Estimations of orbital parameters of exoplanets from transit photometry by using dynamical constraints

Author: Sándor, Zsolt

Source: Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy, Volume 95, Numbers 1-4, May 2006 , pp. 273-285(13)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

The probability of the detection of Earth-like exoplanets may increase in the near future after the launch of the space missions using the transit photometry as observation method. By using this technique only the semi-major axis of the detected planet can be determined, and there will be no information on the upper limit of its orbital eccentricity. However, the orbital eccentricity is a very important parameter, not only from a dynamical point of view, since it gives also information on the climate and the habitability of the Earth-like planets. In this paper a possible procedure is suggested for confining the eccentricity of an exoplanet discovered by transit photometry if an already known giant planet orbits also in the system.

Keywords: Exoplanets; Planetary transit; Three-body problem; Stability; Chaos detection

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10569-006-9031-z

Affiliations: 1: Email: Zs.Sandor@astro.elte.hu

Publication date: 2006-05-01