The Empirical Limits of Gyrochronology Bouma, Luke G.; Palumbo, Elsa K.; Hillenbrand, Lynne A.
Astrophysical journal. Letters,
04/2023, Letnik:
947, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract
The promise of gyrochronology is that, given a star’s rotation period and mass, its age can be inferred. The reality of gyrochronology is complicated by effects other than ordinary ...magnetized braking that alter stellar rotation periods. In this work, we present an interpolation-based gyrochronology framework that reproduces the time- and mass-dependent spin-down rates implied by the latest open cluster data, while also matching the rate at which the dispersion in initial stellar rotation periods decreases as stars age. We validate our technique for stars with temperatures of 3800–6200 K and ages of 0.08–2.6 gigayears (Gyr), and use it to reexamine the empirical limits of gyrochronology. In line with previous work, we find that the uncertainty floor varies strongly with both stellar mass and age. For Sun-like stars (≈5800 K), the statistical age uncertainties improve monotonically from ±38% at 0.2 Gyr to ±12% at 2 Gyr, and are caused by the empirical scatter of the cluster rotation sequences combined with the rate of stellar spin-down. For low-mass K dwarfs (≈4200 K), the posteriors are highly asymmetric due to stalled spin-down, and ±1
σ
age uncertainties vary non-monotonically between 10% and 50% over the first few gigayears. High-mass K dwarfs (5000 K) older than ≈1.5 Gyr yield the most precise ages, with limiting uncertainties currently set by possible changes in the spin-down rate (12% systematic), the calibration of the absolute age scale (8% systematic), and the width of the slow sequence (4% statistical). An open-source implementation,
gyro-interp
, is available online at
github.com/lgbouma/gyro-interp
.
We present a visible-light full orbital phase curve of the transiting planet WASP-18b measured by the TESS mission. The phase curve includes the transit, secondary eclipse, and sinusoidal modulations ...across the orbital phase shaped by the planet's atmospheric characteristics and the star-planet gravitational interaction. We measure the beaming (Doppler boosting) and tidal ellipsoidal distortion phase modulations and show that the amplitudes of both agree with theoretical expectations. We find that the light from the planet's dayside hemisphere occulted during secondary eclipse, with a relative brightness of ppm, is dominated by thermal emission, leading to an upper limit on the geometric albedo in the TESS band of 0.048 ( ). We also detect the phase modulation due to the planet's atmosphere longitudinal brightness distribution. We find that its maximum is well aligned with the substellar point to within 2 9 ( ). We do not detect light from the planet's nightside hemisphere, with an upper limit of 43 ppm ( ), which is 13% of the dayside brightness. The low albedo, lack of atmospheric phase shift, and inefficient heat distribution from the day to night hemispheres that we deduce from our analysis are consistent with theoretical expectations and similar findings for other strongly irradiated gas giant planets. This work demonstrates the potential of TESS data for studying the full orbital phase curves of transiting systems. Finally, we complement our study by looking for transit timing variations (TTVs) in the TESS data combined with previously published transit times, although we do not find a statistically significant TTV signal.
Abstract
On the pre-main sequence, the rotation rates of Sun-like stars are dictated by the interplay between the protostellar disk and the star’s contraction. At ages exceeding 100 Myr, magnetic ...spindown erases the initial stellar spin rate and enables rotation-based age dating (gyrochronology). The exact time at which the transition between these two regimes occurs depends on stellar mass, and has been challenging to empirically resolve due to a lack of viable calibration clusters. The
α
Persei open cluster (
t
≈ 80 Myr,
d
≈ 170 pc) may provide the needed calibrator, but recent analyses of the Gaia data have provided wildly varying views of its age and spatial extent. As such, we analyze a combination of TESS, Gaia, and LAMOST data to calibrate gyrochronology at the age of
α
Per and to uncover the cluster’s true morphology. By assembling a list of rotationally confirmed
α
Per members, we provide strong evidence that
α
Per is part of a larger complex of similarly aged stars. Through kinematic back-integration, we show that the most diffuse components of
α
Per were five times closer together 50 Myr ago. Finally, we use our stellar rotation periods to derive a relative gyrochronology age for
α
Per of 67% ± 12% the age of the Pleiades, which yields 86 ± 16 Myr given current knowledge. We show that by this age, stars more massive than ≈0.8
M
⊙
have converged to form a well-defined slow sequence.
Abstract
We present a catalog of ∼100,000 periodic variable stars in Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) full-frame image data among members of widely distributed moving groups identified ...with Gaia in the previous papers in the series. By combining the periods from our catalog attributable to rotation with previously derived rotation periods for benchmark open clusters, we develop an empirical gyrochronology relation of angular momentum evolution that is valid for stars with ages 10–1000 Myr. Excluding stars rotating faster than 2 days, which we find are predominantly binaries, we achieve a typical age precision of ≈0.2–0.3 dex and improving at older ages. Importantly, these empirical relations apply to not only FGK-type stars but also M-type stars, due to the angular momentum distribution being much smoother, simpler, continuous, and monotonic as compared to the rotation period distribution. As a result, we are also able to begin tracing in fine detail the nature of angular momentum loss in low-mass stars as functions of mass and age. We characterize the stellar variability amplitudes of the cool stars as functions of mass and age, which may correlate with the starspot covering fractions. We also identify pulsating variables among the hotter stars in the catalog, including
δ
Scuti,
γ
Dor, and slowly pulsating B-type variables. These data represent an important step forward in being able to estimate precise ages of FGK- and M-type stars in the field, starting as early as the pre-main-sequence phase of evolution.
Abstract
Mass, radius, and age measurements of young (≲100 Myr) planets have the power to shape our understanding of planet formation. However, young stars tend to be extremely variable in both ...photometry and radial velocity (RV) measurements, which makes constraining these properties challenging. The V1298 Tau system of four ∼0.5
R
J
planets transiting a pre-main-sequence star presents an important, if stress-inducing, opportunity to observe and measure directly the properties of infant planets. Suárez Mascareño et al. published radial-velocity-derived masses for two of the V1298 Tau planets using a state-of-the-art Gaussian process regression framework. The planetary densities computed from these masses were surprisingly high, implying extremely rapid contraction after formation in tension with most existing planet-formation theories. In an effort to constrain further the masses of the V1298 Tau planets, we obtained 36 RVs using Keck/HIRES, and analyzed them in concert with published RVs and photometry. Through performing a suite of cross-validation tests, we found evidence that the preferred model of Suárez Mascareño et al. suffers from overfitting, defined as the inability to predict unseen data, rendering the masses unreliable. We detail several potential causes of this overfitting, many of which may be important for other RV analyses of other active stars, and recommend that additional time and resources be allocated to understanding and mitigating activity in active young stars such as V1298 Tau.
Abstract
Complex periodic variables (CPVs) are stars that exhibit highly structured and periodic optical light curves. Previous studies have indicated that these stars are typically disk-free ...pre-main-sequence M dwarfs with rotation periods ranging from 0.2 to 2 days. To advance our understanding of these enigmatic objects, we conducted a blind search using TESS 2 minute data of 65,760 K and M dwarfs with
T
<16 mag and
d
<150 pc. We found 50 high-quality CPVs, and subsequently determined that most are members of stellar associations. Among the new discoveries are the brightest (
T
≈ 9.5 mag), closest (
d
≈ 20 pc), and oldest (≈200 Myr) CPVs known. One exceptional object, LP 12-502, exhibited up to eight flux dips per cycle. Some of these dips coexisted with slightly different periods, and the shortest-duration dips precisely matched the expected timescale for transiting small bodies at the corotation radius. Broadly, our search confirms that CPVs are mostly young (≲150 Myr) and low-mass (≲0.4
M
⊙
). The flux dips characteristic of the class have lifetimes of ≈100 cycles, although stellar flares seem to induce a sudden dip collapse once every few months. The most plausible explanation for these phenomena remains corotating concentrations of gas or dust. The gas or dust is probably entrained by the star’s magnetic field, and the sharp features could result from a multipolar field topology, a hypothesis supported by correspondences between the light curves of CPVs and of rapidly rotating B stars known to have multipolar magnetic fields.
The detection and characterization of young planetary systems offer a direct path to study the processes that shape planet evolution. We report on the discovery of a sub-Neptune-sized planet orbiting ...the young star HD 110082 (TOI-1098). Transit events we initially detected during TESS Cycle 1 are validated with time-series photometry from Spitzer. High-contrast imaging and high-resolution, optical spectra are also obtained to characterize the stellar host and confirm the planetary nature of the transits. The host star is a late-F dwarf (M⁎ = 1.2Mꙩ) with a low-mass, M dwarf binary companion (M⁎ = 0.26Mꙩ) separated by nearly one arcminute (∼6200 au). Based on its rapid rotation and Lithium absorption, HD 110082 is young, but is not a member of any known group of young stars (despite proximity to the Octans association). To measure the age of the system, we search for coeval, phase-space neighbors and compile a sample of candidate siblings to compare with the empirical sequences of young clusters and to apply quantitative age-dating techniques. In doing so, we find that HD 110082 resides in a new young stellar association we designate MELANGE-1, with an age of 250(+50, -70) Myr. Jointly modeling the TESS and Spitzer light curves, we measure a planetary orbital period of 10.1827 days and radius of R(p) = 3.2 ± 0.1Rꚛ. HD 110082 b’s radius falls in the largest 12% of field-age systems with similar host-star mass and orbital period. This finding supports previous studies indicating that young planets have larger radii than their field-age counterparts.
Young exoplanets are snapshots of the planetary evolution process. Planets that orbit stars in young associations are particularly important because the age of the planetary system is well ...constrained. We present the discovery of a transiting planet larger than Neptune but smaller than Saturn in the 45 Myr Tucana-Horologium young moving group. The host star is a visual binary, and our follow-up observations demonstrate that the planet orbits the G6V primary component, DS Tuc A (HD 222259A, TIC 410214986). We first identified transits using photometry from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS; alerted as TOI 200.01). We validated the planet and improved the stellar parameters using a suite of new and archival data, including spectra from Southern Astrophysical Research/Goodman, South African Extremely Large Telescope/High Resolution Spectrograph and Las Cumbres Observatories/Network of Robotic Echelle Spectrographs; transit photometry from Spitzer; and deep adaptive optics imaging from Gemini/Gemini Planet Imager. No additional stellar or planetary signals are seen in the data. We measured the planetary parameters by simultaneously modeling the photometry with a transit model and a Gaussian process to account for stellar variability. We determined that the planetary radius is 5.70 0.17 R⊕ and that the orbital period is 8.1 days. The inclination angles of the host star's spin axis, the planet's orbital axis, and the visual binary's orbital axis are aligned within 15° to within the uncertainties of the relevant data. DS Tuc Ab is bright enough (V = 8.5) for detailed characterization using radial velocities and transmission spectroscopy.
Abstract
Mapping the orbital obliquity distribution of young planets is one avenue toward understanding mechanisms that sculpt the architectures of planetary systems. TOI-942 is a young field star, ...with an age of ∼60 Myr, hosting a planetary system consisting of two transiting Neptune-sized planets in 4.3 and 10.1 day period orbits. We observed the spectroscopic transits of the inner Neptune TOI-942b to determine its projected orbital obliquity angle. Through two partial transits, we find the planet to be in a prograde orbit, with a projected obliquity angle of
∣
λ
∣
=
1
−
33
+
41
deg. In addition, incorporating the light curve and the stellar rotation period, we find the true 3D obliquity to be
2
−
23
+
27
deg. We explored various sources of uncertainties specific to the spectroscopic transits of planets around young active stars, and showed that our reported obliquity uncertainty fully encompassed these effects. TOI-942b is one of the youngest planets to have its obliquity characterized, and one of even fewer residing in a multi-planet system. The prograde orbital geometry of TOI-942b is in line with systems of similar ages, none of which have yet been identified to be in strongly misaligned orbits.
Abstract
Young terrestrial worlds are critical test beds to constrain prevailing theories of planetary formation and evolution. We present the discovery of HD 63433 d—a nearby (22 pc), Earth-sized ...planet transiting a young Sun-like star (TOI-1726, HD 63433). HD 63433 d is the third planet detected in this multiplanet system. The kinematic, rotational, and abundance properties of the host star indicate that it belongs to the young (414 ± 23 Myr) Ursa Major moving group, whose membership we update using new data from the third data release of the Gaia mission and TESS. Our transit analysis of the TESS light curves indicates that HD 63433 d has a radius of 1.1
R
⊕
and closely orbits its host star with a period of 4.2 days. To date, HD 63433 d is the smallest confirmed exoplanet with an age less than 500 Myr, and the nearest young Earth-sized planet. Furthermore, the apparent brightness of the stellar host (
V
≃ 6.9 mag) makes this transiting multiplanet system favorable to further investigations, including spectroscopic follow-up to probe the atmospheric loss in a young Earth-sized world.
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