Detectability Of Low-Mass Trojan Planets In Transiting Systems Using Transit Timing Variation Method
Abstract
We present the results of a study of the feasibility of detecting small, terrestrial-sized planets in a transiting system consisting of a Jupiter-like planet and an M-dwarf using the variations in the transit timing of the larger body. Specifically, we studied the case where the two planets are in 1:1 mean-motion resonance. To determine the detectability of such Trojan planets, a number of systems with different masses, eccentricities, and periods were numerically integrated and the amplitudes of their TTV signals were calculated. Results indicate that Trojan planets in 3 to 10 day orbits and with eccentricities ranging from 0 to 0.15 have a high probability for detection. We present the results of our study and discuss the applicability of our analysis to the probability of the detection of such planets with the recently launched Kepler space telescope.
Support for S.C. through the NSF funded REU program at the Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii is acknowledged.- Publication:
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AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #41
- Pub Date:
- December 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009DPS....41.6805C