Spin-orbit measurements and refined parameters for the exoplanet systems WASP-22 and WASP-26

Abstract

We report on spectroscopic and photometric observations through transits of the exoplanets WASP-22b and WASP-26b, intended to determine the systems' spin-orbit angles. We combine these data with existing data to refine the system parameters. We measure a sky-projected spin-orbit angle of 22 ± 16° for WASP-22b, showing the planet's orbit to be prograde and, perhaps, slightly misaligned. We do not detect the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect of WASP-26b due to its low amplitude and observation noise. We place 3-σ upper limits on orbital eccentricity of 0.063 for WASP-22b and 0.050 for WASP-26b. After refining the drift in the systemic velocity of WASP-22 found by Maxted et al. (2010, AJ, 140, 2007), we find the third body in the system to have a minimum-mass of 5.3 ± 0.3 MJup (a3/5 AU) 2, where a3 is the orbital distance of the third body. © 2011 ESO.