FAST INVERSION METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF PLANETARY PARAMETERS FROM TRANSIT TIMING VARIATIONS
- Department of Space Studies, Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut St., Suite 400, Boulder, CO 80302 (United States)
- Observatorio Astronomico, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Laprida 854, Cordoba, X5000BGR (Argentina)
The transit timing variation (TTV) method relies on monitoring changes in timing of transits of known exoplanets. Non-transiting planets in the system can be inferred from TTVs by their gravitational interaction with the transiting planet. The TTV method is sensitive to low-mass planets that cannot be detected by other means. Here we describe a fast algorithm that can be used to determine the mass and orbit of the non-transiting planets from the TTV data. We apply our code, ttvim.f, to a wide variety of planetary systems to test the uniqueness of the TTV inversion problem and its dependence on the precision of TTV observations. We find that planetary parameters, including the mass and mutual orbital inclination of planets, can be determined from the TTV data sets that should become available in near future. Unlike the radial velocity technique, the TTV method can therefore be used to characterize the inclination distribution of multi-planet systems.
- OSTI ID:
- 21301392
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 709, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/709/1/L44; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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