BEER analysis of Kepler and CoRoT light curves: II. Evidence for superrotation in the phase curves of three Kepler hot Jupiters

TL;DR

This study investigates superrotation in hot Jupiter exoplanets by analyzing Kepler light curves, proposing a modified BEER model that accounts for atmospheric superrotation, and demonstrating its effectiveness in estimating planetary masses photometrically.

Contribution

The paper introduces a superrotation-inclusive BEER model that aligns photometric mass estimates with radial velocity measurements for hot Jupiters.

Findings

Superrotation causes phase shifts in reflection/emission modulations.

Lambertian superrotation model accurately estimates planetary masses.

Superrotation may be common among Kepler hot Jupiters.

Abstract

We analyzed the Kepler light curves of four transiting hot Jupiter systems --- KOI-13, HAT-P-7, TrES-2, and Kepler-76, which show BEaming, Ellipsoidal and Reflection (BEER) phase modulations. The mass of the four planets can be estimated from either the beaming or the ellipsoidal amplitude, given the mass and radius of their parent stars. For KOI-13, HAT-P-7, and Kepler-76 we find that the beaming-based planetary mass estimate is larger than the mass estimated from the ellipsoidal amplitude, consistent with previous studies. This apparent discrepancy may be explained by equatorial superrotation of the planet atmosphere, which induces an angle shift of the planet reflection/emission phase modulation, as was suggested for Kepler-76 in the first paper of this series. We propose a modified BEER model that supports superrotation, assuming either a Lambertian or geometric reflection/emission phase function, and provides a photometry-consistent estimate of the planetary mass. Our analysis shows that for Kepler-76 and HAT-P-7, the Lambertian superrotation BEER model is highly preferable over an unshifted null model, while for KOI-13 it is preferable only at a 1.4 sigma level. For TrES-2 we do not find such preference. For all four systems the Lambertian superrotation model mass estimates are in excellent agreement with the planetary masses derived from, or constrained by, radial velocity measurements. This makes the Lambertian superrotation BEER model a viable tool for estimating the masses of hot Jupiters from photometry alone. We conclude that hot Jupiter superrotation may be a common phenomenon that can be detected in the visual light curves of Kepler.