Refined Ephemeris for Four Hot Jupiters using Ground-Based and TESS Observations

TL;DR

This study refines the orbital parameters of four hot Jupiter systems using combined TESS and ground-based data, revealing potential orbital decay in one system and providing updated tidal quality factors.

Contribution

It presents new mid-transit times and refined ephemerides for four hot Jupiters, incorporating TESS data and TTV analysis to improve orbital models and assess orbital decay.

Findings

Refined linear ephemerides for four hot Jupiters.

Detected possible orbital decay in WASP-46 b.

Measured WASP-12's tidal quality factor as (2.13±0.29)×10^5.

Abstract

WASP-12 b, WASP-33 b, WASP-36 b, and WASP-46 b are four transiting planetary systems which we have studied. These systems' light curves were derived from observations made by the Transiting Light Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and some ground-based telescopes. We used Exofast-v1 to model these light curves and calculate mid-transit times. Also, we plotted TTV diagrams for them using derived mid-transit times and those available within the literature. O-C analysis of these timings enables us to refine the linear ephemeris of four systems. We measured WASP-12's tidal quality factor based on adding TESS data as Q*'=(2.13+-0.29)*10^5. According to the analysis, the orbital period of the WASP-46 b system is increasing. The WASP-36 b and WASP-33 b systems have not shown any obvious quadratic trend in their TTV diagrams. The increase in their period is most likely due to inaccurate liner ephemeris that has increased over time. So, more observations are needed to evaluate whether or not there is an orbital decay in the WASP-36 b and WASP-33 b systems.