Prospects of the Detection of Circumbinary Planets With Kepler and CoRoT Using the Variations of Eclipse Timing

TL;DR

This study evaluates the potential of Kepler and CoRoT to detect circumbinary planets through eclipse timing variations, demonstrating that certain planetary configurations produce measurable signals.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of eclipse timing variations caused by circumbinary planets, assessing their detectability with space telescopes.

Findings

ETVs can be significant for certain planetary parameters

Detectable ETVs suggest possible Jovian-type planets

Extended parameter space where detection is feasible

Abstract

In close eclipsing binaries, measurements of the variations in binary's eclipse timing may be used to infer information about the existence of circumbinary objects. To determine the possibility of the detection of such variations with CoRoT and Kepler space telescopes, we have carried out an extensive study of the dynamics of a binary star system with a circumbinary planet, and calculated its eclipse timing variations (ETV) for different values of the mass-ratio and orbital elements of the binary and the perturbing body. Here, we present the results of our study and assess the detectability of the planet by comparing the resulting values of ETVs with the temporal sensitivity of CoRoT and Kepler. Results point to extended regions in the parameter-space where the perturbation of a planet may become large enough to create measurable variations in the eclipse timing of the secondary star. Many of these variations point to potentially detectable ETVs and the possible existence of Jovian-type planets.