  Exoplanets which are detected using the radial velocity technique have a
well-known ambiguity of their true mass, caused by the unknown inclination of
the planetary orbit with respect to the plane of the sky. Constraints on the
inclination are aided by astrometric follow-up in rare cases or, in ideal
situations, through subsequent detection of a planetary transit. As the
predicted inclination decreases, the mass of the companion increases leading to
a change in the predicted properties. Here we investigate the changes in the
mass, radius, and atmospheric properties as the inclination pushes the
companion from the planetary into the brown dwarf and finally low-mass star
regimes. We determine the resulting detectable photometric signatures in the
predicted phase variation as the companion changes properties and becomes
self-luminous. We apply this to the HD 114762 and HD 162020 systems for which
the minimum masses of the known companions places them at the deuterium-burning
limit.

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics