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A Search for Additional Planets in the NASA EPOXI Observations of the Exoplanet System GJ 436 | | Sarah Ballard
; Jessie L. Christiansen
; David Charbonneau
; Drake Deming
; Matthew J. Holman
; Daniel Fabrycky
; Michael F. A'Hearn
; Dennis D. Wellnitz
; Richard K. Barry
; Marc J. Kuchner
; Timothy A. Livengood
; Tilak Hewagama
; Jessica M. Sunshine
; Don L. Hampton
; Carey M. Lisse
; Sara Seager
; Joseph F. Veverka
; | | Date: |
15 Sep 2009 | | Abstract: | We present time series photometry of the M dwarf transiting exoplanet system
GJ 436 obtained with the the EPOCh (Extrasolar Planet Observation and
Characterization) component of the NASA EPOXI mission. We conduct a search of
the high-precision time series for additional planets around GJ 436, which
could be revealed either directly through their photometric transits, or
indirectly through the variations these second planets induce on the transits
of the previously known planet. In the case of GJ 436, the presence of a second
planet is perhaps indicated by the residual orbital eccentricity of the known
hot Neptune companion. We find no candidate transits with significance higher
than our detection limit. From Monte Carlo tests of the time series, we rule
out transiting planets larger than 1.0 R_Earth interior to GJ 436b with 95%
confidence. Assuming coplanarity of additional planets with the orbit of GJ
436b, we cannot expect that putative planets with orbital periods longer than
about 3.4 days will transit. However, if such a planet were to transit, we rule
out planets larger than 1.5 R_Earth with orbital periods less than 13 days with
95% confidence. We also place dynamical constraints on additional bodies in the
GJ 436 system. Our analysis should serve as a useful guide for similar analyses
for which radial velocity measurements are not available, such as those
discovered by the Kepler mission. These dynamical constraints on additional
planets with periods from 0.5 to 9 days rule out coplanar secular perturbers as
small as 10 M_Earth and non-coplanar secular perturbers as small as 1 M_Earth
in orbits close in to GJ 436b. We present refined estimates of the system
parameters for GJ 436. We also report a sinusoidal modulation in the GJ 436
light curve that we attribute to star spots. [Abridged] | | Source: | arXiv, 0909.2875 | | Services: | Forum | Review | PDF | Favorites | |
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