A high-eccentricity low-mass companion to HD 89744

Citation
Sg. Korzennik et al., A high-eccentricity low-mass companion to HD 89744, ASTROPHYS J, 533(2), 2000, pp. L147-L150
Citations number
26
Categorie Soggetti
Space Sciences
Journal title
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
ISSN journal
0004637X → ACNP
Volume
533
Issue
2
Year of publication
2000
Part
2
Pages
L147 - L150
Database
ISI
SICI code
0004-637X(20000420)533:2<L147:AHLCTH>2.0.ZU;2-E
Abstract
HD 89744 is an F7 V star with a mass of 1.4 M., an effective temperature of 6166 K, an age of 2.0 Gyr, and metallicity [Fe/H] = 0.18. The radial veloc ity of the star has been monitored with the Advanced Fiber-Optic Echelle sp ectrograph at the Whipple Observatory since 1996, and evidence has been fou nd for a low-mass companion. The data were complemented by additional data from the Hamilton spectrograph at Lick Observatory during the companion's p eriastron passage in the fall of 1999. As a result, we have determined the star's orbital wobble to have a period P = 256 days, an orbital amplitude K = 257 m s(-1), and an eccentricity e = 0.7. From the stellar mass, we infe r that the companion has a minimum mass m(2) sin i = 7.2 M-J in an orbit wi th a semimajor axis a(2) = 0.88 AU. The eccentricity of the orbit, among th e highest known for extrasolar planets, continues the trend that extrasolar planets with semimajor axes greater than about 0.15 AU tend to have much h igher eccentricities than are found in our solar system. The high metallici ty of the parent star reinforces the trend that parent stars of extrasolar planets tend to have high metallicity.