Follow-up photometry of TrES-3

TL;DR

This study presents new photometric observations of TrES-3, refining its orbital parameters, analyzing transit timing variations, and constraining the presence of additional planets through detailed data analysis and dynamical simulations.

Contribution

The paper provides updated orbital parameters, confirms the absence of significant TTVs, and sets upper mass limits for potential additional planets near resonances in the TrES-3 system.

Findings

No significant transit timing variations detected.

Excludes additional Earth-mass planets near key resonances.

Identifies unstable and chaotic regions in the system's orbital space.

Abstract

We present new observations of the transiting system TrES-3 obtained from 2009 to 2011 at several observatories. The orbital parameters of the system were re- determined and a new linear ephemeris was calculated. The best quality light curve was used for light curve analysis, an other datasets were used to determine mid-transit times, Tc, and study transit time variation (TTV). For planet parameter determination we used two independent codes and finally, we concluded that our parameters are in agreement with previous studies. Based on our observations, we determined 14 mid-transit times. Together with published Tc we found that the timing residuals showed no significant deviation from the linear ephemeris. We concluded that a periodic TTV signal with an amplitude greater than 1 minute over a 4-year time span seems to be unlikely. Our analysis of an upper mass limit allows us to exclude an additional Earth-mass planet close to inner 3:1, 2:1, and 5:3 and outer 3:5, 1:2, and 1:3 mean-motion resonances. Using the long-term integration and applying the method of maximum eccentricity, the region from 0.015 au to 0.05 au was found unstable and the region beyond the 0.05 au was found to have a chaotic behaviour and its depletion increases with increasing values of the initial eccentricity as well as inclination.