Exoplanets and Stellar Physics

Abstract:

High-resolution spectroscopy (HRS) has been used to detect a number of species in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters. Key to such detections is accurately and precisely modelled spectra for cross-correlation against the R ≳ 20 000 observations. There is a need for the latest generation of opacities which form the basis for high signal-to-noise detections using such spectra. In this study we present and make publicly available cross-sections for six molecular species, H2O, CO, HCN, CH4, NH3, and CO2 using the latest line lists most suitable for low- and high-resolution spectroscopy. We focus on the infrared (0.95–5 μm) and between 500 and 1500 K where these species have strong spectral signatures. We generate these cross-sections on a grid of pressures and temperatures typical for the photospheres of super-Earth, warm Neptunes, and hot Jupiters using the latest H2 and He pressure broadening. We highlight the most prominent infrared spectral features by modelling three representative exoplanets, GJ 1214 b, GJ 3470 b, and HD 189733 b, which encompass a wide range in temperature, mass, and radii. In addition, we verify the line lists for H2O, CO, and HCN with previous high-resolution observations of hot Jupiters. However, we are unable to detect CH4 with our new cross-sections from HRS observations of HD 102195 b. These high-accuracy opacities are critical for atmospheric detections with HRS and will be continually updated as new data become available.

Abstract:

We present Mon-735, a detached double-lined eclipsing binary (EB) member of the ∼3 Myr old NGC 2264 star-forming region, detected by Spitzer. We simultaneously model the Spitzer light curves, follow-up Keck/HIRES radial velocities, and the system’s spectral energy distribution to determine self-consistent masses, radii, and effective temperatures for both stars. We find that Mon-735 comprises two pre-main-sequence M dwarfs with component masses of M = 0.2918 ± 0.0099 and 0.2661 ± 0.0095 M⊙, radii of R = 0.762 ± 0.022 and 0.748 ± 0.023 R⊙, and effective temperatures of Teff = 3260 ± 73 and 3213 ± 73 K. The two stars travel on circular orbits around their common centre of mass in P = 1.9751388 ± 0.0000050 d. We compare our results for Mon-735, along with another EB in NGC 2264 (CoRoT 223992193), to the predictions of five stellar evolution models. These suggest that the lower mass EB system Mon-735 is older than CoRoT 223992193 in the mass–radius diagram (MRD) and, to a lesser extent, in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram (HRD). The MRD ages of Mon-735 and CoRoT 223992193 are ∼7–9 and 4–6 Myr, respectively, with the two components in each EB system possessing consistent ages.