2000/12/08 by Andrew Collier Cameron, A. Collier Cameron, K. Horne +12
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #FOS: Physical sciences #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0012186
3 pages, 2 eps sub-figures, To appear in:IAU Symp 202, eds. Penny, Artymowicz, Lagrange, Russell, `Planetary Systems in the Universe'
arxiv created 2000/12/08 · openalex publication_date 2000/12/08 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present new results derived from high-resolution optical spectra of the tau Boo system, secured in March-May 2000. The results do not show the same feature reported by Cameron et al (1999) as a candidate reflected-light signature from the planet. Together with earlier results from the 1998 and 1999 seasons, the new data yield a 99.9 percent upper limit on the opposition planet/star flux ratio epsilon<3.5E-5 between 387.4 and 586.3 nm, a factor 3 deeper than the upper limit of Charbonneau et al (1999). For an assumed planet radius Rp= 1.2 RJup, the upper limit on the mean geometric albedo is p < 0.22, 40 percent that of Jupiter. We find new evidence that the star's rotation is synchronised with the planet's orbital motion. Using a Monte Carlo analysis we infer that the planet's mass must lie in the range 5.5 to 10 times the mass of Jupiter.