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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2008

The Detectability of Exo-Earths and Super-Earths via Resonant Signatures in Exozodiacal Clouds

Directly imaging extrasolar terrestrial planets necessarily means contending with the astrophysical noise of exozodiacal dust and the resonant structures created by these planets in exozodiacal clouds. Using a custom tailored hybrid symplectic integrator we have constructed 120 models of resonant structures created by exo-Earths and super-Earths on circular orbits interacting with collisionless steady-state dust clouds around a Sun-like star. Our models include enough particles to overcome the limitations of previous simulations that were often dominated by a handful of long-lived particles, allowing us to quantitatively study the contrast of the resulting ring structures. We found that in the case of a planet on a circular orbit, for a given star and dust source distribution, the morphology and contrast of the resonant structures depend on only two parameters: planet mass and (square root)ap/Beta, where ap is the planet's semi-major axis and Beta is the ratio of radiation pressure force to gravitational force on a grain. We constructed multiple-grain-size models of 25,000 particles each and showed that in a collisionless cloud, a Dohnanyi crushing law yields a resonant ring whose optical depth is dominated by the largest grains in the distribution, not the smallest. We used these models to estimate the mass of the lowest-mass planet that can be detected through observations of a resonant ring for a variety of assumptions about the dust cloud and the planet's orbit. Our simulations suggest that planets with mass as small as a few times Mars' mass may produce detectable signatures in debris disks at ap greater than or approximately equal to 10 AU.

Stark, Christopher C.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Detecting Water on Super-Earths Using JAVST

Nearby lower train sequence stars host a class of planets known as Super-Earths, that have no analog in our own solar system. Super-Earths are rocky and/or icy planets with masses up to about 10 Earth masses, They are expected to host atmospheres generated by a number of processes including accretion of chondritic material. Water vapor should be a common constituent of super-Earth atmospheres, and may be detectable in transiting super-Earths using transmission spectroscopy during primar y eclipse, and emission spectroscopy at secondary eclipse. I will discuss the prospects for super-Earth atmospheric measurements using JWST.

Deming, D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Masses and radii for the three super-Earths orbiting GJ 9827, and implications for the composition of small exoplanets

Super-Earths belong to a class of planet not found in the Solar system, but which appear common in the Galaxy. Given that some super-Earths are rocky, while others retain substantial atmospheres, their study can provide clues as to the formation of both rocky and gaseous planets, and – in particular – they can help to constrain the role of photoevaporation in sculpting the exoplanet population. GJ 9827 is a system already known to host three super-Earths with orbital periods of 1.2, 3.6, and 6.2 d. Here, we use new HARPS-N radial velocity measurements, together with previously published radial velocities, to better constrain the properties of the GJ 9827 planets. Our analysis cannot place a strong constraint on the mass of GJ 9827 c, but does indicate that GJ 9827 b is rocky with a composition that is probably similar to that of the Earth, while GJ 9827 d almost certainly retains a volatile envelope. Therefore, GJ 9827 hosts planets on either side of the radius gap that appears to divide super-Earths into pre-dominantly rocky ones that have radii below ∼1.5Rꚛ, and ones that still retain a substantial atmosphere and/or volatile components, and have radii above ∼2Rꚛ. That the less heavily irradiated of the three planets still retains an atmosphere, may indicate that photoevaporation has played a key role in the evolution of the planets in this system.

K. Rice↗
NASA NTRS2010

The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI): Infrared Detection and Characterization of Exozodiacal Dust to Super-Earths, A Progress Report

The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI) is a structurally connected infrared space interferometer with 0.5 m diameter telescopes on a 12.5 m baseline, and is passively cooled to approx.60K. The FKSI operates in the thermal infrared from 3-8 microns in a nulling (or starlight suppressing) mode for the detection and characterization of exoplanets, debris disks, extrasolar zodiacal dust levels. The FKSI will have the highest angular resolution of any infrared space instrument ever made with its nominal resolution of 40 mas at a 5 micron center wavelength. This resolution exceeds that of Spitzer by a factor of 38 and JWST by a factor of 5. The FKSI mission is conceived as a "probe class" or "mid-sized" strategic mission that utilizes technology advances from flagship projects like JWST, SIM, Spitzer, and the technology programs of TPF-I/Darwin. During the past year we began investigating an enhanced version of FKSI with 1-2 m diameter telescopes, passively cooled to 40K, on a 20-m baseline, with a sunshade giving a +/- 45 degree Field-of-Regard. This enhanced design is capable of detecting and characterizing the atmospheres of many 2 Earth-radius super-Earths and a few Earth-twins. We will report progress on the design of the enhanced mission concept and current status of the technologies needed for this mission.

Danchi, W.↗
NASA NTRS2016

The First Neptune Analog or Super-Earth with a Neptune-Like Orbit: MOA-2013-BLG-605Lb

We present the discovery of the first Neptune analog exoplanet or super-Earth with a Neptune-like orbit, MOA- 2013-BLG-605Lb. This planet has a mass similar to that of Neptune or a super-Earth and it orbits at 9 approximately 14 times the expected position of the snow line, a(sub snow), which is similar to Neptuneʼs separation of 11 a(sub snow) from the Sun. The planet/host-star mass ratio is q = (3.6 +/- 0.7) × 10(exp −4) and the projected separation normalized by the Einstein radius is s = 2.39 +/- 0.05. There are three degenerate physical solutions and two of these are due to a new type of degeneracy in the microlensing parallax parameters, which we designate "the wide degeneracy." The three models have (i) a Neptune-mass planet with a mass of M(sub p) = 21(+6/-7)(M) orbiting a low-mass M-dwarf with a mass of M(sub h) = 0.19(+0.05/-0.06 (solar mass)), (ii) a mini-Neptune with M(sub p) = 7.9(+1.8/-1.5)(M)) orbiting a brown dwarf host with M(sub h) = 0.068(+0.019/-0.011(solar mass)), and (iii) a super-Earth with M(sub p) = 3.2(+0.5/-0.3(M)) orbiting a low-mass brown dwarf host with M(sub h) = 0.025(+0.005/-0.004)(solar mass)), which is slightly favored. The 3D planet-host separations are 4.6(+4.7/-1.2)au, 2.1(+1.0/-0.2)au, and 0.94(+0.67/-0.02)au, which are 8.9(+10.5/-1.4)m 12(+7/-1), or 14(+11/-1) times larger than a(sub snow) for these models, respectively. Keck adaptive optics observations confirm that the lens is faint. This discovery suggests that low-mass planets with Neptune-like orbits are common. Therefore processes similar to the one that formed Neptune in our own solar system or cold super-Earths may be common in other solar systems.

Einstein radius↗
NASA NTRS2023

High Tide or Riptide on the Cosmic Shoreline? A Water-Rich Atmosphere or Stellar Contamination for the Warm Super-Earth GJ 486b from JWST Observations

Planets orbiting M-dwarf stars are prime targets in the search for rocky exoplanet atmospheres. The small size of M dwarfs renders their planets exceptional targets for transmission spectroscopy, facilitating atmospheric characterization. However, it remains unknown whether their host stars’ highly variable extreme-UV radiation environments allow atmospheres to persist. With JWST, we have begun to determine whether or not the most favorable rocky worlds orbiting M dwarfs have detectable atmospheres. Here, we present a 2.8—5.2 µm JWST NIRSpec/G395H transmission spectrum of the warm (700 K, 40.3× Earth’s insolation) super-Earth GJ 486b (1.3 R⊕ and 3.0 M⊕). The measured spectrum from our two transits of GJ 486b deviates from a flat line at 2.2 − 3.3σ, based on three independent reductions. Through a combination of forward and retrieval models, we determine that GJ 486b either has a water-rich atmosphere (with the most stringent constraint on the retrieved water abundance of H2O > 10% to 2σ) or the transmission spectrum is contaminated by water present in cool unocculted starspots. We also find that the measured stellar spectrum is best fit by a stellar model with cool starspots and hot faculae. While both retrieval scenarios provide equal quality fits (χ2ν = 1.0) to our NIRSpec/G395H observations, shorter wavelength observations can break this degeneracy and reveal if GJ 486b sustains a water-rich atmosphere.

JWST↗
NASA NTRS2017

MOA-2012-BLG-505Lb: A Super-Earth-Mass Planet that Probably Resides in the Galactic Bulge

We report the discovery of a super-Earth-mass planet in the microlensing event MOA-2012-BLG-505. This event has the second shortest event timescale of t(sub E) = 10 ± 1 days where the observed data show evidence of a planetary companion. Our 15 minute high cadence survey observation schedule revealed the short subtle planetary signature. The system shows the well known close/wide degeneracy. The planet/host-star mass ratio is q = 2.1 × 10(exp −4) and the projected separation normalized by the Einstein radius is s = 1.1 or 0.9 for the wide and close solutions, respectively. We estimate the physical parameters of the system by using a Bayesian analysis and find that the lens consists of a super-Earth with a mass of 6.7(sup +10.7)(sub -3.6) Mꚛ orbiting around a brown dwarf or late-M-dwarf host with a mass of 0.10(sup +0.16)(sub -0.05) Mꙩ with a projected star–planet separation of 0.9(sup +0.3)(sub -0.2) au. The system is at a distance of 7.2 ± 1.1 kpc, i.e., it is likely to be in the Galactic bulge. The small angular Einstein radius (θ(sub E) = 0.12 ± 0.02 mas) and short event timescale are typical for a low-mass lens in the Galactic bulge. Such low-mass planetary systems in the Bulge are rare because the detection efficiency of planets in short microlensing events is relatively low. This discovery may suggest that such low-mass planetary systems are abundant in the Bulge and currently ongoing high cadence survey programs will detect more such events and may reveal an abundance of such planetary systems.

super-Earth-mass planet↗
NASA NTRS2021

TOI-431/HIP 26013: a super-Earth and a sub-Neptune transiting a bright, early K dwarf, with a third RV planet

We present the bright (V mag = 9.12), multiplanet system TOI-431, characterized with photometry and radial velocities (RVs). We estimate the stellar rotation period to be 30.5 ± 0.7 d using archival photometry and RVs. Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite ( TESS ) objects of Interest (TOI)-431 b is a super-Earth with a period of 0.49 d, a radius of 1.28 ± 0.04 R ⊕ , a mass of 3.07 ± 0.35 M ⊕ , and a density of 8.0 ± 1.0 g cm −3 ; TOI-431 d is a sub-Neptune with a period of 12.46 d, a radius of 3.29 ± 0.09 R ⊕ , a mass of 9.90+1.53 −1.49 M ⊕ , and a density of 1.36 ± 0.25 g cm −3 . We find a third planet, TOI-431 c, in the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher RV data, but it is not seen to transit in the TESS light curves. It has an Msin i of 2.83+0.41 −0.34 M ⊕ , and a period of 4.85 d. TOI-431 d likely has an extended atmosphere and is one of the most well-suited TESS discoveries for atmospheric characterization, while the super-Earth TOI-431 b may be a stripped core. These planets straddle the radius gap, presenting an interesting case-study for atmospheric evolution, and TOI-431 b is a prime TESS discovery for the study of rocky planet phase curves.

Ares Osborn↗
NASA NTRS2011

Modeling Kepler Transit Light Curves as False Positives: Rejection of Blend Scenarios for Kepler-9, and Validation of Kepler-9 d, a Super-Earth-Size Planet in a Multiple System

Light curves from the Kepler Mission contain valuable information on the nature of the phenomena producing the transit-like signals. To assist in exploring the possibility that they are due to an astrophysical false positive we describe a procedure (BLENDER) to model the photometry in terms of a blend rather than a planet orbiting a star. A blend may consist of a background or foreground eclipsing binary (or star-planet pair) whose eclipses are attenuated by the light of the candidate and possibly other stars within the photometric aperture. We apply BLENDER to the case of Kepler-9 (KIC 3323887), a target harboring two previously confirmed Saturn-size planets (Kepler-9 b and Kepler-9 c) showing transit timing variations, and an additional shallower signal with a 1.59 day period suggesting the presence of a super-Earth-size planet. Using BLENDER together with constraints from other follow-up observations we are able to rule out all blends for the two deeper signals and provide independent validation of their planetary nature. For the shallower signal, we rule out a large fraction of the false positives that might mimic the transits. The false alarm rate for remaining blends depends in part (and inversely) on the unknown frequency of small-size planets. Based on several realistic estimates of this frequency, we conclude with very high confidence that this small signal is due to a super-Earth-size planet (Kepler-9 d) in a multiple system, rather than a false positive. The radius is determined to be 1.64(exp)(sub-14),R, and current spectroscopic observations are as yet insufficient to establish its mass.

PLANETARY SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS2001

Recent Transits of the Super-Earth Exoplanet GJ 1214B

We report recent ground-based photometry of the transiting super-Earth exoplanet GJ1214b at several wavelengths, including the infrared near 1.25 microns (J-band). We observed a J-band transit with the FLAMINGOS infrared imager and the 2.1-meter telescope on Kitt Peak, and we observed several optical transits using a 0.5-meter telescope on Kitt Peak and the 0.36-meter Universidad de Monterrey Observatory telescope. Our high-precision J-band observations exploit the brightness of the M-dwarf host star at this infrared wavelength as compared to the optical, as well as being significantly less affected by stellar activity and limb darkening. We fit the J-band transit to obtain an independent determination of the planetary and stellar radii. Our radius for the planet (2.61 +0.30 / -0.11 Earth radii) is in excellent agreement with the discovery value reported by Charbonneau et al. based on optical data. We demonstrate that the planetary radius is insensitive to degeneracies in the fitting process. We use all of our observations to improve the transit ephemeris, finding P=1.5804043 +/- 0.0000005 days, and T0=2454964.94390 +/- 0.00006 BJD.

Sada, Pedro V.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Confirming Variability in the Secondary Eclipse Depth of the Super-Earth 55 Cancri e

We present a reanalysis of five transit and eight eclipse observations of the ultrashort-period super-Earth 55 Cancri e observed using the Spitzer Space Telescope during 2011-2013. We use pixel-level decorrelation to derive accurate transit and eclipse depths from the Spitzer data, and we perform an extensive error analysis. We focus on determining possible variability in the eclipse data, as was reported in Demory et al. From the transit data, we determine updated orbital parameters, yielding T (sub 0) = 2,455,733.0037 +/- 0.0002, P = 0.7365454 +/- 0.0000003 days, i = 83.5 +/- 1fdg3, and R p = 1.89 +/- 0.05 R ⊕. Our transit results are consistent with a constant depth, and we conclude that they are not variable. We find a significant amount of variability between the eight eclipse observations and confirm agreement with Demory et al. through a correlation analysis. We convert the eclipse measurements to brightness temperatures, and generate and discuss several heuristic models that explain the evolution of the planet's eclipse depth versus time. The eclipses are best modeled by a year-to-year variability model, but variability on shorter timescales cannot be ruled out. The derived range of brightness temperatures can be achieved by a dark planet with inefficient heat redistribution intermittently covered over a large fraction of the substellar hemisphere by reflective grains, possibly indicating volcanic activity or cloud variability. This time-variable system should be observable with future space missions, both planned (JWST) and proposed (i.e., ARIEL).

Tamburo, P.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Photochemical Haze Formation in the Atmospheres of Super-Earths and Mini-Neptunes

UV (ultraviolet) radiation can induce photochemical processes in the atmospheres of exoplanet and produce haze particles. Recent transmission spectra of super-Earths and mini-Neptunes have demonstrated the possibility that exoplanets have haze/cloud layers at high altitudes in their atmospheres. Haze particles play an important role in planetary atmospheres because they affect the chemistry, dynamics, and radiation flux in planetary atmospheres, and may provide a source of organic material to the surface which may impact the origin or evolution of life. However, very little information is known about photochemical processes in cool, high-metallicity exoplanetary atmospheres. We present here photochemical haze formation in laboratory simulation experiments with UV radiation; we explored temperatures ranging from 300 to 600 degrees Kelvin and a range of atmospheric metallicities (100 times, 1000 times, and 10000 times solar metallicity). We find that photochemical hazes are generated in all simulated atmospheres, but the haze production rates appear to be temperature dependent: the particles produced in each metallicity group decrease as the temperature increases. The images taken with an atomic force microscope (AFM) show that the particle size (15 nanometers to 190 nanometers) varies with temperature and metallicity. Our results provide useful laboratory data on the photochemical haze formation and particle properties, which can serve as critical inputs for exoplanet atmosphere modeling, and guide future observations of exoplanets with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST).

He, Chao↗
NASA NTRS2022

A Super-Earth Orbiting Near the Inner Edge of the Habitable Zone Around the M4.5 Dwarf Ross 508

We report the near-infrared radial velocity (RV) discovery of a super-Earth planet on a 10.77 d orbit around the M4.5 dwarf Ross 508 (J mag = 9.1). Using precision RVs from the Subaru Telescope IRD (InfraRed Doppler) instrument, we derive a semi-amplitude of 3.92 +0.60 −0.58 ms −1 , corresponding to a planet with a minimum mass m sin i = 4.00 +0.53 −0.55 M ⊕ . We find no evidence of significant signals at the detected period in spectroscopic stellar activity indicators orMEarth photometry. The planet, Ross 508 b, has a semi-major axis of 0.05366 +0.00056 −0.00049 au. This gives an orbit-averaged insolation of ≈1.4 times the Earth’s value, placing Ross 508 b near the inner edge of its star’s habitable zone. We have explored the possibility that the planet has a high eccentricity and its host is accompanied by an additional unconfirmed companion on a wide orbit. Our discovery demonstrates that the near-infrared RV search can play a crucial role in finding a low-mass planet around cool M dwarfs like Ross 508.

Techniques↗
NASA NTRS2021

Two Bright M Dwarfs Hosting Ultra-Short-Period Super-Earths with Earth-like Compositions

We present observations of two bright M dwarfs (TOI-1634 and TOI-1685: J = 9.5–9.6) hosting ultra-short-period (USP) planets identified by the TESS mission. The two stars are similar in temperature, mass, and radius (T eff ≈ 3500 K, M ⋆ ≈ 0.45–0.46 M ⊙ , and R ⋆ ≈ 0.45–0.46 R ⊙ ), and the planets are both super-Earth size (1.25 R ⊕ < R p < 2.0 R ⊕ ). For both systems, light curves from ground-based photometry exhibit planetary transits, whose depths are consistent with those from the TESS photometry. We also refine the transit ephemerides based on the ground-based photometry, finding the orbital periods of P = 0.9893436 ± 0.0000020 days and P = 0.6691416 ± 0.0000019 days for TOI-1634b and TOI-1685b, respectively. Through intensive radial velocity (RV) observations using the InfraRed Doppler (IRD) instrument on the Subaru 8.2 m telescope, we confirm the planetary nature of the TOIs and measure their masses: 10.14 ± 0.95 M ⊕ and 3.43 ± 0.93 M ⊕ for TOI-1634b and TOI-1685b, respectively, when the observed RVs are fitted with a single-planet circular-orbit model. Combining those with the planet radii of R p = 1.749 ± 0.079 R ⊕ (TOI-1634b) and 1.459 ± 0.065 R ⊕ (TOI-1685b), we find that both USP planets have mean densities consistent with an Earth-like internal composition, which is typical for small USP planets. TOI-1634b is currently the most massive USP planet in this category, and it resides near the radius valley, which makes it a benchmark planet in the context of discussing the size limit of rocky planet cores as well as testing the formation scenarios for USP planets. Excess scatter in the RV residuals for TOI-1685 suggests the presence of a possible secondary planet or unknown activity/instrumental noise in the RV data, but further observations are required to check those possibilities.

Teruyuki Hirano↗
NASA NTRS2012

SPICES: Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems - From Planetary Disks To Nearby Super Earths

SPICES (Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems) is a five-year M-class mission proposed to ESA Cosmic Vision. Its purpose is to image and characterize long-period extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks in the visible (450-900 nm) at a spectral resolution of about 40 using both spectroscopy and polarimetry. By 2020/2022, present and near-term instruments will have found several tens of planets that SPICES will be able to observe and study in detail. Equipped with a 1.5 m telescope, SPICES can preferentially access exoplanets located at several AUs (0.5-10 AU) from nearby stars (less than 25 pc) with masses ranging from a few Jupiter masses to Super Earths (approximately 2 Earth radii, approximately 10 mass compared to Earth) as well as circumstellar disks as faint as a few times the zodiacal light in the Solar System.

Boccaletti, Anthony↗
NASA NTRS2022

KMT-2021-BLG-0912Lb: A Microlensing Super Earth Around A K-Type Star

Aims . The light curve of the microlensing event KMT-2021-BLG-0912 exhibits a very short anomaly relative to a single-lens single-source form. We investigate the light curve for the purpose of identifying the origin of the anomaly. Methods . We model the light curve under various interpretations. From this, we find four solutions, in which three solutions are found under the assumption that the lens is composed of two masses (2L1S models), and the other solution is found under the assumption that the source is comprised of binary stars (1L2S model). The 1L2S model is ruled out based on the contradiction that the faint source companion is bigger than its primary, and one of the 2L1S solutions is excluded from the combination of the poorer fit, blending constraint, and lower overall probability, leaving two surviving solutions with the planet/host mass ratios of q ∼ 2.8 × 10 −5 and ∼1.1 × 10 −5 . A subtle central deviation supports the possibility of a tertiary lens component, either a binary companion to the host with a very large or small separation, or a second planet lying near the Einstein ring, but it is difficult to claim a secure detection due to the marginal improvement of the fit, lack of consistency among different data sets, and difficulty in uniquely specifying the nature of the tertiary component. Results . With the observables of the event, it is estimated that the masses of the planet and host are ∼(6.9 M ⊕ , 0.75 M ⊙ ) according to one solution and ∼(2.8 M ⊕ , 0.80 M ⊙ ) according to the other, indicating that the planet is a super Earth around a K-type star, regardless of the solution. The fact that 16 (including the one reported in this work) out of 19 microlensing planets with M ≲ 10 M ⊕ were detected during the last 6 yr nicely demonstrates the importance of high-cadence global surveys in detecting very low-mass planets.

gravitational lensing↗