Title of programme: Unveiling the origin of an in-phase additional dimming in the TESS light curve of a known exoplanet
Abstract: Along the past years, accumulations of gas and dust have been hinted for the first time at the Lagrangian points of some young forming planets. Also, the first planet-like co-orbital candidates have been published. These discoveries represent the rise of a new window to exoplanet exploration: the search for co-orbital worlds. These bodies contain key dynamical and chemical information about the history of planetary systems. They are also predicted to form in a relatively frequent number of multi-planetary systems (13-30% according to theoretical studies) and to survive inward migration with the planet at the cost of an increase in their libration amplitude around the Lagrangian points. In the path towards the confirmation of the first exotrojan planet, we detected a new candidate through observations from the TESS mission and subsequent ground-based follow-up with the SPECULOOS telescopes. The analysis from both datasets shows independently a 2-? dimming at the Lagrangian point L5 of a confirmed extrasolar hot-Jupiter. The candidate transits also show some variations in the timing possibly due to the expected libration. Here we propose to use CHEOPS to definitively confirm this dimming with sufficient statistical confidence and to characterize this potential first exotrojan planet.
Temporal Coverage
2022-08-06T05:17:00Z / 2022-08-06T16:29:00Z
Version
3.0
Mission Description
CHEOPS (Benz et al., https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-020-09679-4) is a European Space Agency (ESA) mission in partnership with Switzerland with important contributions to the payload and the ground segment from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The satellite has a single payload comprising an ultra-high precision photometer covering the 330 - 1100 nm wavelength range in a single photometric band. Observations are made as part of the Guaranteed Time Observing Programme that is formulated by the CHEOPS Science Team, and the Guest Observers Programme through which the Community at large can apply for CHEOPS time.
