Detecting the signatures of Uranus and Neptune

2011/04/26 by Stephen R. Kane · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrobiology #Astrometry #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Exoplanet #Gas giant #Jupiter (rocket family) #Neptune #Nice model #Physics #Planet #Planetary migration #Radial velocity #Solar System #Space exploration #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Uranus #astro-ph.EP

paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2011.04.023

published as 2011, Icarus, 214, 327 · 20 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Icarus

arxiv created 2011/04/26 · openalex publication_date 2011/05/07 · arxiv updated 2015/05/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

With more than 15 years since the the first radial velocity discovery of a planet orbiting a Sun-like star, the time baseline for radial velocity surveys is now extending out beyond the orbit of Jupiter analogs. The sensitivity to exoplanet orbital periods beyond that of Saturn orbital radii however is still beyond our reach such that very few clues regarding the prevalence of ice giants orbiting solar analogs are available to us. Here we simulate the radial velocity, transit, and photometric phase amplitude signatures of the solar system giant planets, in particular Uranus and Neptune, and assess their detectability. We scale these results for application to monitoring low-mass stars and compare the relative detection prospects with other potential methods, such as astrometry and imaging. These results quantitatively show how many of the existing techniques are suitable for the detection of ice giants beyond the snow line for late-type stars and the challenges that lie ahead for the detection true Uranus/Neptune analogues around solar-type stars.

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Cited by

• Detection of Planetary and Stellar Companions to Neighboring Stars via a Combination of Radial Velocity and Direct Imaging Techniques