Long‐Period Objects in the Extrasolar Planetary Systems 47 Ursae Majoris and 14 Herculis

Abstract

The possible existence of additional long-period planetary-mass objects in the extrasolar planetary systems 47 UMa and 14 Her is investigated. We combine all available radial velocity data on these stars, spanning up to 18 yr. For the 47 UMa system, we show that while a second planet improves the fit to all available data, there is still substantial ambiguity as to the orbital parameters of the proposed planetary companion 47 UMa c. We also present new observations that clearly support a long-period companion in the 14 Her system. With a period of 6906+/-70 days, 14 Her c may be in a 4:1 resonance with the inner planet. We also present revised orbital solutions for seven previously known planets, incorporating recent additional data obtained with the 2.7 m Harlan J. Smith Telescope at McDonald Observatory. Based on observations obtained with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, which is a joint project of the University of Texas at Austin, the Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.