Abstract
We report measurements of the sky-projected spin–orbit angle for AU Mic b, a Neptune-size planet orbiting a very young (∼20 Myr) nearby pre-main-sequence M-dwarf star, which also hosts a ...bright, edge-on, debris disk. The planet was recently discovered from preliminary analysis of radial-velocity observations and confirmed to be transiting its host star from photometric data from the NASA’s TESS mission. We obtained radial-velocity measurements of AU Mic over the course of two partially observable transits and one full transit of planet b from high-resolution spectroscopic observations made with the M
inerva
-Australis telescope array. Only a marginal detection of the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect signal was obtained from the radial velocities, in part due to AU Mic being an extremely active star and the lack of full transit coverage plus sufficient out-of-transit baseline. As such, a precise determination of the obliquity for AU Mic b is not possible in this study and we find a sky-projected spin–orbit angle of
λ
=
47
−
54
+
26
°
. This result is consistent with both the planet’s orbit being aligned or highly misaligned with the spin axis of its host star. Our measurement independently agrees with, but is far less precise than observations carried out on other instruments around the same time that measure a low-obliquity orbit for the planet. AU Mic is the youngest exoplanetary system for which the projected spin–orbit angle has been measured, making it a key data point in the study of the formation and migration of exoplanets—particularly given that the system is also host to a bright debris disk.
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.
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) observations have revealed a compact multiplanet system around the sixth-magnitude star HR 858 (TIC 178155732, TOI 396), located 32 pc away. Three ...planets, each about twice the size of Earth, transit this slightly evolved, late F-type star, which is also a member of a visual binary. Two of the planets may be in mean motion resonance. We analyze the TESS observations, using novel methods to model and remove instrumental systematic errors, and combine these data with follow-up observations taken from a suite of ground-based telescopes to characterize the planetary system. The HR 858 planets are enticing targets for precise radial velocity observations, secondary eclipse spectroscopy, and measurements of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect.
We report the discovery of TOI-677b,first identified as a candidate in light curves obtained within Sectors 9 and 10 of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite(TESS)mission and confirmed with ...radial velocities. TOI-677b has a mass of M(p) = 1.236(+0.069,- 0.067) M(J), a radius of R(P)=1.170 ± 0.03 R(J), and orbits its bright host star (V = 9.8 mag) with an orbital period of 11.23660 ± 0.00011 d, on an eccentric orbit with e = 0.435 ± 0.024. The host star has a mass of M(*) = 1.181 ± 0.058 M(ʘ), a radius of R(*)= 1.28(+0.03,-0.03) R(ʘ), an age of 2.92 (+0.80,-0.73) Gyr and solar metallicity, properties consistent with a main-sequence late-F star with T(eff)=6295 ± 77K. We find evidence in the radial velocity measurements of a secondary long-term signal, which could be due to an outer companion. The TOI-677 b system is a well-suited target for Rossiter–Mclaughlin observations that can constrain migration mechanisms of close-in giant planets.
Abstract
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission has enabled discoveries of the brightest transiting planet systems around young stars. These systems are the benchmarks for testing ...theories of planetary evolution. We report the discovery of a mini-Neptune transiting a bright star in the AB Doradus moving group. HIP 94235 (TOI-4399, TIC 464646604) is a
V
mag
= 8.31 G-dwarf hosting a
3.00
−
0.28
+
0.32
R
⊕
mini-Neptune in a 7.7 day period orbit. HIP 94235 is part of the AB Doradus moving group, one of the youngest and closest associations. Due to its youth, the host star exhibits significant photometric spot modulation, lithium absorption, and X-ray emission. Three 0.06% transits were observed during Sector 27 of the TESS Extended Mission, though these transit signals are dwarfed by the 2% peak-to-peak photometric variability exhibited by the host star. Follow-up observations with the Characterising Exoplanet Satellite confirmed the transit signal and prevented the erosion of the transit ephemeris. HIP 94235 is part of a 50 au G-M binary system. We make use of diffraction limited observations spanning 11 yr, and astrometric accelerations from Hipparcos and Gaia, to constrain the orbit of HIP 94235 B. HIP 94235 is one of the tightest stellar binaries to host an inner planet. As part of a growing sample of bright, young planet systems, HIP 94235 b is ideal for follow-up transit observations, such as those that investigate the evaporative processes driven by high-energy radiation that may sculpt the valleys and deserts in the Neptune population.
ABSTRACT
Very little is known about the young planet population because the detection of small planets orbiting young stars is obscured by the effects of stellar activity and fast rotation, which ...mask planets within radial velocity and transit data sets. The few planets that have been discovered in young clusters generally orbit stars too faint for any detailed follow-up analysis. Here, we present the characterization of a new mini-Neptune planet orbiting the bright (V = 9) and nearby K2 dwarf star, HD 18599. The planet candidate was originally detected in TESS light curves from sectors 2, 3, 29, and 30, with an orbital period of 4.138 d. We then used HARPS and FEROS radial velocities, to find the companion mass to be 25.5$\pm$4.6 $M_{\oplus }$. When we combine this with the measured radius from TESS of 2.70$\pm$0.05 $R_{\oplus }$, we find a high planetary density of 7.1$\pm$1.4 g cm$^{-3}$. The planet exists on the edge of the Neptune Desert and is the first young planet (300 Myr) of its type to inhabit this region. Structure models argue for a bulk composition to consist of 23 per cent H$_2$O and 77 per cent Rock and Iron. Future follow-up with large ground- and space-based telescopes can enable us to begin to understand in detail the characteristics of young Neptunes in the galaxy.
Abstract
We report the discovery of a highly eccentric long-period Jovian planet orbiting the hot-Jupiter host HD 83443. By combining radial velocity data from four instruments (AAT/UCLES, ...Keck/HIRES, HARPS, Minerva-Australis) spanning more than two decades, we find evidence for a planet with
m
sin
i
=
1.35
−
0.06
+
0.07
M
J
, moving on an orbit with
a
= 8.0 ± 0.8 au and eccentricity
e
= 0.76 ± 0.05. We combine our radial velocity analysis with Gaia eDR3 /Hipparcos proper motion anomalies and derive a dynamical mass of
1.5
−
0.2
+
0.5
M
Jup
. We perform a detailed dynamical simulation that reveals locations of stability within the system that may harbor additional planets, including stable regions within the habitable zone of the host star. HD 83443 is a rare example of a system hosting a hot Jupiter and an exterior planetary companion. The high eccentricity of HD 83443c suggests that a scattering event may have sent the hot Jupiter to its close orbit while leaving the outer planet on a wide and eccentric path.
We report the discovery of two mini-Neptunes in near 2:1 resonance orbits (\(P=7.610303\) d for HIP 113103 b and \(P=14.245651\) d for HIP 113103 c) around the adolescent K-star HIP 113103 (TIC ...121490076). The planet system was first identified from the TESS mission, and was confirmed via additional photometric and spectroscopic observations, including a \(\sim\)17.5 hour observation for the transits of both planets using ESA CHEOPS. We place \(\leq4.5\) min and \(\leq2.5\) min limits on the absence of transit timing variations over the three year photometric baseline, allowing further constraints on the orbital eccentricities of the system beyond that available from the photometric transit duration alone. With a planetary radius of \(R_{p}=1.829^{+0.096}_{-0.067}\,R_{\oplus}\), HIP 113103 b resides within the radius gap, and this might provide invaluable information on the formation disparities between super-Earths and mini-Neptunes. Given the larger radius \(R_{p}=2.40^{+0.10}_{-0.08}\,R_{\oplus}\) for HIP 113103 c, and close proximity of both planets to HIP 113103, it is likely that HIP 113103 b might have lost (or is still losing) its primordial atmosphere. We therefore present simulated atmospheric transmission spectra of both planets using JWST, HST, and Twinkle. It demonstrates a potential metallicity difference (due to differences in their evolution) would be a challenge to detect if the atmospheres are in chemical equilibrium. As one of the brightest multi sub-Neptune planet systems suitable for atmosphere follow up, HIP 113103 b and HIP 113103 c could provide insight on planetary evolution for the sub-Neptune K-star population.
We report the discovery and validation of HD 21520 b, a transiting planet found with TESS and orbiting a bright G dwarf (V=9.2, \(T_{eff} = 5871 \pm 62\) K, \(R_{\star} = 1.04\pm 0.02\, R_{\odot}\)). ...HD 21520 b was originally alerted as a system (TOI-4320) consisting of two planet candidates with periods of 703.6 and 46.4 days. However, our analysis supports instead a single-planet system with an orbital period of \(25.1292\pm0.0001\) days and radius of \(2.70 \pm 0.09\, R_{\oplus}\). Three full transits in sectors 4, 30 and 31 match this period and have transit depths and durations in agreement with each other, as does a partial transit in sector 3. We also observe transits using CHEOPS and LCOGT. SOAR and Gemini high-resolution imaging do not indicate the presence of any nearby companions, and MINERVA-Australis and CORALIE radial velocities rule out an on-target spectroscopic binary. Additionally, we use ESPRESSO radial velocities to obtain a tentative mass measurement of \(7.9^{+3.2}_{-3.0}\, M_{\oplus}\), with a 3-\(\sigma\) upper limit of 17.7 \(M_{\oplus}\). Due to the bright nature of its host and likely significant gas envelope of the planet, HD 21520 b is a promising candidate for further mass measurements and for atmospheric characterization.
We report the discovery of a highly eccentric long-period Jovian planet orbiting the hot-Jupiter host HD\,83443. By combining radial velocity data from four instruments (AAT/UCLES, Keck/HIRES, HARPS, ...Minerva-Australis) spanning more than two decades, we find evidence for a planet with m~sin~\(i=1.35^{+0.07}_{-0.06}\)\,\mj, moving on an orbit with \(a=8.0\pm\)0.8\,au and eccentricity \(e=0.76\pm\)0.05. We combine our radial velocity analysis with \textit{Gaia} eDR3 /\textit{Hipparcos} proper motion anomalies and derive a dynamical mass of \(1.5^{+0.5}_{-0.2} M_{\rm Jup}\). We perform a detailed dynamical simulation that reveals locations of stability within the system that may harbor additional planets, including stable regions within the habitable zone of the host star. HD\,83443 is a rare example of a system hosting a hot Jupiter and an exterior planetary companion. The high eccentricity of HD\,83443c suggests that a scattering event may have sent the hot Jupiter to its close orbit while leaving the outer planet on a wide and eccentric path.