KOI-2700b—a planet candidate with dusty effluents on a 22 hr orbit
- Department of Physics, and Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)
- BAER Institute/NASA Ames Research Center, M/S 244-30, Moffett Field, Mountain View, CA 94035 (United States)
- Visidyne, Inc., 111 South Bedford St., Suite 103, Burlington, MA 01803 (United States)
- SETI Institute, 189 Bernardo Ave, Suite 100 Mountain View, CA 94043 (United States)
Kepler planet candidate KOI-2700b (KIC 8639908b), with an orbital period of 21.84 hr, exhibits a distinctly asymmetric transit profile, likely indicative of the emission of dusty effluents, and reminiscent of KIC 1255b. The host star has T {sub eff} = 4435 K, M ≅ 0.63 M {sub ☉}, and R ≅ 0.57 R {sub ☉}, comparable to the parameters ascribed to KIC 12557548. The transit egress can be followed for ∼25% of the orbital period and, if interpreted as extinction from a dusty comet-like tail, indicates a long lifetime for the dust grains of more than a day. We present a semiphysical model for the dust tail attenuation and fit for the physical parameters contained in that expression. The transit is not sufficiently deep to allow for a study of the transit-to-transit variations, as is the case for KIC 1255b; however, it is clear that the transit depth is slowly monotonically decreasing by a factor of ∼2 over the duration of the Kepler mission. We infer a mass-loss rate in dust from the planet of ∼2 lunar masses per Gyr. The existence of a second star hosting a planet with a dusty comet-like tail would help to show that such objects may be more common and less exotic than originally thought. According to current models, only quite small planets with M{sub p} ≲ 0.03 M {sub ⊕} are likely to release a detectable quantity of dust. Thus, any 'normal-looking' transit that is inferred to arise from a rocky planet of radius greater than ∼1/2 R {sub ⊕} should not exhibit any hint of a dusty tail. Conversely, if one detects an asymmetric transit due to a dusty tail, then it will be very difficult to detect the hard body of the planet within the transit because, by necessity, the planet must be quite small (i.e., ≲ 0.3 R {sub ⊕}).
- OSTI ID:
- 22351505
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 784, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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