Prospects of the detection of circumbinary planets with Kepler and CoRoT using the variations of eclipse timing

• Published in: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol. 414; no. 3; pp. 2763 - 2770
• Main Authors: Schwarz, R., Haghighipour, N., Eggl, S., Pilat-Lohinger, E., Funk, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.07.2011; Wiley-Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Astronomy; binaries: eclipsing; celestial mechanics; Earth, ocean, space; Eclipses; Exact sciences and technology; Extrasolar planets; methods: numerical; planet-star interactions; Space telescopes; binaries: eclipsing; celestial mechanics; eclipses; planet-star interactions; methods: numerical; Eclipsing binary stars; Detectability; Numerical method; Orbital elements; Celestial mechanics; Planets; Dynamics; Disturbances; Mass ratio; Close binary stars; planet-star interactionsbinaries: eclipsing; Timing
• ISSN: 0035-8711; 1365-2966
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18594.x

In close eclipsing binaries, measurements of the variations in binary's eclipse timing may be used to infer information about the existence of circumbinary objects. To determine the possibility of the detection of such variations with CoRoT and Kepler space telescopes, we have carried out an extensive study of the dynamics of a binary star system with a circumbinary planet, and calculated its eclipse timing variations (ETVs) for different values of the mass ratio and orbital elements of the binary and the perturbing body. Here, we present the results of our study and assess the detectability of the planet by comparing the resulting values of ETVs with the temporal sensitivity of CoRoT and Kepler. Results point to extended regions in the parameter space where the perturbation of a planet may be large enough to create measurable variations in the eclipse timing of the secondary star. Many of these variations point to potentially detectable ETVs and the possible inference of Jovian-type planets.