exoplanets

Layer 1 — Physics6 concepts in this subtree

Astrophysics of planets orbiting stars other than the Sun. Detection methods: (i) transit — photometric dip in the host star's flux as the planet passes the stellar disc, depth δ = (R_p/R_s)² to leading order (Mandel-Agol 2002 transit…

Transit geometry: dip depth δ = (R_p/R_s)²; duration ∝ R_s/v_orb
Radial-velocity K ∝ m_p sin i / M_s^{2/3}: stellar Doppler wobble
T_eq = T_s · √(R_s/(2a)) · (1−A)^{1/4}: blackbody energy balance
Transit depth R_p/R_s = 1/10 ⇒ δ = 1/100; Earth/Sun ratio 10,000
Doppler Δλ/λ = v/c: v = 100 m/s ⇒ shift 50/149896229; 51 Peg b 28/149896229
T_eq for (T_s, R_s/a, A)=(6000, 1/400, 0): 150√2 ≈ 212 K
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