Bibcode
Goździewski, Krzysztof; Nasiroglu, Ilham; Słowikowska, Aga; Beuermann, Klaus; Kanbach, Gottfried; Gauza, B.; Maciejewski, Andrzej J.; Schwarz, Robert; Schwope, Axel D.; Hinse, Tobias C.; Haghighipour, Nader; Burwitz, Vadim; Słonina, Mariusz; Rau, Arne
Bibliographical reference
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 425, Issue 2, pp. 930-949.
Advertised on:
9
2012
Citations
49
Refereed citations
39
Description
In this paper, we investigate the eclipse timing of the polar binary HU
Aquarii that has been observed for almost two decades. Recently, Qian et
al. attributed large (O-C) deviations between the eclipse ephemeris and
observations to a compact system of two massive Jovian companions. We
improve the Keplerian, kinematic model of the light travel time effect
and re-analyse the whole currently available data set. We add almost 60
new, yet unpublished, mostly precision light curves obtained using the
time high-resolution photopolarimeter Optical Timing Analyzer (OPTIMA),
as well as photometric observations performed at the Monitoring Network
of Telescopes/North, Physics Innovations Robotic Astronomical Telescope
Explorer and Carlos Sánchez Telescope. We determine new
mid-egress times with a mean uncertainty at the level of 1 s or better.
We claim that because the observations that currently exist in the
literature are non-homogeneous with respect to spectral windows
(ultraviolet, X-ray, visual and polarimetric mode) and the reported
mid-egress measurements errors, they may introduce systematics that
affect orbital fits. Indeed, we find that the published data, when taken
literally, cannot be explained by any unique solution. Many
qualitatively different and best-fit two-planet configurations,
including self-consistent, Newtonian N-body solutions may be able to
explain the data. However, using high-resolution, precision OPTIMA light
curves, we find that the (O-C) deviations are best explained by the
presence of a single circumbinary companion orbiting at a distance of
˜4.5 au with a small eccentricity and having ˜7 Jupiter
masses. This object could be the next circumbinary planet detected from
the ground, similar to the announced companions around close binaries HW
Vir, NN Ser, UZ For, DP Leo, FS Aur or SZ Her, and planets of this type
around Kepler-16, Kepler-34 and Kepler-35.
Related projects
Very Low Mass Stars, Brown Dwarfs and Planets
Our goal is to study the processes that lead to the formation of low mass stars, brown dwarfs and planets and to characterize the physical properties of these objects in various evolutionary stages. Low mass stars and brown dwarfs are likely the most numerous type of objects in our Galaxy but due to their low intrinsic luminosity they are not so
Rafael
Rebolo López