Title: HERMES high-resolution spectroscopy of HD 149382. Where did the planet go? Authors: V.A. Jacobs, R.H. Řstensen, H. Van Winckel, S. Bloemen, P.I. Pápics, G. Raskin, J. Debosscher, S. Uttenthaler, E. Van Aarle, C. Waelkens, E. Bauwens, T. Verhoelst, C. Gielen, H. Lehmann, R. Oreiro
A close substellar companion has been claimed to orbit the bright sdB star HD 149382 with a period of 2.391d. In order to check this important discovery we gathered 26 high resolution spectra over 55 days with the HERMES spectrograph on the 1.2m Mercator telescope on La Palma, and analysed the resulting radial velocities. Our data show no sign of any significant radial-velocity periodicities, and from the high precision of our measurements we rule out any RV variations with amplitudes higher than 0.79 km/s on periods shorter than 50 days.
Title: Discovery of a close substellar companion to the hot subdwarf star HD 149382 - The decisive influence of substellar objects on late stellar evolution Authors: S. Geier, H. Edelmann, U. Heber, L. Morales-Rueda
Substellar objects, like planets and brown dwarfs orbiting stars, are by-products of the star formation process. The evolution of their host stars may have an enormous impact on these small companions. Vice versa a planet might also influence stellar evolution as has recently been argued. Here we report the discovery of a 8-23 Jupiter-mass substellar object orbiting the hot subdwarf HD 149382 in 2.391 days at a distance of only about five solar radii. Obviously the companion must have survived engulfment in the red-giant envelope. Moreover, the substellar companion has triggered envelope ejection and enabled the sdB star to form. Hot subdwarf stars have been identified as the sources of the unexpected ultraviolet emission in elliptical galaxies, but the formation of these stars is not fully understood. Being the brightest star of its class, HD 149382 offers the best conditions to detect the substellar companion. Hence, undisclosed substellar companions offer a natural solution for the long-standing formation problem of apparently single hot subdwarf stars. Planets and brown dwarfs may therefore alter the evolution of old stellar populations and may also significantly affect the UV-emission of elliptical galaxies.