Planet Hunters IX. KIC 8462852 - where's the flux?

T. S. Boyajian; D. M. LaCourse; S. A. Rappaport; D. Fabrycky; D. A. Fischer; D. Gandolfi; G. M. Kennedy; H. Korhonen; M. C. Liu; A. Moor; K. Olah; K. Vida; M. C. Wyatt; W. M. J. Best; J. Brewer; F. Ciesla; B. Csák; H. J. Deeg; T. J. Dupuy; G. Handler; K. Heng; S. B. Howell; S. T. Ishikawa; J. Kovács; T. Kozakis; L. Kriskovics; J. Lehtinen; C. Lintott; D. Nespral; S. Nikbakhsh; K. Schawinski; J. R. Schmitt; A. M. Smith; Gy. Szabo; R. Szabo; J. Viuho; J. Wang; A. Weiksnar; M. Bosch; J. L. Connors; S. Goodman; G. Green; A. J. Hoekstra; T. Jebson; K. J. Jek; M. R. Omohundro; H. M. Schwengeler; A. Szewczyk; S. Lynn

doi:10.1093/mnras/stw218

Planet Hunters IX. KIC 8462852 - where's the flux?

T. S. Boyajian, D. M. LaCourse, S. A. Rappaport, D. Fabrycky, D. A. Fischer, D. Gandolfi, G. M. Kennedy, H. Korhonen, M. C. Liu, A. Moor, K. Olah, K. Vida, M. C. Wyatt, W. M. J. Best, J. Brewer, F. Ciesla, B. Csák, H. J. Deeg, T. J. Dupuy, G. HandlerK. Heng, S. B. Howell, S. T. Ishikawa, J. Kovács, T. Kozakis, L. Kriskovics, J. Lehtinen, C. Lintott, D. Nespral, S. Nikbakhsh, K. Schawinski, J. R. Schmitt, A. M. Smith, Gy. Szabo, R. Szabo, J. Viuho, J. Wang, A. Weiksnar, M. Bosch, J. L. Connors, S. Goodman, G. Green, A. J. Hoekstra, T. Jebson, K. J. Jek, M. R. Omohundro, H. M. Schwengeler, A. Szewczyk, S. Lynn

DARK

130 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

Over the duration of the Kepler mission, KIC 8462852 was observed to undergo irregularly shaped, aperiodic dips in flux of up to ˜20 per cent. The dipping activity can last for between 5 and 80 d. We characterize the object with high-resolution spectroscopy, spectral energy distribution fitting, radial velocity measurements, high-resolution imaging, and Fourier analyses of the Kepler light curve. We determine that KIC 8462852 is a typical main-sequence F3 V star that exhibits no significant IR excess, and has no very close interacting companions. In this paper, we describe various scenarios to explain the dipping events observed in the Kepler light curve. We confirm that the dipping signals in the data are not caused by any instrumental or data processing artefact, and thus are astrophysical in origin. We construct scenario-independent constraints on the size and location of a body in the system that are needed to reproduce the observations. We deliberate over several assorted stellar and circumstellar astrophysical scenarios, most of which have problems explaining the data in hand. By considering the observational constraints on dust clumps in orbit around a normal main-sequence star, we conclude that the scenario most consistent with the data in hand is the passage of a family of exocomet or planetesimal fragments, all of which are associated with a single previous break-up event, possibly caused by tidal disruption or thermal processing. The minimum total mass associated with these fragments likely exceeds 10-6 M⊕, corresponding to an original rocky body of >100 km in diameter. We discuss the necessity of future observations to help interpret the system.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vol/bind	457
Udgave nummer	4
Sider (fra-til)	3988-4004
ISSN	0035-8711
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw218
Status	Udgivet - 10 feb. 2016

Adgang til dokumentet

10.1093/mnras/stw218

MNRAS-2016-Boyajian-3988-4004Forlagets udgivne version, 4,39 MB
stw218.pdfForlagets udgivne version, 4,51 MB

Citationsformater

Boyajian, T. S., LaCourse, D. M., Rappaport, S. A., Fabrycky, D., Fischer, D. A., Gandolfi, D., Kennedy, G. M., Korhonen, H., Liu, M. C., Moor, A., Olah, K., Vida, K., Wyatt, M. C., Best, W. M. J., Brewer, J., Ciesla, F., Csák, B., Deeg, H. J., Dupuy, T. J., ... Lynn, S. (2016). Planet Hunters IX. KIC 8462852 - where's the flux? Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 457(4), 3988-4004. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw218

Boyajian, TS, LaCourse, DM, Rappaport, SA, Fabrycky, D, Fischer, DA, Gandolfi, D, Kennedy, GM, Korhonen, H, Liu, MC, Moor, A, Olah, K, Vida, K, Wyatt, MC, Best, WMJ, Brewer, J, Ciesla, F, Csák, B, Deeg, HJ, Dupuy, TJ, Handler, G, Heng, K, Howell, SB, Ishikawa, ST, Kovács, J, Kozakis, T, Kriskovics, L, Lehtinen, J, Lintott, C, Nespral, D, Nikbakhsh, S, Schawinski, K, Schmitt, JR, Smith, AM, Szabo, G, Szabo, R, Viuho, J, Wang, J, Weiksnar, A, Bosch, M, Connors, JL, Goodman, S, Green, G, Hoekstra, AJ, Jebson, T, Jek, KJ, Omohundro, MR, Schwengeler, HM, Szewczyk, A & Lynn, S 2016, 'Planet Hunters IX. KIC 8462852 - where's the flux?', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, bind 457, nr. 4, s. 3988-4004. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw218

@article{e717991498a14f44909cb68b03b20dbc,

title = "Planet Hunters IX. KIC 8462852 - where's the flux?",

abstract = "Over the duration of the Kepler mission, KIC 8462852 was observed to undergo irregularly shaped, aperiodic dips in flux of up to ˜20 per cent. The dipping activity can last for between 5 and 80 d. We characterize the object with high-resolution spectroscopy, spectral energy distribution fitting, radial velocity measurements, high-resolution imaging, and Fourier analyses of the Kepler light curve. We determine that KIC 8462852 is a typical main-sequence F3 V star that exhibits no significant IR excess, and has no very close interacting companions. In this paper, we describe various scenarios to explain the dipping events observed in the Kepler light curve. We confirm that the dipping signals in the data are not caused by any instrumental or data processing artefact, and thus are astrophysical in origin. We construct scenario-independent constraints on the size and location of a body in the system that are needed to reproduce the observations. We deliberate over several assorted stellar and circumstellar astrophysical scenarios, most of which have problems explaining the data in hand. By considering the observational constraints on dust clumps in orbit around a normal main-sequence star, we conclude that the scenario most consistent with the data in hand is the passage of a family of exocomet or planetesimal fragments, all of which are associated with a single previous break-up event, possibly caused by tidal disruption or thermal processing. The minimum total mass associated with these fragments likely exceeds 10-6 M⊕, corresponding to an original rocky body of >100 km in diameter. We discuss the necessity of future observations to help interpret the system.",

keywords = "comets: general, planets and satellites: dynamical evolution and stability, stars: activity, stars: individual: KIC 8462852, stars: peculiar",

author = "Boyajian, {T. S.} and LaCourse, {D. M.} and Rappaport, {S. A.} and D. Fabrycky and Fischer, {D. A.} and D. Gandolfi and Kennedy, {G. M.} and H. Korhonen and Liu, {M. C.} and A. Moor and K. Olah and K. Vida and Wyatt, {M. C.} and Best, {W. M. J.} and J. Brewer and F. Ciesla and B. Cs{\'a}k and Deeg, {H. J.} and Dupuy, {T. J.} and G. Handler and K. Heng and Howell, {S. B.} and Ishikawa, {S. T.} and J. Kov{\'a}cs and T. Kozakis and L. Kriskovics and J. Lehtinen and C. Lintott and D. Nespral and S. Nikbakhsh and K. Schawinski and Schmitt, {J. R.} and Smith, {A. M.} and Gy. Szabo and R. Szabo and J. Viuho and J. Wang and A. Weiksnar and M. Bosch and Connors, {J. L.} and S. Goodman and G. Green and Hoekstra, {A. J.} and T. Jebson and Jek, {K. J.} and Omohundro, {M. R.} and Schwengeler, {H. M.} and A. Szewczyk and S. Lynn",

year = "2016",

month = feb,

day = "10",

doi = "10.1093/mnras/stw218",

language = "English",

volume = "457",

pages = "3988--4004",

journal = "Royal Astronomical Society. Monthly Notices",

issn = "0035-8711",