Stellar Companions of Exoplanet Host Stars in K2

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution speckle imaging to identify stellar companions near K2 exoplanet candidate hosts, estimating a binary fraction of 40-50%, which informs exoplanet characterization and formation theories.

Contribution

It provides the first high-resolution imaging survey of K2 exoplanet hosts, quantifying their binary fraction and comparing it to Kepler and field stars.

Findings

Binary fraction of K2 hosts estimated at 40-50%.

Detected stellar companions within ~1 arcsec of host stars.

Binary fraction similar to Kepler exoplanet hosts and field stars.

Abstract

It is well established that roughly half of all nearby solar-type stars have at least one companion. Stellar companions can have significant implications for the detection and characterization of exoplanets, including triggering false positives and masking the true radii of planets. Determining the fraction of exoplanet host stars that are also binaries allows us to better determine planetary characteristics as well as establish the relationship between binarity and planet formation. Using high angular resolution speckle imaging, we detect stellar companions within ~1 arcsec of K2 planet candidate host stars. Comparing our detected companion rate to TRILEGAL star count simulations and known detection limits of speckle imaging we estimate the binary fraction of K2 planet host stars to be 40 - 50%, similar to that of Kepler exoplanet hosts and field stars.