What primary result regarding an exoplanet is obtained using the radial velocity (Doppler) method?
Planet’s minimum mass and orbital period.
The radial velocity method provides quantitative information about the planet's gravitational influence on its star, which is directly related to its mass. Because the technique measures the speed of the star's wobble, it determines the minimum mass required for the planet to cause that specific level of Doppler shift; this value is known as the minimum mass (M sin i). Additionally, the time it takes for the star to complete one full cycle of redshift and blueshift directly yields the planet's orbital period, or the length of its year. This technique is particularly successful for finding massive planets, such as Hot Jupiters, because they induce larger, more easily detectable wobbles in their host stars.
