Related papers: Spin-Orbit Alignment of the TrES-4 Transiting Plan…
We present results of a study on identifying circumbinary planet candidates that produce multiple transits during one conjunction with eclipsing binary systems. The occurrence of these transits enables us to estimate the candidates' orbital…
We report the discovery of a transiting, Rp = 4.347+/-0.099REarth, circumbinary planet (CBP) orbiting the Kepler K+M Eclipsing Binary (EB) system KIC 12351927 (Kepler-413) every ~66 days on an eccentric orbit with ap = 0.355+/-0.002AU, ep =…
By using the most recently published Doppler tomography measurements and accurate theoretical modeling of the oblateness-driven orbital precessions, we tightly constrain some of the physical and orbital parameters of the planetary system…
We performed an intensive radial velocity monitoring of XO-2S, the wide companion of the transiting planet-host XO-2N, using HARPS-N at TNG in the framework of the GAPS programme. The radial velocity measurements indicate the presence of a…
The Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) effect is the distortion of stellar spectral lines that occurs during eclipses or transits, due to stellar rotation. We assess the future prospects for using the RM effect to measure the alignment of planetary…
We report measurements of the sky-projected spin--orbit angles for three transiting hot Jupiters: two of which are in nearly polar orbits, WASP-100b and WASP-109b, and a third in a low obliquity orbit, WASP-72b. We obtained these…
We present the discovery and characterization of a giant planet orbiting the young Sun-like star Kepler-63 (KOI-63, $m_{\rm Kp} = 11.6$, $T_{\rm eff} = 5576$ K, $M_\star = 0.98\, M_\odot$). The planet transits every 9.43 days, with apparent…
Transiting planets are generally close enough to their host stars that tides may govern their orbital and thermal evolution of these planets. We present calculations of the tidal evolution of recently discovered transiting planets and…
Tidal orbital decay plays a vital role in the evolution of hot Jupiter systems. As of now, this was only observationally confirmed for the WASP-12 system. There are a few other candidates, including WASP-4 b, but no conclusive result could…
We report measurements of the sky-projected spin-orbit angle for AU\,Mic\,b, a Neptune-size planet orbiting a very young ($\sim20$\,Myr) nearby pre-main sequence M dwarf star which also hosts a bright, edge-on, debris disk. The planet was…
We measure the rotation periods of 19 stars in the {\it Kepler} transiting planetary systems, $P_{\rm rot, astero}$ from asteroseismology and $P_{\rm rot, phot}$ from photometric variation of their lightcurve. Two stars exhibit two clear…
We report the discovery of MASCARA-3b, a hot Jupiter orbiting its bright (V = 8.33) late F-type host every $5.55149\pm 0.00001$ days in an almost circular orbit ($e = 0.050^{+0.020}_{-0.017}$). This is the fourth exoplanet discovered with…
Brown dwarfs occupy a middle ground in mass space between gaseous giant planets and ultra-cool dwarf stars, and the characterisation of their orbital orientations may shed light on how these neighbouring objects form. We present an analysis…
We present projected rotational velocities for 20 early-type (B8-A9) and 74 late-type (F2-M8) members of the ~5 Myr old Upper Scorpius OB Association derived from high dispersion optical spectra obtained with the High Resolution Echelle…
A transiting planet eclipses part of the rotating stellar surface, thereby producing an anomalous Doppler shift of the stellar spectrum. Here I review how this "Rossiter-McLaughlin Effect" can be used to characterize exoplanetary systems.…
Main-sequence stars earlier than spectral type ~F6 or so are expected to rotate rapidly due to their radiative exteriors. This rapid rotation leads to an oblate stellar figure. It also induces the photosphere to be hotter (by up to several…
Nowadays, transit timing variations (TTVs) are proving to be a very valuable tool in exoplanetary science to detect exoplanets by observing variations in transit times. To study the transit timing variation of the hot Jupiter, TrES-2b, we…
We report the discovery and the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect of Kepler-8b, a transiting planet identified by the NASA Kepler Mission. Kepler photometry and Keck-HIRES radial velocities yield the radius and mass of the planet around this F8IV…
We present observations of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect for two exoplanetary systems, revealing the orientations of their orbits relative to the rotation axes of their parent stars. HAT-P-4b is prograde, with a sky-projected spin-orbit…
Understanding orbital obliquities, or the misalignment angles between a star's rotation axis and the orbital axis of its planets, is crucial for unraveling the mechanisms of planetary formation and migration. In this study, we present an…