Fast Inversion Method for Determination of Planetary Parameters from Transit Timing Variations

D. NESVORNY; C. BEAUGE

Jackson Lake

Congreso; Extreme Solar Systems 2; 2011

University of California - Berkely

The Transit Timing Variation (TTV) method relies on monitoring changes in timing of transits of known exoplanets. Non-transiting planets in the system can be inferred from TTVs by their gravitational interaction with the transiting planet. The TTV method is sensitive to low-mass companions and can be used to validate planetary candidates from Kepler. We developed a fast algorithm that can be used to determine the mass and orbit of planets from TTVs. We applied our code, known as TTVIM, to a wide variety of planetary systems to test the uniqueness of the TTV inversion problem, and its dependence on S/N of TTV measurements. We found that planetary parameters, including the mass and mutual orbital inclination of planets, can be determined for most systems where the amplitude of short-period TTVs exceeds noise. In principle, the TTV method can therefore be used to characterize the inclination distribution of multi-planet systems. We are applying the code to the available Kepler data and will discuss the interesting systems at the meeting.