Gravity-darkening Analysis of the Misaligned Hot Jupiter MASCARA-4 b
Name
Ahlers_2020_ApJ_888_63.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
1.1 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
63bfb7a94f8df256dfb99a7cecad4087
Author(s)
Ahlers, John P.
Kruse, Ethan
Colón, Knicole D.
Dorval, Patrick
Talens, Geert Jan
Snellen, Ignas
Albrecht, Simon
Otten, Gilles
Ricker, George
Vanderspek, Roland
Date Issued
January 2020
Journal
Astrophysical Journal
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Citation
Ahlers, John P., et al. “Gravity-Darkening Analysis of the Misaligned Hot Jupiter MASCARA-4 b.” The Astrophysical Journal 888, 2 (January 2020): 63. © 2020 The American Astronomical Society
Version
Final published version
Abstract
MASCARA-4 b is a hot Jupiter in a highly misaligned orbit around a rapidly rotating A3V star that was observed for 54 days by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). We perform two analyses of MASCARA-4 b using a stellar gravity-darkened model. First, we measure MASCARA-4 b's misaligned orbital configuration by modeling its TESS photometric light curve. We take advantage of the asymmetry in MASCARA-4 b's transit due to its host star's gravity-darkened surface to measure MASCARA-4 b's true spin-orbit angle to be 104°[superscript +7°][subscript -13°]. We also detect a ∼4σ secondary eclipse at 0.491 ± 0.007 orbital phase, proving that the orbit is slightly eccentric. Second, we model MASCARA-4 b's insolation including gravity darkening and find that the planet's received X-ray and ultraviolet flux varies by 4% throughout its orbit. MASCARA-4 b's short-period, polar orbit suggests that the planet likely underwent dramatic orbital evolution to end up in its present-day configuration and that it receives a varying stellar irradiance that perpetually forces the planet out of thermal equilibrium. These findings make MASCARA-4 b an excellent target for follow-up characterization to better understand the orbital evolution and present-day environment of planets around high-mass stars.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab59d0
