Transit Timing Observations from Kepler: II. Confirmation of Two Multiplanet Systems via a Non-parametric Correlation Analysis
Abstract
We present a new method for confirming transiting planets based on the combination of transit timingn variations (TTVs) and dynamical stability. Correlated TTVs provide evidence that the pair of bodies are in the same physical system. Orbital stability provides upper limits for the masses of the transiting companions that are in the planetary regime. This paper describes a non-parametric technique for quantifying the statistical significance of TTVs based on the correlation of two TTV data sets. We apply this method to an analysis of the transit timing variations of two stars with multiple transiting planet candidates identified by Kepler. We confirm four transiting planets in two multiple planet systems based on their TTVs and the constraints imposed by dynamical stability. An additional three candidates in these same systems are not confirmed as planets, but are likely to be validated as real planets once further observations and analyses are possible. If all were confirmed, these systems would be near 4:6:9 and 2:4:6:9 period commensurabilities. Our results demonstrate that TTVs provide a powerful tool for confirming transiting planets, including low-mass planets and planets around faint stars for which Doppler follow-up is not practical with existing facilities. Continued Kepler observations will dramatically improve the constraints on the planet masses and orbits and provide sensitivity for detecting additional non-transiting planets. If Kepler observations were extended to eight years, then a similar analysis could likely confirm systems with multiple closely spaced, small transiting planets in or near the habitable zone of solar-type stars.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1201.5409,
title = {Transit Timing Observations from Kepler: II. Confirmation of Two Multiplanet Systems via a Non-parametric Correlation Analysis},
author = {Eric B. Ford and Daniel C. Fabrycky and Jason H. Steffen and Joshua A. Carter and Francois Fressin and Matthew J. Holman and Jack J. Lissauer and Althea V. Moorhead and Robert C. Morehead and Darin Ragozzine and Jason F. Rowe and William F. Welsh and Christopher Allen and Natalie M. Batalha and William J. Borucki and Stephen T. Bryson and Lars A. Buchhave and Christopher J. Burke and Douglas A. Caldwell and David Charbonneau and Bruce D. Clarke and William D. Cochran and Jean-Michel Désert and Michael Endl and Mark E. Everett and Debra A. Fischer and Thomas N. Gautier and Ron L. Gilliland and Jon M. Jenkins and Michael R. Haas and Elliott Horch and Steve B. Howell and Khadeejah A. Ibrahim and Howard Isaacson and David G. Koch and David W. Latham and Jie Li and Philip Lucas and Phillip J. MacQueen and Geoffrey W. Marcy and Sean McCauliff and Fergal R. Mullally and Samuel N. Quinn and Elisa Quintana and Avi Shporer and Martin Still and Peter Tenenbaum and Susan E. Thompson and Guillermo Torres and Joseph D. Twicken and Bill Wohler},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1201.5409},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
23 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables, 1 electronic table, accepted to ApJ