The detection of exoplanets through direct imaging has produced numerous new positive identifications in recent years. The technique is biased towards planets at wide separations due to the difficulty in removing the stellar signature at small angular separations. Planets in eccentric orbits will thus move in and out of the detectable region around a star as a function of time. Here we use the known diversity of orbital eccentricities to determine the range of orbits which may lie beneath the detection threshold of current surveys. We quantify the percentage of the orbit which yields a detectable signature as a function of semi-major axis, eccentricity, and orbital inclination and estimate the fraction of planets which likely remain hidden by the flux of the host star.
Planets close to their host stars are believed to undergo significant tidal interactions, leading to a progressive damping of the orbital eccentricity. Here we show that, when the orbit of the planet is excited by an outer companion, tidal effects combined with gravitational interactions may give rise to a secular increasing drift on the eccentricity. As long as this secular drift counterbalances the damping effect, the eccentricity can increase to high values. This mechanism may explain why some of the moderate close-in exoplanets are observed with substantial eccentricity values.
Most giant exoplanets discovered by radial velocity surveys have much higher eccentricities than those in the solar system. The planet--planet scattering mechanism has been shown to match the broad eccentricity distribution, but the highest-eccentricity planets are often attributed to Kozai-Lidov oscillations induced by a stellar companion. Here we investigate whether the highly eccentric exoplanet population can be produced entirely by scattering. We ran 500 N-body simulations of closely packed giant-planet systems that became unstable under their own mutual perturbations. We find that the su…
The eccentricity distribution of exoplanets is known from radial velocity surveys to be divergent from circular orbits beyond 0.1 AU. This is particularly the case for large planets where the radial velocity technique is most sensitive. The eccentricity of planetary orbits can have a large effect on the transit probability and subsequently the planet yield of transit surveys. The Kepler mission is the first transit survey that probes deep enough into period-space to allow this effect to be seen via the variation in transit durations. We use the Kepler planet candidates to show that the eccentr…
We present a time-dependent radiative model for the atmosphere of extrasolar planets that takes into account the eccentricity of their orbit. In addition to the modulation of stellar irradiation by the varying planet-star distance, the pseudo-synchronous rotation of the planets may play a significant role. We include both of these time-dependent effects when modeling the planetary thermal structure. We investigate the thermal structure, and spectral characteristics for time-dependent stellar heating for two highly eccentric planets. Finally, we discuss observational aspects for those planets s…
The known population of exoplanets exhibits a much wider range of orbital eccentricities than Solar System planets and has a much higher average eccentricity. These facts have been widely interpreted to indicate that the Solar System is an atypical member of the overall population of planetary systems. We report here on a strong anti-correlation of orbital eccentricity with multiplicity (number of planets in the system) among catalogued radial velocity (RV) systems. The mean, median and rough distribution of eccentricities of Solar System planets fits an extrapolation of this anti-correlation …
Thermal light-curve analysis is a powerful approach to probe the thermal structures of exoplanetary atmospheres, which are greatly influenced by the planetary obliquity and eccentricity. Here we investigate the thermal light curves of eccentric-tilted exoplanets across various radiative timescales, eccentricities, obliquities, and viewing geometries using results of shallow-water simulations presented in Ohno $\&$ Zhang (2019). We also achieve an analytical theory of the thermal light curve that can explain general trends in the light curves of tilted exoplanets. For tilted planets in circular…
Close-in exoplanets with highly eccentric orbits are subject to large variations in incoming stellar flux between periapse and apoapse. These variations may lead to large swings in atmospheric temperature, which in turn may cause changes in the chemistry of the atmosphere from higher CO abundances at periapse to higher CH4 abundances at apoapse. Here we examine chemical timescales for CO<->CH4 interconversion compared to orbital timescales and vertical mixing timescales for the highly eccentric exoplanets HAT-P-2b and CoRoT-10b. As exoplanet atmospheres cool, the chemical timescales for CO<->C…
Though there are now many hundreds of confirmed exoplanets known, the binarity of exoplanet host stars is not well understood. This is particularly true of host stars which harbor a giant planet in a highly eccentric orbit since these are more likely to have had a dramatic dynamical history which transferred angular momentum to the planet. Here we present observations of four exoplanet host stars which utilize the excellent resolving power of the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument (DSSI) on the Gemini North telescope. Two of the stars are giants and two are dwarfs. Each star is host to a g…
Exoplanets on eccentric orbits experience an incident stellar flux that can be markedly larger at periastron versus apoastron. This variation in instellation can lead to dramatic changes in atmospheric structure in regions of the atmosphere where the radiative and advective heating/cooling timescales are shorter than the orbital timescale. To explore this phenomenon, we develop a sophisticated one-dimensional (vertical) time-stepping atmospheric structure code, EGP+, capable of simulating the dynamic response of atmospheric thermal and chemical structure to time-dependent perturbations. Critic…
We herein utilize the general three-body problem (GTBP) as a model, in order to simulate resonant systems consisting of a star and two planets, where at least one of them is highly eccentric. We study them in terms of their long-term stability, via the construction of maps of dynamical stability and the computation of the corresponding families of periodic orbits. We identify the way their survival is connected with the regions of regular motion in phase space, which, in turn, were created by stable resonant periodic orbits in their vicinity. Consequently, a phase protection mechanism is provi…
It is suggested that the distribution of orbital eccentricities for extrasolar planets is well-described by the Beta distribution. Several properties of the Beta distribution make it a powerful tool for this purpose. For example, the Beta distribution can reproduce a diverse range of probability density functions (PDFs) using just two shape parameters (a and b). We argue that this makes it ideal for serving as a parametric model in Bayesian comparative population analysis. The Beta distribution is also uniquely defined over the interval zero to unity, meaning that it can serve as a proper prio…
Exoplanet discoveries over recent years have shown that terrestrial planets are exceptionally common. Many of these planets are in compact systems that result in complex orbital dynamics. A key step toward determining the surface conditions of these planets is understanding the latitudinally dependent flux incident at the top of the atmosphere as a function of orbital phase. The two main properties of a planet that influence the time-dependent nature of the flux are the obliquity and orbital eccentricity of the planet. We derive the criterion for which the flux variation due to obliquity is eq…
Relatively long-period nonsynchronized planets---such as warm Jupiters---potentially retain the primordial rotation, eccentricity, and obliquity that might encapsulate information on planetary climate and formation processes. To date, there has not been a systematic study on climate patterns on these planets that will significantly influence their observations. Here we investigate the atmospheric dynamics of nonsynchronized, fast-rotating exoplanets across various radiative timescales, eccentricities, and obliquities using a shallow water model. The dynamical pattern can be demarcated into fiv…
The eccentricity of a planet's orbit and the inclination of its orbital plane encode important information about its formation and history. However, exoplanets detected via direct-imaging are often only observed over a very small fraction of their period, making it challenging to perform reliable physical inferences given wide, unconstrained posteriors. The aim of this project is to investigate biases (deviation of the median and mode of the posterior from the true values of orbital parameters, and the width and coverage of their credible intervals) in the estimation of orbital parameters of d…
In recent years, a number of eccentric debris belts have been observed in extrasolar systems. The most common explanation for their shape is the presence of a nearby eccentric planetary companion. The gravitational perturbation from such a companion would induce periodic eccentricity variations on the planetesimals in the belt, with a range of precession frequencies. The overall expected shape is an eccentric belt with a finite minimum width. However, several observed eccentric debris discs have been found to exhibit a narrower width than the theoretical expectation. In this paper, we study tw…
Thermal, orbital, and rotational dynamics of tidally loaded exoplanets are interconnected by intricate feedback. The rheological structure of the planet determines its susceptibility to tidal deformation and, as a consequence, participates in shaping its orbit. The orbital parameters and the spin state, conversely, control the rate of tidal dissipation and may lead to substantial changes of the interior. We investigate the coupled thermal-orbital evolution of differentiated rocky exoplanets governed by the Andrade viscoelastic rheology. The coupled evolution is treated by a semi-analytical mod…
The distribution of eccentricities of warm giant exoplanets is commonly explained through planet--planet interactions, although no physically sound argument favours the ubiquity of such interactions. No simple, generic explanation has been put forward to explain the high mean eccentricity of these planets. In this paper, we revisit a simple, plausible explanation to account for the eccentricities of warm Jupiters: migration inside a cavity in the protoplanetary disc. Such a scenario allows to excite the outer eccentric resonances, a working mechanism for higher mass planets, leading to a growt…
Eccentricity is an important orbital parameter. Understanding its effect on planetary climate and habitability is critical for us to search for a habitable world beyond our solar system. The orbital configurations of M-dwarf planets are always tidally-locked at resonance states, which are quite different from those around Sun-like stars. M-dwarf planets need to be investigated separately. Here we use a comprehensive three-dimensional atmospheric general circulation model to systematically investigate how eccentricity influences climate and habitability of M-dwarf exoplanets. The simulation res…
The field of exoplanetary science has diversified rapidly over recent years as the field has progressed from exoplanet detection to exoplanet characterization. For those planets known to transit, the primary transit and secondary eclipse observations have a high yield of information regarding planetary structure and atmospheres. The current restriction of these information sources to short-period planets may be abated in part through refinement of orbital parameters. This allows precision targeting of transit windows and phase variations which constrain the dynamics of the orbit and the geomet…
The climate of a planet can be strongly affected by its eccentricity due to variations in the stellar flux. There are two limits for the dependence of the inner habitable zone boundary (IHZ) on eccentricity: (1) the mean-stellar flux approximation ($S_{\mbox{IHZ}} \propto \sqrt{1-e^2}$), in which the temperature is approximately constant throughout the orbit, and (2) the maximum-stellar flux approximation ($S_{\mbox{IHZ}} \propto (1-e)^2$), in which the temperature adjusts instantaneously to the stellar flux. Which limit is appropriate is determined by the dimensionless parameter $Π= \frac{C}{…
(Abridged) The observed radial velocity (RV) eccentricity distribution for extrasolar planets in single-planet systems shows that a significant fraction of planets are eccentric ($e > 0.1$). Here we investigate the effects on an RV planet's eccentricity produced by undetected outer companions. We have carried out Monte Carlo simulations of mock RV data to understand this effect and predict its impact on the observed distribution. We first quantify the statistical effect of undetected outer companions and show that this alone cannot explain the observed distribution. We then modify the simulati…
Using the Andrade-derived Sundberg-Cooper rheology, we apply several improvements to the secular tidal evolution of TRAPPIST-1e and the early history of Pluto-Charon under the simplifying assumption of homogeneous bodies. By including higher-order eccentricity terms (up to and including $e^{20}$), we find divergences from the traditionally used $e^{2}$ truncation starting around $e=0.1$. Order-of-magnitude differences begin to occur for $e>0.6$. Critically, higher-order eccentricity terms activate additional spin-orbit resonances. Worlds experiencing non-synchronous rotation can fall into and …
Radial velocity (RV) surveys have discovered giant exoplanets on au-scale orbits with a broad distribution of eccentricities. Those with the most eccentric orbits are valuable laboratories for testing theories of high eccentricity migration. However, few such exoplanets transit their host stars thus removing the ability to apply constraints on formation from their bulk internal compositions. We report the discovery of Kepler-1704 b, a transiting 4.15 $M_{\rm J}$ giant planet on a 988.88 day orbit with the extreme eccentricity of $0.921^{+0.010}_{-0.015}$. Our decade-long RV baseline from the K…
Exoplanetary systems host giant planets on substantially non-circular, close-in orbits. We propose that these eccentricities arise in a phase of giant impacts, analogous to the final stage of Solar System assembly that formed Earth's Moon. In this scenario, the planets scatter each other and collide, with corresponding mass growth as they merge. We numerically integrate an ensemble of systems with varying total planet mass, allowing for collisional growth, to show that (1) the high-eccentricity giants observed today may have formed preferentially in systems of higher initial total planet mass,…
Although our solar system features predominantly circular orbits, the exoplanets discovered so far indicate that this is the exception rather than the rule. This could have crucial consequences for exoplanet climates, both because eccentric terrestrial exoplanets could have extreme seasonal variation, and because giant planets on eccentric orbits could excite Milankovitch-like variations of a potentially habitable terrestrial planet,Äôs eccentricity, on timescales of thousands-to-millions of years. A particularly interesting implication concerns the fact that the Earth is thought to have gone …
This work focuses on the dynamics and the detection methods of co-orbital exoplanets. We call "co-orbital" any configuration in which two planets orbit with the same mean mean-motion around the same star. First, we revisit the results of the circular coplanar case. We also recall that the manifold associated to the coplanar case and the manifold corresponding to the circular case are both invariant by the flow of the averaged Hamiltonian. We hence study these two particular cases. We focus mainly on the coplanar case (eccentric), where we study the evolution of families of non-maximal quasi-pe…
Despite the severe bias of the transit method of exoplanet discovery toward short orbital periods, a modest sample of transiting exoplanets with orbital periods greater than 100 days is known. Long-term radial velocity (RV) surveys are pivotal to confirming these signals and generating a set of planetary masses and densities for planets receiving moderate to low irradiation from their host stars. Here, we conduct RV observations of Kepler-1514 from the Keck I telescope using the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer. From these data, we measure the mass of the statistically validated giant ($1.…
WASP-8b has 2.18 times Jupiter's mass and is on an eccentric ($e=0.31$) 8.16-day orbit. With a time-averaged equilibrium temperature of 948 K, it is one of the least-irradiated hot Jupiters observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope. We have analyzed six photometric light curves of WASP-8b during secondary eclipse observed in the 3.6, 4.5, and 8.0 {\microns} Infrared Array Camera bands. The eclipse depths are $0.113\pm 0.018$%, $0.069\pm 0.007$%, and $0.093\pm 0.023$%, respectively, giving respective brightness temperatures of 1552, 1131, and 938 K. We characterized the atmospheric thermal prof…
The nearly circular (mean eccentricity <e>~0.06) and coplanar (mean mutual inclination <i>~3 deg) orbits of the Solar System planets motivated Kant and Laplace to put forth the hypothesis that planets are formed in disks, which has developed into the widely accepted theory of planet formation. Surprisingly, the first several hundred extrasolar planets (mostly Jovian) discovered using the Radial Velocity (RV) technique are commonly on eccentric orbits (<e> ~ 0.3). This raises a fundamental question: Are the Solar System and its formation special? The Kepler mission has found thousands of transi…
In this paper, we present the consistent evolution of short-period exoplanets coupling the tidal and gravothermal evolution of the planet. Contrarily to previous similar studies, our calculations are based on the complete tidal evolution equations of the Hut model, valid at any order in eccentricity, obliquity and spin. We demonstrate, both analytically and numerically, that, except if the system was formed with a nearly circular orbit (e<0.2), solving consistently the complete tidal equations is mandatory to derive correct tidal evolution histories. We show that calculations based on tidal mo…
The observed properties of transiting exoplanets are an exceptionally rich source of information that allows us to understand and characterize their physical properties. Unfortunately, only a relatively small fraction of the known exoplanets discovered using the radial velocity technique are known to transit their host, due to the stringent orbital geometry requirements. For each target, the transit probability and predicted transit time can be calculated to great accuracy with refinement of the orbital parameters. However, the transit probability of short period and eccentric orbits can have …
We present a semi-analytic model atmosphere for close-in exoplanets that captures the essential physics of phase curves: orbital and viewing geometry, advection, and re-radiation. We calibrate the model with the well-characterized transiting planet, HD 189733b, then compute light curves for seven of the most eccentric transiting planets. We present phase variations for a variety of different radiative times and wind speeds. In the limit of instant re-radiation, the light curve morphology is entirely dictated by the planet's eccentricity and argument of pericenter: the light curve maximum leads…
When, in the course of searching for exoplanets, sparse sampling and noisy data make it necessary to disentangle possible solutions to the observations, one must consider the possibility that what appears to be a single eccentric Keplerian signal may in reality be attributed to two planets in near-circular orbits. There is precedent in the literature for such outcomes, whereby further data or new analysis techniques reveal hitherto occulted signals. Here, we perform suites of simulations to explore the range of possible two-planet configurations that can result in such confusion. We find that …
Previous studies have shown that planets that rotate retrograde (backwards with respect to their orbital motion) generally experience less severe obliquity variations than those that rotate prograde (the same direction as their orbital motion). Here we examine retrograde-rotating planets on eccentric orbits and find a previously unknown secular spin-orbit resonance that can drive significant obliquity variations. This resonance occurs when the frequency of the planet's rotation axis precession becomes commensurate with an orbital eigenfrequency of the planetary system. The planet's eccentricit…
Context: Several studies have so far placed useful constraints on planetary atmospheric properties using transmission spectrsocopy, and in the case of HD209458b even the radial velocity of the planet during the transit event has been reconstructed opening a new range of possibilities. AIMS. In this contribution we highlight the importance to account for the orbital eccentricity and longitude of periastron of the planetary orbit to accurately interpret the measured planetary radial velocity during the transit. Methods: We calculate the radial velocity of a transiting planet in an eccentric orbi…
Characterization of exoplanets has matured in recent years, particularly through studies of exoplanetary atmospheres of transiting planets at infra-red wavelenegths. The primary source for such observations has been the Spitzer Space Telescope but these studies are anticipated to continue with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). A relatively unexplored region of exoplanet parameter space is the thermal detection of long-period eccentric planets during periastron passage. Here we describe the thermal properties and albedos of long-period giant planets along with the eccentricities of those o…
Improved photometric sensitivity from space-based telescopes have enabled the detection of phase variations for a small sample of hot Jupiters. However, exoplanets in highly eccentric orbits present unique opportunities to study the effects of drastically changing incident flux on the upper atmospheres of giant planets. Here we expand upon previous studies of phase functions for these planets at optical wavelengths by investigating the effects of orbital inclination on the flux ratio as it interacts with the other effects induced by orbital eccentricity. We determine optimal orbital inclinatio…
The angle between the spin of a star and its planets' orbital planes traces the history of the planetary system. Exoplanets orbiting close to cool stars are expected to be on circular, aligned orbits because of strong tidal interactions with the stellar convective envelope. Spin-orbit alignment can be measured when the planet transits its star, but such ground-based spectroscopic measurements are challenging for cool, slowly-rotating stars. Here we report the characterization of a planet three-dimensional trajectory around an M dwarf star, derived by mapping the spectrum of the stellar photosp…
Using numerical methods we investigate the dynamical stability of the Gliese 581 exoplanetary system. The system is known to harbour four planets (b-e). The existence of another planet (g) in the liquid water habitable zone of the star is debated after the latest analyses of the radial velocity (RV) measurements. We integrated the 4 and 5-planet model of Vogt et al. (AN 333, 561-575, 2012) with initial circular orbits. To characterize stability, the maximum eccentricity was used that the planets reached over the time of the integrations and the LCI and RLI to identify chaotic motion. Since cir…
We present two exoplanets detected at Keck Observatory. HD 179079 is a G5 subgiant that hosts a hot Neptune planet with Msini = 27.5 M_earth in a 14.48 d, low-eccentricity orbit. The stellar reflex velocity induced by this planet has a semiamplitude of K = 6.6 m/s. HD 73534 is a G5 subgiant with a Jupiter-like planet of Msini = 1.1 M_jup and K = 16 m/s in a nearly circular 4.85 yr orbit. Both stars are chromospherically inactive and metal-rich. We discuss a known, classical bias in measuring eccentricities for orbits with velocity semiamplitudes, K, comparable to the radial velocity uncertaint…
Massive exoplanets on extremely tight orbits, such as WASP-12 b, induce equilibrium tides in their host stars. Following the orbital motion of the planet, the tidal fluid flow in the star can be detected with the radial velocity method. Its signature manifests as the second harmonics of the orbital frequency that mimics a non-zero orbital eccentricity. Using the new radial velocity measurements acquired with the HARPS-N spectrograph at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo and combining them with the literature data, we show that the apparent eccentricity of WASP-12 b's orbit is non-zero at a 5.8 s…
The architecture of a planetary system can influence the habitability of a planet via orbital effects, particularly in the areas of stability and eccentricity. Some of these effects are readily apparent, particularly when they occur on short timescales that are easily numerically calculable. However, the appearance and evolution of life can take place on gigayear timescales, long enough that secular effects become important. These effects are difficult to investigate, as a direct integration requires significant computational time. In this paper, we apply a semi-analytic framework in conjuncti…
Exoplanet catalogs produced by surveys suffer from a lack of completeness (not every planet is detected) and less than perfect reliability (not every planet in the catalog is a true planet), particularly near the survey's detection limit. Exoplanet occurrence rate studies based on such a catalog must be corrected for completeness and reliability. The final Kepler data release, DR25, features a uniformly vetted planet candidate catalog and data products that facilitate corrections. We present a new probabilistic approach to the characterization of Kepler completeness and reliability, making ful…
We present the results of a transcontinental campaign to observe the 2009 June 5 transit of the exoplanet HD 80606b. We report the first detection of the transit ingress, revealing the transit duration to be 11.64 +/- 0.25 hr and allowing more robust determinations of the system parameters. Keck spectra obtained at midtransit exhibit an anomalous blueshift, giving definitive evidence that the stellar spin axis and planetary orbital axis are misaligned. The Keck data show that the projected spin-orbit angle is between 32-87 deg with 68.3% confidence and between 14-142 deg with 99.73% confidence…
Planets in highly eccentric orbits form a class of objects not seen within our Solar System. The most extreme case known amongst these objects is the planet orbiting HD~20782, with an orbital period of 597~days and an eccentricity of 0.96. Here we present new data and analysis for this system as part of the Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey (TERMS). We obtained CHIRON spectra to perform an independent estimation of the fundamental stellar parameters. New radial velocities from AAT and PARAS observations during periastron passage greatly improve our knowledge of the eccentric n…
The orbital eccentricities of directly imaged exoplanets and brown dwarf companions provide clues about their formation and dynamical histories. We combine new high-contrast imaging observations of substellar companions obtained primarily with Keck/NIRC2 together with astrometry from the literature to test for differences in the population-level eccentricity distributions of 27 long-period giant planets and brown dwarf companions between 5-100 AU using hierarchical Bayesian modeling. Orbit fits are performed in a uniform manner for companions with short orbital arcs; this typically results in …
Solar system planets move on almost circular orbits. In strong contrast, many massive gas giant exoplanets travel on highly elliptical orbits, whereas the shape of the orbits of smaller, more terrestrial, exoplanets remained largely elusive. Knowing the eccentricity distribution in systems of small planets would be important as it holds information about the planet's formation and evolution, and influences its habitability. We make these measurements using photometry from the Kepler satellite and utilizing a method relying on Kepler's second law, which relates the duration of a planetary trans…
Exoplanet habitability is traditionally assessed by comparing a planet's semi-major axis to the location of its host star's "habitable zone," the shell around a star for which Earth-like planets can possess liquid surface water. The Kepler space telescope has discovered numerous planet candidates near the habitable zone, and many more are expected from missions such as K2, TESS and PLATO. These candidates often require significant follow-up observations for validation, so prioritizing planets for habitability from transit data has become an important aspect of the search for life in the univer…
Observations of the highly-eccentric (e~0.9) hot-Jupiter HD 80606b with Spitzer have provided some of best probes of the physics at work in exoplanet atmospheres. By observing HD 80606b during its periapse passage, atmospheric radiative, advective, and chemical timescales can be directly measured and used to constrain fundamental planetary properties such as rotation period, tidal dissipation rate, and atmospheric composition (including aerosols). Here we present three-dimensional general circulation models for HD 80606b that aim to further explore the atmospheric physics shaping HD 80606b's o…
We present the confirmation of a new sub-Neptune close to the transition between super-Earths and sub-Neptunes transiting the M2 dwarf TOI- 269 (TIC 220479565, V = 14.4 mag, J = 10.9 mag, Rstar = 0.40 Rsun, Mstar = 0.39 Msun, d = 57 pc). The exoplanet candidate has been identified in multiple TESS sectors, and validated with high-precision spectroscopy from HARPS and ground-based photometric follow-up from ExTrA and LCO-CTIO. We determined mass, radius, and bulk density of the exoplanet by jointly modeling both photometry and radial velocities with juliet. The transiting exoplanet has an orbit…
We report the discovery of a brown dwarf on an eccentric orbit and with a semimajor axis that places it in the brown dwarf desert region around the star HD191760. The star has a spectral type of G3IV/V and a metallicity ([Fe/H]) of 0.29 dex. HD191760 adds to the small number of metal-rich stars with brown dwarf companions. The brown dwarf (HD191760b) is found to have an orbital period of 505.57+/-0.40 days and semimajor axis of 1.35+/-0.01 AU, placing it firmly in the brown dwarf desert. The eccentricity of HD191760b is found to be 0.63+/-0.01, meaning it reaches as close as 0.5 AU from the ho…
