Combining Photometry From Kepler and TESS to Improve Short-Period Exoplanet Characterization

Abstract

Planets emit thermal radiation and reflect incident light that they recieve from their host stars. As a planet orbits it's host star the photometric variations associated with these two effects produce very similar phase curves. If observed through only a single bandpass this leads to a degeneracy between certain planetary parameters that hinder the precise characterization of such planets. However, observing the same planet through two different bandpasses gives one much more information about the planet. Here, we develop a Bayesian methodology for combining photometry from both \emph{Kepler} and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). In addition, we demonstrate via simulations that one can disentangle the reflected and thermally emitted light from the atmosphere of a hot-Jupiter as well as more precisely constrain both the geometric albedo and dayside temperature of the planet. This methodology can further be employed using various combinations of photometry from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the Characterizing ExOplanet Satellite (CHEOPS), or the PLATO mission.

Submitted to PASP

References in corpus (7)

• The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
• The K2 Mission: Characterization and Early results
• Detection of Thermal Emission from an Extrasolar Planet
• The Exoplanet Orbit Database II: Updates to exoplanets.org
• Atmospheric Characterization of the Hot Jupiter Kepler-13Ab
• Radial velocity confirmation of Kepler-91 b. Additional evidence of its planetary nature using the Calar Alto/CAFE instrument
• Characterization of Kepler-91b and the Investigation of a Potential Trojan Companion Using EXONEST

Cited by in corpus (11)

• The astrophysics of visible-light orbital phase curves in the space age
• Exoplanet Characterization by Multi-Observatory Transit Photometry with TESS and CHEOPS
• Low Albedo Surfaces of Lava Worlds
• Dynamic mineral clouds on HD 189733b II. Monte Carlo radiative transfer for 3D cloudy exoplanet atmospheres: combining scattering and emission spectra
• Prospects for Directly Imaging Young Giant Planets at Optical Wavelengths
• Transit Timing Variation of XO-3b: Evidence for Tidal Evolution of Hot Jupiter with High Eccentricity
• Exoplanet phase curves at large phase angles. Diagnostics for extended hazy atmospheres
• Reflected Light Phase Curves in the TESS Era
• EXONEST: The Bayesian Exoplanetary Explorer
• Analyzing Exoplanet Phase Curve Information Content: Toward Optimized Observing Strategies
• Bayesian Model Testing of Ellipsoidal Variations on Stars due to Hot Jupiters