A Habitable Zone Census via Transit Timing and the Imperative for Continuing to Observe the Kepler Field

TL;DR

This paper advocates for continued Kepler observations to complete a planetary census, focusing on planetary system architectures, mass-radius relationships, and dynamical histories despite reduced photometric precision.

Contribution

It proposes a detailed observational program using Kepler's multi-object capabilities to study planetary systems through Transit Timing Variations, enhancing understanding of planet formation and evolution.

Findings

Identification of non-transiting planets through TTVs.

Refined mass-radius relationships for transitional planets.

Dynamical evidence for planetary system formation and evolution.

Abstract

We propose a scientific program to complete a census of planets, characterizing their masses, orbital properties, and dynamical histories using continued observations of the Kepler field of view with the Kepler spacecraft in a two reaction wheel mission. Even with a significantly reduced photometric precision, extending time-domain observations of this field is uniquely capable of pursuing several critical science goals: 1) measuring the architectures of planetary systems by identifying non-transiting planets interleaved among known transiting planets, 2) establishing the mass-radius relationship for planets in the important transition region between small, gas-rich sub-Neptune planets and large, rocky super-Earths, and 3) uncovering dynamical evidence of the formation and evolution of the inner regions of planetary systems. To meet these objectives, the unique multi-object observing capabilities of Kepler will be used in a set of concurrent campaigns with specific motivations. These campaigns focus largely on the ability to interpret Transit Timing Variations (TTVs) that result from dynamical interactions among planets in a system and include: 1) observations of systems that exhibit large TTVs and are particularly rich in dynamical information, 2) observations of systems where additional transit times will yield mass measurements of the constituent planets, 3) observations of systems where the TTV signal evolves over very long timescales, and 4) observations of systems with long-period planet candidates where additional transits will remove orbital period ambiguities caused by gaps in the original Kepler data.