Exocomet models in transit: light curve morphology in the optical -- near infrared wavelength range

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Main Authors: Kálmán, Szilárd, Szabó, Gyula M., Kiss, Csaba
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Kálmán, Szilárd
Szabó, Gyula M.
Kiss, Csaba
author_facet Kálmán, Szilárd
Szabó, Gyula M.
Kiss, Csaba
contents Following the widespread practice of exoplanetary transit simulations, various presumed components of an extrasolar system can be examined in numerically simulated transits, including exomoons, rings around planets, and the deformation of exoplanets. Template signals can then be used to efficiently search for light curve features that mark specific phenomena in the data, and they also provide a basis for feasibility studies of instruments and search programs. In this paper, we present a method for exocomet transit light curve calculations using arbitrary dust distributions in transit. The calculations, spanning four distinct materials (carbon, graphite, pyroxene, and olivine), dust grain sizes ($100$\,nm -- $300$\,nm, $300$\,nm -- $1000$\,nm, and $1000$\,nm -- $3000$\,nm) encompass light curves in VRJHKL bands. We also investigated the behavior of scattering colors. We show that multicolor photometric observations are highly effective tools in the detection and characterization of exocomet transits. They provide information on the dust distribution of the comet (encoded in the light curve shape), while the color information itself can reveal the particle size change and material composition of the transiting material, in relation to the surrounding environment. We also show that the typical cometary tail can result in the wavelength dependence of the transit timing. We demonstrate that multi-wavelength observations can yield compelling evidence for the presence of exocomets in real observations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_13663
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Exocomet models in transit: light curve morphology in the optical -- near infrared wavelength range
Kálmán, Szilárd
Szabó, Gyula M.
Kiss, Csaba
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Following the widespread practice of exoplanetary transit simulations, various presumed components of an extrasolar system can be examined in numerically simulated transits, including exomoons, rings around planets, and the deformation of exoplanets. Template signals can then be used to efficiently search for light curve features that mark specific phenomena in the data, and they also provide a basis for feasibility studies of instruments and search programs. In this paper, we present a method for exocomet transit light curve calculations using arbitrary dust distributions in transit. The calculations, spanning four distinct materials (carbon, graphite, pyroxene, and olivine), dust grain sizes ($100$\,nm -- $300$\,nm, $300$\,nm -- $1000$\,nm, and $1000$\,nm -- $3000$\,nm) encompass light curves in VRJHKL bands. We also investigated the behavior of scattering colors. We show that multicolor photometric observations are highly effective tools in the detection and characterization of exocomet transits. They provide information on the dust distribution of the comet (encoded in the light curve shape), while the color information itself can reveal the particle size change and material composition of the transiting material, in relation to the surrounding environment. We also show that the typical cometary tail can result in the wavelength dependence of the transit timing. We demonstrate that multi-wavelength observations can yield compelling evidence for the presence of exocomets in real observations.
title Exocomet models in transit: light curve morphology in the optical -- near infrared wavelength range
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.13663