Qatar-1b: A hot Jupiter orbiting a metal-rich K dwarf star

Abstract

We report the discovery and initial characterization of Qatar-1b, a hot Jupiter-orbiting metal-rich K dwarf star, the first planet discovered by the Qatar Exoplanet Survey. We describe the strategy used to select candidate transiting planets from photometry generated by the Qatar Exoplanet Survey camera array. We examine the rate of astrophysical and other false positives found during the spectroscopic reconnaissance of the initial batch of candidates. A simultaneous fit to the follow-up radial velocities and photometry of Qatar-1b yields a planetary mass of 1.09 ± 0.08MJ and a radius of 1.16 ± 0.05RJ. The orbital period and separation are 1.420033 ± 0.000016d and 0.02343 ± 0.00026au for an orbit assumed to be circular. The stellar density, effective temperature and rotation rate indicate an age greater than 4Gyr for the system. © 2011 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2011 RAS.