George Zhou

George Zhou

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George Zhou

University of Southern Queensland

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

14Years (2013-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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11 September 2019 in The Astronomical Journal
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
GZG. Zhou
G. Zhou
CHC. X. Huang
C. X. Huang
GBG. Á. Bakos
G. Á. Bakos
JHJ. D. Hartman
J. D. Hartman
DLDavid W. Latham
David W. Latham
SVS. Villanueva
S. Villanueva
Wide-field surveys for transiting planets are well suited to searching diverse stellar populations, enabling a better understanding of the link between the properties of planets and their parent stars. We report the discovery of HAT-P-69 b (TOI 625.01) and HAT-P-70 b (TOI 624.01), two new hot Jupiters around A stars from the Hungarian-made Automated Telescope Network (HATNet) survey that have also been observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. HAT-P-69 b has a mass of M Jup and a radius of R Jup and resides in a prograde 4.79 day orbit. HAT-P-70 b has a radius of R Jup and a mass constraint of M Jup and resides in a retrograde 2.74 day orbit. We use the confirmation of these planets around relatively massive stars as an opportunity to explore the occurrence rate of hot Jupiters as a function of stellar mass. We define a sample of 47,126 main-sequence stars brighter than T mag = 10 that yields 31 giant planet candidates, including 18 confirmed planets, 3 candidates, and 10 false positives. We find a net hot Jupiter occurrence rate of 0.41 ± 0.10% within this sample, consistent with the rate measured by Kepler for FGK stars. When divided into stellar mass bins, we find the occurrence rate to be 0.71 ± 0.31% for G stars, 0.43 ± 0.15% for F stars, and 0.26 ± 0.11% for A stars. Thus, at this point, we cannot discern any statistically significant trend in the occurrence of hot Jupiters with stellar mass.

9 August 2019 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
AVAndrew Vanderburg
Andrew Vanderburg
CHChelsea X. Huang
Chelsea X. Huang
JRJoseph E. Rodriguez
Joseph E. Rodriguez
JBJuliette C. Becker
Juliette C. Becker
GRGeorge R. Ricker
George R. Ricker
CZCarl A. Ziegler
Carl A. Ziegler
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) observations have revealed a compact multiplanet system around the sixth-magnitude star HR 858 (TIC 178155732, TOI 396), located 32 pc away. Three planets, each about twice the size of Earth, transit this slightly evolved, late F-type star, which is also a member of a visual binary. Two of the planets may be in mean motion resonance. We analyze the TESS observations, using novel methods to model and remove instrumental systematic errors, and combine these data with follow-up observations taken from a suite of ground-based telescopes to characterize the planetary system. The HR 858 planets are enticing targets for precise radial velocity observations, secondary eclipse spectroscopy, and measurements of the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect.

22 June 2020 in The Astronomical Journal
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
ARAaron C. Rizzuto
Aaron C. Rizzuto
ENElisabeth R. Newton
Elisabeth R. Newton
AMAndrew W. Mann
Andrew W. Mann
BTBenjamin M. Tofflemire
Benjamin M. Tofflemire
AVAndrew Vanderburg
Andrew Vanderburg
CBCésar Briceño
César Briceño
We present the discovery of a transiting hot Jupiter orbiting HIP 67522 (T eff ∼ 5650 K; M * ∼ 1.2M ⊙) in the 10–20 Myr old Sco-Cen OB association. We identified the transits in the TESS data using our custom notch filter planet search pipeline and characterize the system with additional photometry from Spitzer; spectroscopy from SOAR/Goodman, SALT/HRS, LCOGT/NRES, and SMARTS/CHIRON; and speckle imaging from SOAR/HRCam. We model the photometry as a periodic Gaussian process with transits to account for stellar variability and find an orbital period of days and radius of R ⊕. We also identify a single transit of an additional candidate planet with radius R ⊕ that has an orbital period of ≳23 days. The validated planet HIP 67522b is currently the youngest transiting hot Jupiter discovered and is an ideal candidate for transmission spectroscopy and radial velocity follow-up studies, while also demonstrating that some young giant planets either form in situ at small orbital radii or else migrate promptly from formation sites farther out in the disk.

20 October 2017 in The Astronomical Journal
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
MLMichael B. Lund
Michael B. Lund
JRJoseph E. Rodriguez
Joseph E. Rodriguez
GZGeorge Zhou
George Zhou
BGB. Scott Gaudi
B. Scott Gaudi
KSKeivan G. Stassun
Keivan G. Stassun
DSDavid H. Sliski
David H. Sliski
We report the discovery of KELT-20b, a hot Jupiter transiting a early A star, HD 185603, with an orbital period of days. Archival and follow-up photometry, Gaia parallax, radial velocities, Doppler tomography, and AO imaging were used to confirm the planetary nature of KELT-20b and characterize the system. From global modeling we infer that KELT-20 is a rapidly rotating ( ) A2V star with an effective temperature of K, mass of , radius of , surface gravity of , and age of . The planetary companion has a radius of , a semimajor axis of au, and a linear ephemeris of . We place a upper limit of on the mass of the planet. Doppler tomographic measurements indicate that the planetary orbit normal is well aligned with the projected spin axis of the star ( ). The inclination of the star is constrained to , implying a three-dimensional spin–orbit alignment of . KELT-20b receives an insolation flux of , implying an equilibrium temperature of of ∼2250 K, assuming zero albedo and complete heat redistribution. Due to the high stellar , KELT-20b also receives an ultraviolet (wavelength nm) insolation flux of , possibly indicating significant atmospheric ablation. Together with WASP-33, Kepler-13 A, HAT-P-57, KELT-17, and KELT-9, KELT-20 is the sixth A star host of a transiting giant planet, and the third-brightest host (in V) of a transiting planet.

24 September 2020 in The Astronomical Journal
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
AMAndrew W. Mann
Andrew W. Mann
MJMarshall C. Johnson
Marshall C. Johnson
AVAndrew Vanderburg
Andrew Vanderburg
AKAdam L. Kraus
Adam L. Kraus
ARAaron C. Rizzuto
Aaron C. Rizzuto
SJSteven Villanueva Jr
Steven Villanueva Jr
Exoplanets can evolve significantly between birth and maturity, as their atmospheres, orbits, and structures are shaped by their environment. Young planets (<1 Gyr) offer an opportunity to probe the critical early stages of this evolution, where planets evolve the fastest. However, most of the known young planets orbit prohibitively faint stars. We present the discovery of two planets transiting HD 63433 (TOI 1726, TIC 130181866), a young Sun-like ( ) star. Through kinematics, lithium abundance, and rotation, we confirm that HD 63433 is a member of the Ursa Major moving group (τ = 414 ± 23 Myr). Based on the TESS light curve and updated stellar parameters, we estimate that the planet radii are 2.15 ± 0.10 R ⊕ and 2.67 ± 0.12 R ⊕, the orbital periods are 7.11 and 20.55 days, and the orbital eccentricities are lower than about 0.2. Using High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern hemisphere velocities, we measure the Rossiter–McLaughlin signal of the inner planet, demonstrating that the orbit is prograde. Since the host star is bright (V = 6.9), both planets are amenable to transmission spectroscopy, radial velocity measurements of their masses, and more precise determination of the stellar obliquity. This system is therefore poised to play an important role in our understanding of planetary system evolution in the first billion years after formation.

9 March 2021 in The Astronomical Journal
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
BTBenjamin M. Tofflemire
Benjamin M. Tofflemire
ARAaron C. Rizzuto
Aaron C. Rizzuto
ENElisabeth R. Newton
Elisabeth R. Newton
AKAdam L. Kraus
Adam L. Kraus
AMAndrew W. Mann
Andrew W. Mann
JJJon M. Jenkins
Jon M. Jenkins
The detection and characterization of young planetary systems offer a direct path to study the processes that shape planet evolution. We report on the discovery of a sub-Neptune-sized planet orbiting the young star HD 110082 (TOI-1098). Transit events we initially detected during TESS Cycle 1 are validated with time-series photometry from Spitzer. High-contrast imaging and high-resolution, optical spectra are also obtained to characterize the stellar host and confirm the planetary nature of the transits. The host star is a late-F dwarf (M ⋆ = 1.2M ⊙) with a low-mass, M dwarf binary companion (M ⋆ = 0.26M ⊙) separated by nearly one arcminute (∼6200 au). Based on its rapid rotation and Lithium absorption, HD 110082 is young, but is not a member of any known group of young stars (despite proximity to the Octans association). To measure the age of the system, we search for coeval, phase-space neighbors and compile a sample of candidate siblings to compare with the empirical sequences of young clusters and to apply quantitative age-dating techniques. In doing so, we find that HD 110082 resides in a new young stellar association we designate MELANGE-1, with an age of Myr. Jointly modeling the TESS and Spitzer light curves, we measure a planetary orbital period of 10.1827 days and radius of R p = 3.2 ± 0.1R ⊕. HD 110082 b’s radius falls in the largest 12% of field-age systems with similar host-star mass and orbital period. This finding supports previous studies indicating that young planets have larger radii than their field-age counterparts.