An extremely high photometric precision in ground-based observations of two transits in the WASP-50 planetary system

TL;DR

This paper reports ground-based photometric observations of two transits in the WASP-50 system with unprecedented precision, achieving record low noise levels and refining the system's physical parameters and orbital ephemeris.

Contribution

It demonstrates that ground-based telescopes can attain extremely high photometric precision, improving measurements of exoplanetary systems.

Findings

Record low photometric noise levels of 211-258 ppm.

More precise measurements of WASP-50's stellar and planetary parameters.

Updated orbital ephemeris for the WASP-50 system.

Abstract

We present photometric observations of two transits in the WASP-50 planetary system, obtained using the ESO New Technology Telescope and the defocussed-photometry technique. The rms scatters for the two datasets are 258 and 211\,ppm with a cadence of 170 to 200\,s, setting a new record for ground-based photometric observations of a point source. The data were modelled and fitted using the \textsc{prism} and \textsc{gemc} codes, and the physical properties of the system calculated. We find the mass and radius of the hot star to be $0.861\pm 0.057\Msun$ and $0.855\pm0.019\Rsun$, respectively. For the planet we find a mass of $1.437\pm 0.068\Mjup$, a radius of $1.138\pm0.026\Rjup$ and a density of $0.911\pm0.033\pjup$. These values are consistent with but more precise than those found in the literature. We also obtain a new orbital ephemeris for the system: $ T_0 = {\rm BJD/TDB} \,\, 2\,455\,558.61237 (20) \, + \, 1.9550938 (13) \times E $.