Transit Timing Variation of Near-Resonance Planetary Pairs: Confirmation of Twelve Multiple Planet Systems

TL;DR

This study confirms 12 multi-planet systems near first-order resonances using TTV signals from Kepler data, demonstrating planetary interactions and constraining planetary masses and ratios despite degeneracies.

Contribution

First to confirm multiple planetary systems near first-order MMRs via TTV analysis using Kepler data, constraining masses and internal compositions.

Findings

Significant sinusoidal TTVs observed matching theoretical periods.

Mass ratios and upper limits constrained for planet pairs.

Identification of unique resonance chains in systems like Kepler-80.

Abstract

We extract Transit Timing Variation (TTV) signals for 12 pairs of transiting planet candidates that are near first-order Mean Motion Resonances (MMR), using publicly available Kepler light curves (Q0-Q14). These pairs show significant sinusoidal TTVs with theoretically predicted periods, which demonstrate these planet candidates are orbiting and interacting in the same system. Although individual masses cannot be accurately extracted based only on TTVs because of the well known degeneracy between mass and eccentricity, TTV phases and amplitudes can still place upper limits on the masses of the candidates, confirming their planetary nature. Furthermore, the mass ratios of these planet pairs can be relatively tight constrained using these TTVs. The planetary pair in Kepler-82 (KOI-880) seems to have a particularly high mass ratio and density ratio, which might indicate very different internal compositions of these two planets. Some of these newly confirmed planets are also near MMR with other candidates in the system, forming unique resonance chains, e.g., Kepler-80 (KOI-500).