Utilizing photometry from multiple sources to mitigate stellar variability in precise radial velocities: A case study of Kepler-21

Corey Beard, Paul Robertson, Mark R. Giovinazzi, Joseph M. Akana Murphy, Eric B. Ford, Samuel Halverson, Te Han, Rae Holcomb, Jack Lubin, Rafael Luque, Pranav Premnath, Chad F. Bender, Cullen H. Blake, Qian Gong, Howard Isaacson, Shubham Kanodia, Dan Li, Andrea S. J. Lin, Sarah E. Logsdon, Emily LubarMichael W. McElwain, Andrew Monson, Joe P. Ninan, Jayadev Rajagopal, Arpita Roy, Christian Schwab, Gudmundur Stefansson, Ryan C. Terrien, Jason T. Wright

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

We present a new analysis of Kepler-21, the brightest (V = 8.5) Kepler system with a known transiting exoplanet, Kepler-21 b. Kepler-21 b is a radius valley planet (R = 1.6 ± 0.2R) with an Earth-like composition (8.38 ± 1.62 g cm-3), though its mass and radius fall in the regime of possible “water worlds.” We utilize new Keck/High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer and WIYN/NEID radial velocity (RV) data in conjunction with Kepler and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry to perform a detailed study of activity mitigation between photometry and RVs. We additionally refine the system parameters, and we utilize Gaia astrometry to place constraints on a long-term RV trend. Our activity analysis affirms the quality of Kepler photometry for removing correlated noise from RVs, despite its temporal distance, though we reveal some cases where TESS may be superior. Using refined orbital parameters and updated composition curves, we rule out a water world scenario for Kepler-21 b, and we identify a long-period super-Jupiter planetary candidate, Kepler-21 (c).

Original languageEnglish
Article number149
Pages (from-to)1-17
Number of pages17
JournalAstronomical Journal
Volume168
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2024

Bibliographical note

© 2024. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

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