https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20134702001
The SOAPS project – Spin-orbit alignment of planetary systems
Exoplanets' evolution histories in systems with different architectures
1 Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
2 Physics and Astronomy Department, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
3 Argelander-Institut für Astronomie der Universität Bonn, Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121 Bonn, Germany
4 Oxford Astrophysics, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK
5 University of Washington, Department of Astronomy, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
6 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
a e-mail: f.faedi@warwick.ac.uk
The wealth of information rendered by Kepler planets and planet candidates is indispensable for statistically significant studies of distinct planet populations, in both single and multiple systems. Empirical evidences suggest that Kepler's planet population shows different physical properties as compared to the bulk of known exoplanets. The SOAPS project, aims to shed light on Kepler's planets formation, their migration and architecture. By measuring v sini accurately for Kepler hosts with rotation periods measured from their high-precision light curves, we will assess the alignment of the planetary orbit with respect to the stellar spin axis. This degree of alignment traces the formation history and evolution of the planetary systems, and thus, allows to distinguish between different proposed migration theories. SOAPS will increase by a factor of 2 the number of spin-orbit alignment measurements pushing the parameters space down to the SuperEarth domain. Here we present our preliminary results.
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2013
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