The mass of the Mars-sized exoplanet Kepler-138 b from transit timing

TL;DR

This study measures the sizes and masses of three planets orbiting Kepler-138, including the first density measurement of an exoplanet smaller than Earth, using transit timing variations caused by gravitational interactions.

Contribution

It provides the first density measurement of a Mars-sized exoplanet and demonstrates the use of transit timing variations to characterize small exoplanets.

Findings

Mass of the Mars-sized inner planet measured from transit timing.

The middle planet has a density similar to Earth.

The outer planet is less than half as dense, indicating more low-density materials.

Abstract

Extrasolar planets that pass in front of their host star (transit) cause a temporary decrease in the apparent brightness of the star once per orbit, providing a direct measure of the planet's size and orbital period. In some systems with multiple transiting planets, the times of the transits are measurably affected by the gravitational interactions between neighbouring planets. In favorable cases, the departures from Keplerian orbits implied by the observed transit times permit planetary masses to be measured, which is key to determining bulk densities. Characterizing rocky planets is particularly difficult, since they are generally smaller and less massive than gaseous planets. Thus, few exoplanets near Earth's size have had their masses measured. Here we report the sizes and masses of three planets orbiting Kepler-138, a star much fainter and cooler than the Sun. We measure the mass of the Mars-sized inner planet based on on the transit times of its neighbour and thereby provide the first density measurement for an exoplanet smaller than Earth. The middle and outer planets are both slightly larger than Earth. The middle planet's density is similar to that of Earth, while the outer planet is less than half as dense, implying that it contains a greater portion of low density components such as H2O and/or H2.