Getting More For Your Money: Identifying and Confirming Long-Period Planets with Kepler

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that combining Kepler photometry of single transits with short-term radial velocity observations can effectively estimate the periods and masses of long-period planets, enhancing detection capabilities.

Contribution

It introduces a method to estimate long-period planet parameters using combined photometry and radial velocity data, assuming circular orbits.

Findings

Period estimates better than 20% for planets larger than Neptune.

Mass estimates within a factor of 2 for planets larger than Jupiter.

Method effectiveness depends on orbit eccentricity.

Abstract

Kepler will monitor enough stars that it is likely to detect single transits of planets with periods longer than the mission lifetime. We show that by combining the Kepler photometry of such transits with precise radial velocity (RV) observations taken over ~3 months, and assuming circular orbits, it is possible to estimate the periods of these transiting planets to better than 20% (for planets with radii greater than that of Neptune) and the masses to within a factor of 2 (for planet masses m_p > M_Jup). We also explore the effects of eccentricity on our estimates of these uncertainties.