ES-03-0006

Observational Effects of Multiple Exomoon Systems

Alex Teachey

If the Solar System is any guide, we can reasonably expect exoplanets may often be accompanied by not just one, but several, exomoons. Until now, however, the search for and characterization of exoplanets potentially hosting exomoons has utilized a single-exomoon model almost exclusively. Here we present new work that investigates and quantifies the degree to which the single-exomoon model is an appropriate choice, and where such a choice may be obscuring or even eliminating evidence for the presence of exomoons in the system. In particular, we explore the observational signatures of multi-moon systems in the context of the so-called “exomoon corridor”, identify a mass-stability relationship of these systems with implications for an observational bias towards single moon systems, and examine the impacts of single-moon model fitting for light curves containing multiple moons. These model choices have the potential to impact both the success of future searches, and our understanding of the dearth of exomoon discoveries to date.