Abstract
Ultra-hot Jupiters with equilibrium temperatures greater than 2000 K are uniquely interesting targets as they provide us crucial insights into how atmospheres behave under extreme ...conditions. This class of giant planets receives intense radiation from their host star and usually has strongly irradiated and highly inflated atmospheres. At such a high temperature, cloud formation is expected to be suppressed and thermal dissociation of water vapor could occur. We observed the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-76b with seven transits and five eclipses using the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope (Spitzer) for a comprehensive study of its atmospheric chemical and physical processes. We detected TiO and H
2
O absorption in the optical and near-infrared transit spectrum. Additional absorption by a number of neutral and ionized heavy metals like Fe, Ni, Ti, and SiO help explain the short-wavelength transit spectrum. The secondary eclipse spectrum shows muted water feature but a strong CO emission feature in Spitzer’s 4.5
μ
m band indicating an inverted temperature pressure profile. We analyzed both the transit and eclipse spectra with a combination of self-consistent PHOENIX models and atmospheric retrieval. Both spectra were well fitted by the self-consistent PHOENIX forward atmosphere model in chemical and radiative equilibrium at solar metallicity, adding to the growing evidence that both TiO/VO and NUV heavy metals opacity are prominent NUV-optical opacity sources in the stratospheres of ultra-hot Jupiters.
Abstract
We present
TRICERATOPS
, a new Bayesian tool that can be used to vet and validate TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs). We test the tool on 68 TOIs that have been previously confirmed as planets ...or rejected as astrophysical false positives. By looking in the false-positive probability (FPP)−nearby false-positive probability (NFPP) plane, we define criteria that TOIs must meet to be classified as validated planets (FPP < 0.015 and NFPP < 10
−3
), likely planets (FPP < 0.5 and NFPP < 10
−3
), and likely nearby false positives (NFPP > 10
−1
). We apply this procedure on 384 unclassified TOIs and statistically validate 12, classify 125 as likely planets, and classify 52 as likely nearby false positives. Of the 12 statistically validated planets, 9 are newly validated.
TRICERATOPS
is currently the only TESS vetting and validation tool that models transits from nearby contaminant stars in addition to the target star. We therefore encourage use of this tool to prioritize follow-up observations that confirm bona fide planets and identify false positives originating from nearby stars.
Abstract
The effect of stellar multiplicity on planetary architecture and orbital dynamics provides an important context for exoplanet demographics. We present a volume-limited catalog of up to 300 ...pc of 66 stars hosting planets and planet candidates from Kepler, K2, and TESS with significant Hipparcos-Gaia proper motion anomalies, which indicates the presence of companions. We assess the reliability of each transiting planet candidate using ground-based follow-up observations, and find that the TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs) with significant proper anomalies show nearly four times more false positives due to eclipsing binaries compared to TOIs with marginal proper anomalies. In addition, we find tentative evidence that orbital periods of planets orbiting TOIs with significant proper anomalies are shorter than those orbiting TOIs without significant proper anomalies, consistent with the scenario that stellar companions can truncate planet-forming disks. Furthermore, TOIs with significant proper anomalies exhibit lower Gaia differential velocities in comparison to field stars with significant proper anomalies, suggesting that planets are more likely to form in binary systems with low-mass substellar companions or stellar companions at wider separation. Finally, we characterize the three-dimensional architecture of LTT 1445 ABC using radial velocities, absolute astrometry from Gaia and Hipparcos, and relative astrometry from imaging. Our analysis reveals that LTT 1445 is a nearly flat system, with a mutual inclination of ∼2.°88 between the orbit of BC around A and that of C around B. This coplanarity may explain why multiple planets around LTT 1445 A survive in the dynamically hostile environments of this system.
Atmospheric temperature and planetary gravity are thought to be the main parameters affecting cloud formation in giant exoplanet atmospheres. Recent attempts to understand cloud formation have ...explored wide regions of the equilibrium temperature-gravity parameter space. In this study, we instead compare the case of two giant planets with nearly identical equilibrium temperature (Teq ∼ 1050 K) and gravity (g ∼ 10 m s−1). During HST Cycle 23, we collected WFC3/G141 observations of the two planets, WASP-67 b and HAT-P-38 b. HAT-P-38 b, with mass 0.42 MJ and radius 1.4 RJ, exhibits a relatively clear atmosphere with a clear detection of water. We refine the orbital period of this planet with new observations, obtaining P = 4.6403294 0.0000055 days. WASP-67 b, with mass 0.27 MJ and radius 0.83 RJ, shows a more muted water absorption feature than that of HAT-P-38 b, indicating either a higher cloud deck in the atmosphere or a more metal-rich composition. The difference in the spectra supports the hypothesis that giant exoplanet atmospheres carry traces of their formation history. Future observations in the visible and mid-infrared are needed to probe the aerosol properties and constrain the evolutionary scenario of these planets.
Abstract
The Kepler and TESS missions have demonstrated that planets are ubiquitous. However, the success of these missions heavily depends on ground-based radial velocity (RV) surveys, which ...combined with transit photometry can yield bulk densities and orbital properties. While most Kepler host stars are too faint for detailed follow-up observations, TESS is detecting planets orbiting nearby bright stars that are more amenable to RV characterization. Here, we introduce the TESS-Keck Survey (TKS), an RV program using ∼100 nights on Keck/HIRES to study exoplanets identified by TESS. The primary survey aims are investigating the link between stellar properties and the compositions of small planets; studying how the diversity of system architectures depends on dynamical configurations or planet multiplicity; identifying prime candidates for atmospheric studies with JWST; and understanding the role of stellar evolution in shaping planetary systems. We present a fully automated target selection algorithm, which yielded 103 planets in 86 systems for the final TKS sample. Most TKS hosts are inactive, solar-like, main-sequence stars (4500 K ≤
T
eff
<6000 K) at a wide range of metallicities. The selected TKS sample contains 71 small planets (
R
p
≤ 4
R
⊕
), 11 systems with multiple transiting candidates, six sub-day-period planets and three planets that are in or near the habitable zone (
S
inc
≤ 10
S
⊕
) of their host star. The target selection described here will facilitate the comparison of measured planet masses, densities, and eccentricities to predictions from planet population models. Our target selection software is publicly available and can be adapted for any survey that requires a balance of multiple science interests within a given telescope allocation.
We report the detection of a transiting hot Neptune exoplanet orbiting TOI-824 (SCR J1448-5735), a nearby (d = 64 pc) K4V star, using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. The newly ...discovered planet has a radius Rp = 2.93 0.20 and an orbital period of 1.393 days. Radial velocity measurements using the Planet Finder Spectrograph and the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher spectrograph confirm the existence of the planet, and we estimate its mass to be 18.47 1.84 . The planet's mean density is = 4.03 , making it more than twice as dense as Neptune. TOI-824 b's high equilibrium temperature makes the planet likely to have a cloud-free atmosphere, and thus it is an excellent candidate for follow-up atmospheric studies. The detectability of TOI-824 b's atmosphere from both ground and space is promising and could lead to the detailed characterization of the most irradiated small planet at the edge of the hot Neptune desert that has retained its atmosphere to date.
Abstract
We report the discovery of a compact, coplanar, quadruple-lined, eclipsing quadruple star system from Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite data, TIC 454140642, also known as TYC ...0074-01254-1. The target was first detected in Sector 5 with a 30-minute cadence in full-frame images and then observed in Sector 32 with a 2-minute cadence. The light curve exhibits two sets of primary and secondary eclipses with periods of
P
A
= 13.624 days (binary A) and
P
B
= 10.393 days (binary B). Analysis of archival and follow-up data shows clear eclipse-timing variations and divergent radial velocities, indicating dynamical interactions between the two binaries and confirming that they form a gravitationally bound quadruple system with a 2 + 2 hierarchy. The Aa+Ab binary, Ba+Bb binary, and A-B system are aligned with respect to each other within a fraction of a degree: the respective mutual orbital inclinations are 0.°25 (A versus B), 0.°37 (A versus A-B), and 0.°47 (B versus A-B). The A-B system has an orbital period of 432 days—the second shortest of the confirmed quadruple systems—and an orbital eccentricity of 0.3.
Due to the efforts by numerous ground-based surveys and NASA's Kepler and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of transiting exoplanets ideal for ...atmospheric characterization via spectroscopy with large platforms such as James Webb Space Telescope and ARIEL. However their next predicted mid-transit time could become so increasingly uncertain over time that significant overhead would be required to ensure the detection of the entire transit. As a result, follow-up observations to characterize these exoplanetary atmospheres would require less-efficient use of an observatory's time-which is an issue for large platforms where minimizing observing overheads is a necessity. Here we demonstrate the power of citizen scientists operating smaller observatories (≤1 m) to keep ephemerides "fresh," defined here as when the 1 uncertainty in the mid-transit time is less than half the transit duration. We advocate for the creation of a community-wide effort to perform ephemeris maintenance on transiting exoplanets by citizen scientists. Such observations can be conducted with even a 6 inch telescope, which has the potential to save up to ∼10,000 days for a 1000-planet survey. Based on a preliminary analysis of 14 transits from a single 6 inch MicroObservatory telescope, we empirically estimate the ability of small telescopes to benefit the community. Observations with a small-telescope network operated by citizen scientists are capable of resolving stellar blends to within 5″/pixel, can follow-up long period transits in short-baseline TESS fields, monitor epoch-to-epoch stellar variability at a precision 0.67% 0.12% for a 11.3 V-mag star, and search for new planets or constrain the masses of known planets with transit timing variations greater than two minutes.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Young exoplanets can offer insight into the evolution of planetary atmospheres, compositions, and architectures. We present the discovery of the young planetary system TOI 451 (TIC ...257605131, Gaia DR2 4844691297067063424). TOI 451 is a member of the 120 Myr old Pisces–Eridanus stream (Psc–Eri). We confirm membership in the stream with its kinematics, its lithium abundance, and the rotation and UV excesses of both TOI 451 and its wide-binary companion, TOI 451 B (itself likely an M-dwarf binary). We identified three candidate planets transiting in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite data and followed up the signals with photometry from Spitzer and ground-based telescopes. The system comprises three validated planets at periods of 1.9, 9.2, and 16 days, with radii of 1.9, 3.1, and 4.1
R
⨂
, respectively. The host star is near-solar mass with
V
= 11.0 and
H
= 9.3 and displays an infrared excess indicative of a debris disk. The planets offer excellent prospects for transmission spectroscopy with the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope, providing the opportunity to study planetary atmospheres that may still be in the process of evolving.
Abstract
The radius valley carries implications for how the atmospheres of small planets form and evolve, but this feature is visible only with highly precise characterizations of many small planets. ...We present the characterization of nine planets and one planet candidate with both NASA TESS and ESA CHEOPS observations, which adds to the overall population of planets bordering the radius valley. While five of our planets—TOI 118 b, TOI 262 b, TOI 455 b, TOI 560 b, and TOI 562 b—have already been published, we vet and validate transit signals as planetary using follow-up observations for four new TESS planets, including TOI 198 b, TOI 244 b, TOI 444 b, and TOI 470 b. While a three times increase in primary mirror size should mean that one CHEOPS transit yields an equivalent model uncertainty in transit depth as about nine TESS transits in the case that the star is equally as bright in both bands, we find that our CHEOPS transits typically yield uncertainties equivalent to between two and 12 TESS transits, averaging 5.9 equivalent transits. Therefore, we find that while our fits to CHEOPS transits provide overall lower uncertainties on transit depth and better precision relative to fits to TESS transits, our uncertainties for these fits do not always match expected predictions given photon-limited noise. We find no correlations between number of equivalent transits and any physical parameters, indicating that this behavior is not strictly systematic, but rather might be due to other factors such as in-transit gaps during CHEOPS visits or nonhomogeneous detrending of CHEOPS light curves.
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