, and have uncovered numerous HZ planets in compact systems around M-dwarf host stars. Here we explore the width of the HZ as a function of spectral type, and the dynamical constraints on the number of stable orbits within the HZ for a given star. We show that, although the Hill radius for a given planetary mass increases with larger semimajor axis, the width of the HZ for earlier-type stars allows for more terrestrial planets in the HZ than late-type stars. In general, dynamical constraints allow ∼6 HZ Earth-mass planets for stellar masses ≳0.7M _⊙, depending on the presence of farther out giant planets. As an example, we consider the case of Beta CVn, a nearby bright solar-type star. We present 20 yr of radial velocities (RV) from the Keck/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) and Automated Planet Finder (APF) instruments and conduct an injection-recovery analysis of planetary signatures in the data. Our analysis of these RV data rule out planets more massive than Saturn within 10 au of the star. These system properties are used to calculate the potential dynamical packing of terrestrial planets in the HZ and show that such nearby stellar targets could be particularly lucrative for HZ planet detection by direct imaging exoplanet missions.

[en] In this paper we search for distant massive companions to known transiting gas giant planets that may have influenced the dynamical evolution of these systems. We present new radial velocity observations for a sample of 51 planets obtained using the Keck HIRES instrument, and find statistically significant accelerations in fifteen systems. Six of these systems have no previously reported accelerations in the published literature: HAT-P-10, HAT-P-22, HAT-P-29, HAT-P-32, WASP-10, and XO-2. We combine our radial velocity fits with Keck NIRC2 adaptive optics (AO) imaging data to place constraints on the allowed masses and orbital periods of the companions responsible for the detected accelerations. The estimated masses of the companions range between 1-500 M _Jup, with orbital semi-major axes typically between 1-75 AU. A significant majority of the companions detected by our survey are constrained to have minimum masses comparable to or larger than those of the transiting planets in these systems, making them candidates for influencing the orbital evolution of the inner gas giant. We estimate a total occurrence rate of 51% ± 10% for companions with masses between 1-13 M _Jup and orbital semi-major axes between 1-20 AU in our sample. We find no statistically significant difference between the frequency of companions to transiting planets with misaligned or eccentric orbits and those with well-aligned, circular orbits. We combine our expanded sample of radial velocity measurements with constraints from transit and secondary eclipse observations to provide improved measurements of the physical and orbital characteristics of all of the planets included in our survey.

[en] We present the measured projected obliquity—the sky-projected angle between the stellar spin axis and orbital angular momentum—of the inner planet of the HAT-P-17 multi-planet system. We measure the sky-projected obliquity of the star to be λ=19⁺¹⁴_-16 deg by modeling the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect in Keck/HIRES radial velocities (RVs). The anomalous RV time series shows an asymmetry relative to the midtransit time, ordinarily suggesting a nonzero obliquity—but in this case at least part of the asymmetry may be due to the convective blueshift, increasing the uncertainty in the determination of λ. We employ the semi-analytical approach of Hirano et al. that includes the effects of macroturbulence, instrumental broadening, and convective blueshift to accurately model the anomaly in the net RV caused by the planet eclipsing part of the rotating star. Obliquity measurements are an important tool for testing theories of planet formation and migration. To date, the measured obliquities of ∼50 Jovian planets span the full range, from prograde to retrograde, with planets orbiting cool stars preferentially showing alignment of stellar spins and planetary orbits. Our results are consistent with this pattern emerging from tidal interactions in the convective envelopes of cool stars and close-in planets. In addition, our 1.8 yr of new RVs for this system show that the orbit of the outer planet is more poorly constrained than previously thought, with an orbital period now in the range of 10-36 yr

[en] Determining which small exoplanets have stony-iron compositions is necessary for quantifying the occurrence of such planets and for understanding the physics of planet formation. Kepler-10 hosts the stony-iron world Kepler-10b, and also contains what has been reported to be the largest solid silicate-ice planet, Kepler-10c. Using 220 radial velocities (RVs), including 72 precise RVs from Keck-HIRES of which 20 are new from 2014 to 2015, and 17 quarters of Kepler photometry, we obtain the most complete picture of the Kepler-10 system to date. We find that Kepler-10b ($R_{\mathrm{p}}=1.47R_{\oplus <!--\; ???\; -->}$) has mass $3.72\pm <!--\; ??\; -->0.42M_{\oplus <!--\; ???\; -->}$ and density $6.46\pm <!--\; ??\; -->0.73\mathrm{g}{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{-<!--\; ???\; -->3}$. Modeling the interior of Kepler-10b as an iron core overlaid with a silicate mantle, we find that the iron core constitutes 0.17 ± 0.11 of the planet mass. For Kepler-10c ($R_{\mathrm{p}}=2.35R_{\oplus <!--\; ???\; -->}$) we measure mass $13.98\pm <!--\; ??\; -->1.79M_{\oplus <!--\; ???\; -->}$ and density $5.94\pm <!--\; ??\; -->0.76\mathrm{g}{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{-<!--\; ???\; -->3}$, significantly lower than the mass computed in Dumusque et al. ($17.2\pm <!--\; ??\; -->1.9M_{\oplus <!--\; ???\; -->}$). Our mass measurement of Kepler-10c rules out a pure stony-iron composition. Internal compositional modeling reveals that at least 10% of the radius of Kepler-10c is a volatile envelope composed of hydrogen–helium (0.2% of the mass, 16% of the radius) or super-ionic water (28% of the mass, 29% of the radius). However, we note that analysis of only HIRES data yields a higher mass for planet b and a lower mass for planet c than does analysis of the HARPS-N data alone, with the mass estimates for Kepler-10 c being formally inconsistent at the 3σ level. Moreover, dividing the data for each instrument into two parts also leads to somewhat inconsistent measurements for the mass of planet c derived from each observatory. Together, this suggests that time-correlated noise is present and that the uncertainties in the masses of the planets (especially planet c) likely exceed our formal estimates. Transit timing variations (TTVs) of Kepler-10c indicate the likely presence of a third planet in the system, KOI-72.X. The TTVs and RVs are consistent with KOI-72.X having an orbital period of 24, 71, or 101 days, and a mass from 1 to 7 $M_{\oplus <!--\; ???\; -->}$.

[en] We present the discovery of Kepler-129 d ($P_d={7.2}_{-<!--\; ???\; -->0.3}^{+0.4}$ yr, $m\sin i_d={8.3}_{-<!--\; ???\; -->0.7}^{+1.1}{M}_{\mathrm{J}\mathrm{u}\mathrm{p}}$, $e_d={0.15}_{-<!--\; ???\; -->0.05}^{+0.07}$) based on six years of radial-velocity observations from Keck/HIRES. Kepler-129 also hosts two transiting sub-Neptunes: Kepler-129 b (P _b = 15.79 days, r _b = 2.40 ± 0.04 R _⊕) and Kepler-129 c (P _c = 82.20 days, r _c = 2.52 ± 0.07 R _⊕) for which we measure masses of m _b < 20 M _⊕ and $m_c={43}_{-<!--\; ???\; -->12}^{+13}{M}_{\oplus <!--\; ???\; -->}$. Kepler-129 is a hierarchical system consisting of two tightly packed inner planets and a massive external companion. In such a system, two inner planets precess around the orbital normal of the outer companion, causing their inclinations to oscillate with time. Based on an asteroseismic analysis of Kepler data, we find tentative evidence that Kepler-129 b and c are misaligned with stellar spin axis by ≳38°, which could be torqued by Kepler-129 d if it is inclined by ≳19° relative to inner planets. Using N-body simulations, we provide additional constraints on the mutual inclination between Kepler-129 d and inner planets by estimating the fraction of time during which two inner planets both transit. The probability that two planets both transit decreases as their misalignment with Kepler-129 d increases. We also find a more massive Kepler-129 c enables the two inner planets to become strongly coupled and more resistant to perturbations from Kepler-129 d. The unusually high mass of Kepler-129 c provides a valuable benchmark for both planetary dynamics and interior structure, since the best-fit mass is consistent with this 2.5 R _⊕ planet having a rocky surface.