Observational Constraints on Trojans of Transiting Extrasolar Planets

Abstract

Theoretical studies predict that Trojans are likely a frequent byproduct of planet formation and evolution. We present a novel method of detecting Trojan companions to transiting extrasolar planets which involves comparing the time of central eclipse with the time of the stellar reflex velocity null. We demonstrate that this method offers the potential to detect terrestrial-mass Trojans using existing ground-based observatories. This method rules out Trojan companions to HD 209458b and HD 149026b more massive than ~13 Earth masses and \~25 Earth masses at a 99.9% confidence level. Such a Trojan would be dynamically stable, would not yet have been detected by photometric or spectroscopic monitoring, and would be unrecognizable from radial velocity observations alone. We outline the future prospects for this method, and show that the detection of a "Hot Trojan" of any mass would place a significant constraint on theories of orbital migration.

6 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, accepted to ApJL. Added references, new transiting planets to table; minor corrections

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• Dynamical mass and multiplicity constraints on co-orbital bodies around stars
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• On the coplanar eccentric non restricted co-orbital dynamics
• Stability of the co-orbital resonance under dissipation: Application to its evolution in protoplanetary discs
• Transit timing variations for planets coorbiting in the horseshoe regime
• Disruption of co-orbital (1:1) planetary resonances during gas-driven orbital migration
• Measuring accurate transit parameters
• Searching for Trojan Asteroids in the HD 209458 System: Space-based MOST Photometry and Dynamical Modeling
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• Search for Super Earths by Timing of Transits with CoRoT
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• On the Detection of Habitable Trojan Planets in the Kepler Circumbinary Systems
• Dynamics of co-orbital exoplanets
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• Searching for Exotrojans in Pulsar Systems
• Habitable Zones for Earth-mass Planets in Multiple Planetary Systems