Transiting Exoplanets

• For the first time, methods used in the detection and characterisation of exoplanets are presented in a textbook for advanced undergraduates
• Students will learn how these methods have reinvigorated theories of planet formation and evolution
• Key points and equations are highlighted, and worked examples and exercises with solutions help students to grasp the material

The methods used in the detection and characterisation of exoplanets are presented through the study of transiting systems in this unique textbook for advanced undergraduates. From determining the atmospheric properties of transiting exoplanets to measuring the planetary orbit's alignment with the stellar spin, students will discover what these measurements imply for reinvigorated theories of planet formation and evolution.

Worked examples and exercises with full solutions help students to assess their understanding of concepts and results. Key points and equations are highlighted to make them easily identifiable, and there are full colour illustrations throughout. Bridging the gap between introductory, non-mathematical texts and more advanced textbooks, this book is ideal for students with some background in mathematics, physics and astronomy.

Table of Contents

• Our solar system from afar
• Exoplanet discoveries by the transit method
• What the transit lightcurve tells us
• The transiting exoplanet population
• Transmission spectroscopy and Rossiter-McLaughlin effect
• Secondary eclipses and phase variations
• Transit timing variations and orbital dynamics
• Brave new worlds: the future

The author Carole A. Haswell is a Senior Lecturer in Physics and Astronomy in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Open University. She worked on accretion flows around black hole binary star systems until becoming fascinated by the field of exoplanets. Her research work now focuses on Hubble Space Telescope observations of transiting exoplanets.