WASP-22 b: A transiting "hot Jupiter" planet in a hierarchical triple system

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a transiting hot Jupiter exoplanet orbiting star WASP-22, with additional evidence suggesting a third body in the system, possibly a low-mass star, white dwarf, or second planet.

Contribution

First detailed characterization of the WASP-22 planetary system including a transiting hot Jupiter and evidence for a third companion.

Findings

Planet mass: 0.56 M_Jup

Planet radius: 1.12 R_Jup

Presence of a third body inferred from radial velocity trend

Abstract

We report the discovery of a transiting planet orbiting the star TYC 6446-326-1. The star, WASP-22, is a moderately bright (V=12.0) solar-type star (Teff = 6000 +/- 100 K, [Fe/H] = -0.05 +/- 0.08). The lightcurve of the star obtained with the WASP-South instrument shows periodic transit-like features with a depth of about 1 and a duration of 0.14 days. The presence of a transit-like feature in the lightcurve is confirmed using z-band photometry obtained with Faulkes Telescope South. High resolution spectroscopy obtained with the CORALIE and HARPS spectrographs confirm the presence of a planetary mass companion with an orbital period of 3.533 days in a near-circular orbit. From a combined analysis of the spectroscopic and photometric data assuming that the star is a typical main-sequence star we estimate that the planet has a mass M_p = 0.56 +/- 0.02 M_Jup and a radius R_p = 1.12 +/- 0.04 R_Jup. In addition, there is a linear trend of 40 m/s/yr in the radial velocities measured over 16 months, from which we infer the presence of a third body with a long period orbit in this system. The companion may be a low mass M-dwarf, a white dwarf or a second planet.