Sustainable Development Goals
Abstract/Objectives
We present transitfit1, a package designed to fit exoplanetary transit light curves. transitfit offers multi-epoch, multi-wavelength fitting of multi-telescope transit data. transitfit allows per-telescope detrending to be performed simultaneously with transit parameter fitting, including custom detrending. Host limb darkening can be fitted using prior conditioning from stellar atmosphere models. We demonstrate transitfit in a number of contexts. We model multi-telescope broad-band optical data from the ground-based SPEARNET survey of the low-density hot-Neptune WASP-127b and compare results to a previously published higher spectral resolution GTC/OSIRIS transmission spectrum. Using transitfit, we fit 26 transit epochs by TESS to recover improved ephemeris of the hot-Jupiter WASP-91b and a transit depth determined to a precision of 111 ppm. We use transitfit to conduct an investigation into the contested presence of TTV signatures in WASP-126b using 180 transits observed by TESS, concluding that there is no statistically significant evidence for such signatures from observations spanning 27 TESS sectors. We fit HST observations of WASP-43 b, demonstrating how transitfit can use custom detrending algorithms to remove complex baseline systematics. Lastly, we present a transmission spectrum of the atmosphere of WASP-96b constructed from simultaneous fitting of JWST NIRISS Early Release Observations and archive HST WFC3 transit data. The transmission spectrum shows generally good correspondence between spectral features present in both data sets, despite very different detrending requirements. © 2023 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society.
Results/Contributions

Transit observations have become an important technique for detecting exoplanets, providing us with valuable opportunities to explore other potentially life-bearing planets in the universe. Many projects are devoted to organized observations of transit events, which has also provided us with a wealth of light curves and transit timing data, crucial for our understanding of the formation and evolution of exoplanets. We believe this is an excellent opportunity to fit data models through fixed orbital and orbital decay models, searching for potential orbital decay of exoplanets from a large number of mid-term transit times, thereby revealing the dynamic evolution and long-term stability of planetary systems. To accomplish this task, we collected mid-term transit timing data from multiple sources and established the most complete database to date, which will also provide valuable resources for future research. Among the 144 hot Jupiters studied, HAT-P-51b, HAT-P-53b, TrES-5b, and WASP-12b were classified as cases of orbital decay. Therefore, in addition to reaffirming WASP-12b as an orbital decaying planet, our results also indicate that HAT-P-51b, HAT-P-53b, and TrES-5b are potential candidates for orbital decay. These findings are significant for our understanding of the processes of planet formation and evolution, as well as the sustainability of planetary systems.

Keywords
ExoplanetsPlanet-star interactions
Contact Information
葉麗琴老師
lichinyeh@mx.nthu.edu.tw