Comparisons of Detection Paradigm of Planet: Transit and Radial Velocity

Abstract

The transit and radial velocity method are two most widely used approach in exoplanet detection. This paper compares the advantages and disadvantages of two methods based on the characteristics of planets they found and different calculation results. Different distribution of parameters brings the preference for two methods. In detail, the radial velocity method discovered more gigantic planets while still have most planets with smaller size like that of the transit method. The minimum and maximum of orbital period are all relatively lower for transit method. Significant difference in the composition of planets found by two method occurs when combining mass and radius to compare density distribution. More Super-Earth planets seem to appear in transit data compared to radial velocity method in the same radius range. These patterns are closely related to the characteristics of observation condition. The various data processing method also affects the resulting parameters. This paper attempts to reach the calculation for transit and radial velocity method with basic fitting models, which will be compared with calculations of the same planets from previous researches. These results shed light on guiding further exploration of planet detections.