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Pinning down the mass of Kepler-10c: the importance of sampling and model comparison.
- Source :
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters; Oct2017, Vol. 471 Issue 1, pL125-L130, 6p
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- Initial radial velocity (RV) characterization of the enigmatic planet Kepler-10c suggested a mass of ∼17M<subscript>⊕</subscript>, which was remarkably high for a planet with radius 2.32 R<subscript>⊕</subscript>; further observations and subsequent analysis hinted at a (possibly much) lower mass, but masses derived using RVs from two different spectrographs (HARPS-N and HIRES) were incompatible at a 3σ level. We demonstrate here how such mass discrepancies may readily arise from suboptimal sampling and/or neglecting to model even a single coherent signal (stellar, planetary or otherwise) that may be present in RVs. We then present a plausible resolution of the mass discrepancy, and ultimately characterize Kepler-10c as having mass 7.37<subscript>-1.19</subscript><superscript>+1.32</superscript>M<subscript>⊕</subscript>, and mean density 3.14<subscript>-0.55</subscript><superscript>+0.63</superscript> g cm<superscript>-3</superscript>. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 17453925
- Volume :
- 471
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 125760430
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slx116