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We present the first results from the POKEMON (Pervasive Overview of Kompanions of Every M-dwarf in Our Neighborhood) survey, the largest speckle survey of stellar multiplicity ever produced for the objects that comprise over 70% of the stars in our galaxy: the M-dwarfs. We have conducted a volume-limited survey through M9 that inspected, at diffraction-limited resolution, every M-dwarf out to 15pc, with additional brighter targets to 25pc. POKEMON utilized the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument (DSSI) at the 4.3m Lowell Discovery Telescope, along with the NN-Explore Exoplanet Stellar Speckle Imager (NESSI) on the 3.5-m WIYN telescope. We report the discovery of 30+ new companions to these nearby M-dwarfs. Given the priority these targets have for exoplanet studies with TESS, and in the future JWST - and the degree to which initially undetected multiplicity has skewed Kepler results - a comprehensive survey of our nearby low-mass neighbors provides a homogeneous, complete catalog of fundamental utility. Prior knowledge of secondary objects - or robust non-detections, as captured by this survey - immediately clarify the nature of exoplanet transit detections from these current and upcoming missions.
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While at first glance multi-star systems seem quite extreme, they are in fact the most common type of star system in our galaxy, throughout the stellar mass distribution. In particular, 40 to 50% of exoplanet host stars reside within multiple star systems. Given the degree to which initially undetected multiplicity has skewed Kepler results, high-resolution imaging of our nearby low-mass neighbors is necessary for both accurate characterization of transiting exoplanets, as well as a better understanding of stellar astrophysics. To address this frequent gap in our knowledge of exoplanet hosts, we will utilize speckle interferometry to directly image TESS exoplanet host candidates to complete our knowledge of individual star multiplicity. Our investigation will expand upon the speckle observations taken as a part of the POKEMON speckle survey of nearby M-dwarfs to better constrain the multiplicity of low-mass TESS exoplanet host candidates, and to constrain M-dwarf multiplicity by subtype across the entire M-dwarf sequence.
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Three transiting exoplanet candidate stars were discovered in a ground-based photometric survey prior to the launch of NASA's Kepler mission. Kepler observations of them were obtained during Quarter 1 of the Kepler mission. All three stars are faint by radial velocity follow-up standards, so we have examined these candidates with regard to eliminating false positives and providing high confidence exoplanet selection.We present a first attempt to exclude false positives for this set of faint stars without high-resolution radial velocity analysis. This method of exoplanet confirmation will form a large part of the Kepler mission follow-up for Jupiter-sized exoplanet candidates orbiting faint stars. Using the Kepler light curves and pixel data, as well as medium-resolution reconnaissance spectroscopy and speckle imaging, we find that two of our candidates are binary stars. One consists of a late-F star with an early M companion, while the other is a K0 star plus a late M-dwarf/brown dwarf in a 19 day elliptical orbit. The third candidate (BOKS-1) is an r = 15 G8V star hosting a newly discovered exoplanet with a radius of 1.12 RJupiter in a 3.9 day orbit. © 2010 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
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