Wittenmyer, Robert A. and O'Toole, Simon J. and Jones, H. R. A. and Tinney, C. G. and Butler, R. P. and Carter, B. D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0035-8769 and Bailey, J.
(2010)
The frequency of low-mass exoplanets. II. The 'period valley'.
The Astrophysical Journal, 722 (2).
pp. 1854-1863.
ISSN 0004-637X
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Abstract
Radial-velocity planet search campaigns are now beginning to detect low-mass 'Super-Earth' planets, with minimum masses M sin ilsim 10 M ⊕. Using two independently developed methods, we have derived detection limits from nearly four years of the highest-precision data on 24 bright, stable stars from the Anglo-Australian Planet Search. Both methods are more conservative than a human analyzing an individual observed data set, as is demonstrated by the fact that both techniques would detect the radial-velocity signals announced as exoplanets for the 61 Vir system in 50% of trials. There are modest differences between the methods which can be recognized as arising from particular criteria that they adopt. What both processes deliver is a quantitative selection process such that one can use them to draw quantitative conclusions about planetary frequency and orbital parameter distribution from a given data set. Averaging over all 24 stars, in the period range P< 300 days and the eccentricity range 0.0 < e < 0.6, we could detect 99% of planets with velocity amplitudes Kgsim 7.1 m s-1. For the best stars in the sample, we are able to detect or exclude planets with Kgsim 3 m s-1, corresponding to minimum masses of 8 M ⊕ (P = 5 days) or 17 M ⊕ (P = 50 days). Our results indicate that the observed 'period valley', a lack of giant planets (M > 100 M ⊕) with periods between 10 and 100 days, is indeed real. However, for planets in the mass range 10-100 M ⊕, our results suggest that the deficit of such planets may be a result of selection effects.
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Item Type: | Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C) |
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Refereed: | Yes |
Item Status: | Live Archive |
Additional Information: | Published version made accessible, in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. NASA ADS entry for this research paper: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010ApJ...722.1854W |
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Biological and Physical Sciences (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Biological and Physical Sciences (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
Date Deposited: | 22 Feb 2011 12:12 |
Last Modified: | 24 Mar 2017 03:05 |
Uncontrolled Keywords: | planetary systems; radial velocities |
Fields of Research (2008): | 02 Physical Sciences > 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences > 020110 Stellar Astronomy and Planetary Systems 01 Mathematical Sciences > 0105 Mathematical Physics > 010599 Mathematical Physics not elsewhere classified 09 Engineering > 0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering > 090609 Signal Processing |
Fields of Research (2020): | 51 PHYSICAL SCIENCES > 5101 Astronomical sciences > 510109 Stellar astronomy and planetary systems 49 MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES > 4902 Mathematical physics > 490299 Mathematical physics not elsewhere classified 40 ENGINEERING > 4006 Communications engineering > 400607 Signal processing |
Socio-Economic Objectives (2008): | E Expanding Knowledge > 97 Expanding Knowledge > 970102 Expanding Knowledge in the Physical Sciences |
Identification Number or DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/722/2/1854 |
URI: | http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/18183 |
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