Issue |
A&A
Volume 583, November 2015
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | A138 | |
Number of page(s) | 13 | |
Section | Planets and planetary systems | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201425395 | |
Published online | 05 November 2015 |
Broad-band spectrophotometry of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-12b from the near-UV to the near-IR
1 Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam, An der Sternwarte 16, 14482 Potsdam, Germany
e-mail: mmallonn@aip.de
2 INAF–Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
3 Stellar Astrophysics Centre (SAC), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
4 Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Galileo Galilei”, Università di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 3, 35122 Padova, Italy
5 INAF–Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy
6 INAF–Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Piazza del Parlamento 1, 90134 Palermo, Italy
7 Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center, Rutherfordstrasse 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany
8 Institut de Ciències de l’Espai (CSIC–IEEC), Campus UAB, Facultat de Ciències, Torre C5 parell, 2a pl, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
9 Universidad de Monterrey, Departamento de Física y Matemáticas, Avenida I. Morones Prieto 4500 Poniente, San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, 66238 México, Mexico
10 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK
11 Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
Received: 24 November 2014
Accepted: 25 August 2015
Context. The detection of trends or gradients in the transmission spectrum of extrasolar planets is possible with observations at very low spectral resolution. Transit measurements of sufficient accuracy using selected broad-band filters allow for an initial characterization of the atmosphere of the planet.
Aims. We want to investigate the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-12b for an increased absorption at the very blue wavelength regions caused by scattering. Furthermore, we aim for a refinement of the transit parameters and the orbital ephemeris.
Methods. We obtained time series photometry of 20 transit events and analyzed them homogeneously, along with eight light curves obtained from the literature. In total, the light curves span a range from 0.35 to 1.25 microns. During two observing seasons over four months each, we monitored the host star to constrain the potential influence of starspots on the derived transit parameters.
Results. We rule out the presence of a Rayleigh slope extending over the entire optical wavelength range, a flat spectrum is favored for HAT-P-12b with respect to a cloud-free atmosphere model spectrum. A potential cause of such gray absorption is the presence of a cloud layer at the probed latitudes. Furthermore, in this work we refine the transit parameters, the ephemeris and perform a TTV analysis in which we found no indication for an unseen companion. The host star showed a mild non-periodic variability of up to 1%. However, no stellar rotation period could be detected to high confidence.
Key words: planets and satellites: atmospheres / planets and satellites: individual: HAT-P-12b / planetary systems
© ESO, 2015
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