Radial velocity and activity measurements of HAT-P-11

The orbit of HAT-P-11b is misaligned with the star's spin-one of the few known cases of a misaligned planet orbiting a star less massive than the Sun. We find an additional planet in the system based on a decade of precision radial velocity (RV) measurements from Keck/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer.

HAT-P-11c is similar to Jupiter in its mass (M_P_sin i=1.6+/-0.1 M_J_) and orbital period (P=9.3_-0.5_^+1.0^ year), but has a much more eccentric orbit (e=0.60+/-0.03). In our joint modeling of RV and stellar activity, we found an activity-induced RV signal of ~7 m/s, consistent with other active K dwarfs, but significantly smaller than the 31 m/s reflex motion due to HAT-P-11c. We investigated the dynamical coupling between HAT-P-11b and c as a possible explanation for HAT-P-11b's misaligned orbit, finding that planet-planet Kozai interactions cannot tilt planet b's orbit due to general relativistic precession; however, nodal precession operating on million year timescales is a viable mechanism to explain HAT-P-11b's high obliquity.