Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission^*

X. CoRoT-10b: a giant planet in a 13.24 day eccentric orbit

¹ Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, Université Aix-Marseille & CNRS, 38 rue Frédéric Joliot-Curie, 13388 Marseille Cedex 13, France e-mail: aldo.bonomo@oamp.fr
² Observatoire de Haute-Provence, Université Aix-Marseille & CNRS, 04870 St. Michel l'Observatoire, France
³ Observatoire de l'Université de Genève, 51 chemin des Maillettes, 1290 Sauverny, Switzerland
⁴ Observatoire de la Côte d' Azur, Laboratoire Cassiopée, BP 4229, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
⁵ Department of Physics, Denys Wilkinson Building Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3RH, UK
⁶ LESIA, UMR 8109 CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, UVSQ, Université Paris-Diderot, 5 place J. Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
⁷ Dipartimento di Astronomia, Università di Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy
⁸ Universität Bern Physics Inst, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
⁹ Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris-Sud 11 & CNRS (UMR 8617), Bât. 121, 91405 Orsay, France
¹⁰ Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, UMR7095 CNRS, Université Pierre & Marie Curie, 98bis boulevard Arago, 75014 Paris, France
¹¹ Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Centre, Rutherfordstrasse 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany
¹² LUTH, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot; 5 place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
¹³ SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS
¹⁴ Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung an der Universität zu Köln, Aachener Strasse 209, 50931 Köln, Germany
¹⁵ Research and ScientiPc Support Department, ESTEC/ESA, PO Box 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands
¹⁶ Instituto de Astrofõsica de Canarias, 38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
¹⁷ University of Vienna, Institute of Astronomy, Türkenschanzstr. 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria
¹⁸ IAG, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
¹⁹ Thüringer Landessternwarte, Sternwarte 5, Tautenburg 5, 07778 Tautenburg, Germany
²⁰ University of Liège, Allée du 6 août 17, Sart Tilman, Liège 1, Belgium
²¹ Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Science, Schmiedlstr. 6, 8042 Graz, Austria
²² INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, via S. Sofia, 78, 95123 Catania, Italy
²³ School of Physics and Astronomy, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
²⁴ Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, TU Berlin, Hardenbergstr. 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany

Received: 5 May 2010
Accepted: 10 June 2010

Abstract

Context. The space telescope CoRoT searches for transiting extrasolar planets by continuously monitoring the optical flux of thousands of stars in several fields of view.

Aims. We report the discovery of CoRoT-10b, a giant planet on a highly eccentric orbit (e = 0.53 ± 0.04) revolving in 13.24 days around a faint (V = 15.22) metal-rich K1V star.

Methods. We used CoRoT photometry, radial velocity observations taken with the HARPS spectrograph, and UVES spectra of the parent star to derive the orbital, stellar, and planetary parameters.

Results. We derive a radius of the planet of 0.97 ± 0.07 R_Jup and a mass of 2.75 ± 0.16 M_Jup. The bulk density, ρ_p = 3.70 ± 0.83  g cm^-3, is ~2.8 that of Jupiter. The core of CoRoT-10b could contain up to 240  of heavy elements. Moving along its eccentric orbit, the planet experiences a 10.6-fold variation in insolation. Owing to the long circularisation time, τ_circ > 7 Gyr, a resonant perturber is not required to excite and maintain the high eccentricity of CoRoT-10b.