Twenty-One New Light Curves of OGLE-TR-56b: New System Parameters and Limits on Timing Variations

TL;DR

This study presents twenty-one new light curves of OGLE-TR-56b, refining system parameters, confirming a slightly inflated planetary radius, and setting limits on transit timing variations and orbital decay.

Contribution

It provides the first extensive set of light curves for OGLE-TR-56b, improving parameter estimates and constraining orbital decay and timing variations.

Findings

Confirmed a slightly inflated planetary radius.

Refined semimajor axis and inclination values.

No evidence of transit timing or duration variations.

Abstract

Although OGLE-TR-56b was the second transiting exoplanet discovered, only one light curve, observed in 2006, has been published besides the discovery data. We present twenty-one light curves of nineteen different transits observed between July 2003 and July 2009 with the Magellan Telescopes and Gemini South. The combined analysis of the new light curves confirms a slightly inflated planetary radius relative to model predictions, with R_p = 1.378 +/- 0.090 R_J. However, the values found for the transit duration, semimajor axis, and inclination values differ significantly from the previous result, likely due to systematic errors. The new semimajor axis and inclination, a = 0.01942 +/- 0.00015 AU and i = 73.72 +/- 0.18 degrees, are smaller than previously reported, while the total duration, T_14 = 7931 +/- 38 s, is 18 minutes longer. The transit midtimes have errors from 23 s to several minutes, and no evidence is seen for transit midtime or duration variations. Similarly, no change is seen in the orbital period, implying a nominal stellar tidal decay factor of Q_* = 10^7, with a three-sigma lower limit of 10^5.7.