An improved method for estimating the masses of stars with transiting planets

Context. To determine the physical parameters of a transiting planet and its host star from photometric and spectroscopic analysis, it is essential to independently measure the stellar mass. This is often achieved by the use of evolutionary tracks and isochrones, but the mass result is only as reliable as the models used. Aims. The recent paper by Torres et al. (2010, AA we obtain masses and radii of the SuperWASP stars in good agreement with isochrone analysis results. We ascertain that the mass calibration is robust against uncertainties resulting from poor photometry, although a good estimate of stellar radius requires good-quality transit light curve to determine the duration of ingress and egress.

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