A Survey for Very Short-Period Planets in the Kepler Data

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of four very short-period planetary candidates in Kepler data, with periods under twelve hours, analyzing their properties and discussing their possible origins and detectability.

Contribution

It presents the first survey identifying very short-period planets in Kepler data and analyzes their characteristics, suggesting they may be remnants of disrupted hot Jupiters.

Findings

Four planetary candidates with periods less than 12 hours

Candidates may induce detectable stellar radial velocity signals

Potential origins include disrupted hot Jupiters

Abstract

We conducted a search for very short-period transiting objects in the publicly available Kepler dataset. Our preliminary survey has revealed four planetary candidates, all with orbital periods less than twelve hours. We have analyzed the data for these candidates using photometric models that include transit light curves, ellipsoidal variations, and secondary eclipses to constrain the candidates' radii, masses, and effective temperatures. Even with masses of only a few Earth masses, the candidates' short periods mean they may induce stellar radial velocity signals (a few m/s) detectable by currently operating facilities. The origins of such short-period planets are unclear, but we discuss the possibility that they may be the remnants of disrupted hot Jupiters. Whatever their origins, if confirmed as planets, these candidates would be among the shortest-period planets ever discovered. Such planets would be particularly amenable to discovery by the planned TESS mission.