WASP-19b: The Shortest Period Transiting Exoplanet Yet Discovered
Abstract
We report on the discovery of a new extremely short period transiting extrasolar planet, WASP-19b. The planet has mass M pl = 1.15 ± 0.08 MJ , radius R pl = 1.31 ± 0.06 RJ , and orbital period P = 0.7888399 ± 0.0000008 days. Through spectroscopic analysis, we determine the host star to be a slightly super-solar metallicity ([M/H] = 0.1 ± 0.1 dex) G-dwarf with T eff = 5500 ± 100 K. In addition, we detect periodic, sinusoidal flux variations in the light curve which are used to derive a rotation period for the star of P rot = 10.5 ± 0.2 days. The relatively short stellar rotation period suggests that either WASP-19 is somewhat young (~ 600 Myr old) or tidal interactions between the two bodies have caused the planet to spiral inward over its lifetime resulting in the spin-up of the star. Due to the detection of the rotation period, this system has the potential to place strong constraints on the stellar tidal quality factor, Q' s , if a more precise age is determined.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- January 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0004-637X/708/1/224
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1001.0403
- Bibcode:
- 2010ApJ...708..224H
- Keywords:
-
- planetary systems;
- techniques: photometric;
- techniques: radial velocities;
- Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Published in ApJ