The Discovery of Ellipsoidal Variations in the Kepler Light Curve of Hat-P-7
We present an analysis of the early Kepler observations of the previously discovered transiting planet HAT-P-7b. The light curve shows the transit of the star, the occultation of the planet, and the orbit phase-dependent light from the planet. In addition, phase-dependent light from the star is pres...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2012
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/74057 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6892-6948 |
| Summary: | We present an analysis of the early Kepler observations of the previously discovered transiting planet HAT-P-7b. The light curve shows the transit of the star, the occultation of the planet, and the orbit phase-dependent light from the planet. In addition, phase-dependent light from the star is present, known as "ellipsoidal variations." The very nearby planet (only four stellar radii away) gravitationally distorts the star and results in a flux modulation twice per orbit. The ellipsoidal variations can confuse interpretation of the planetary phase curve if not self-consistently included in the modeling. We fit the light curve using the Roche potential approximation and derive improved planet and orbit parameters. |
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