Analysis of Kepler's short-cadence photometry for TrES-2b

David Kipping, Gáspár Bakos

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

59 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present an analysis of 18 short-cadence (SC) transit light curves of TrES-2b using quarter 0 (Q0) and quarter 1 (Q1) from the Kepler Mission. The photometry is of unprecedented precision, 237ppm minute-1, allowing for the most accurate determination of the transit parameters yet obtained for this system. Global fits of the transit photometry, radial velocities, and known transit times are used to obtain a self-consistent set of refined parameters for this system, including updated stellar and planetary parameters. Special attention is paid to fitting for limb darkening and eccentricity. We place an upper limit on the occultation depth to be <72.9ppm to 3σ confidence, indicating TrES-2b has the lowest determined geometric albedo for an exoplanet, of Ag < 0.146. We also produce a transit timing analysis using Kepler's SC data and demonstrate exceptional timing precision at the level of a few seconds for each transit event. With 18 fully sampled transits at such high precision, we are able to produce stringent constraints on the presence of perturbing planets, Trojans, and extrasolar moons. We introduce the novel use of control data to identify phasing effects. We also exclude the previously proposed hypotheses of short-period transit time variation and additional transits but find that the hypothesis of long-term inclination change is neither supported nor refuted by our analysis.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number36
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume733
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - May 20 2011
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

Keywords

  • planetary systems
  • stars: individual (TrES-2b)
  • techniques: photometric
  • techniques: spectroscopic

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