Abstract
We report the discovery of WTS-2 b, a typical hot Jupiter in an unusually close 1.02-day orbit to a K-dwarf star. This is the second planet to be discovered in the infrared light curves of the WFCAM Transit Survey (WTS) and is only one-and-a-half times the separation from its host star at which is would be destroyed by Roche lobe overflow. The predicted remaining lifetime of the planet is just 38 Myrs, assuming a tidal dissipation quality factor of Q'* = 106. The magnitude of Q'* is largely unconstrained by observations, thus WTS-2 b provides a useful calibration point for theories describing how frictional processes within a host star affect the tidal orbital evolution of its companion giant planets. It is expected that stars with large convective envelopes are more efficient at dissipating the orbital energy of the planet, and WTS-2 b provides an observational constraint in the sparsely populated K-dwarf regime. In addition, despite its relatively faint magnitude, the favourable size ratio of the WTS-2 star-planet system and the predicted hot equilibrium temperature of the planet will make it possible to characterise the planet's atmosphere via secondary eclipse measurements using existing ground-based instrumentation.
Highlights
We report the discovery of Wide-Field Camera (WFCAM) Transit Survey (WTS)-2 b, a typical hot Jupiter in an unusually close 1.02-day orbit to a K-dwarf star
This is the second planet to be discovered in the infrared light curves of the WFCAM Transit Survey (WTS) and is only one-and-a-half times the separation from its host star at which is would be destroyed by Roche lobe overflow
This calls for a direct observational constraint on Q as a function of stellar type, which can be achieved on reasonable timescales by measuring the rate of orbital decay in very close orbit hot Jupiters
Summary
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Article available at http://www.epj-conferences.org or http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20134701004
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