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Title: Two Jovian Planets around the Giant Star HD 202696: A Growing Population of Packed Massive Planetary Pairs around Massive Stars?

Journal Article · · Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online)
; ; ;  [1]; ;  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
  2. Landessternwarte, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Königstuhl 12, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
  3. Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road (Hong Kong)
  4. Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015 (United States)

We present evidence for a new two-planet system around the giant star HD 202696 (=HIP 105056, BD +26 4118). The discovery is based on public HIRES radial velocity (RV) measurements taken at Keck Observatory between 2007 July and 2014 September. We estimate a stellar mass of 1.91{sub −0.14}{sup +0.09}M{sub ⊙} for HD 202696, which is located close to the base of the red giant branch. A two-planet self-consistent dynamical modeling MCMC scheme of the RV data followed by a long-term stability test suggests planetary orbital periods of P {sub b} = 517.8{sub −3.9}{sup +8.9} and P {sub c} = 946.6{sub −20.9}{sup +20.7} days, eccentricities of e {sub b} = 0.011{sub −0.011}{sup +0.078} and e {sub c} = 0.028{sub −0.012}{sup +0.065}, and minimum dynamical masses of m {sub b} = 2.00{sub −0.10}{sup +0.22} and m {sub c} = 1.86{sub −0.23}{sup +0.18} M {sub Jup}, respectively. Our stable MCMC samples are consistent with orbital configurations predominantly in a mean period ratio of 11:6 and its close-by high-order mean-motion commensurabilities with low eccentricities. For the majority of the stable configurations, we find an aligned or anti-aligned apsidal libration (i.e., Δω librating around 0° or 180°), suggesting that the HD 202696 system is likely dominated by secular perturbations near the high-order 11:6 mean-motion resonance. The HD 202696 system is yet another Jovian-mass pair around an intermediate-mass star with a period ratio below the 2:1 mean-motion resonance. Therefore, the HD 202696 system is an important discovery that may shed light on the primordial disk–planet properties needed for giant planets to break the strong 2:1 mean-motion resonance and settle in more compact orbits.

OSTI ID:
22897327
Journal Information:
Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online), Vol. 157, Issue 3; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1538-3881
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English