Abstract
We use Keck/NIRSPEC to survey a sample of of young (<1 Gyr), short-period mini-Neptunes orbiting nearby K dwarfs to measure their mass loss via the metastable helium line. We detect helium ...absorption from all four of the targets in our initial sample. The first detection, around TOI 560b, was announced in a previous paper. We now announce three additional detections around TOI 1430.01, 2076b, and 1683.01. All four planets show an average in-transit excess absorption of 0.7%–1.0%. However, the outflows differ in their kinematic properties. Object TOI 1430b exhibits preingress absorption, while TOI 2076b’s outflow is exceptionally optically thick and shows significant postegress absorption. For all four planets, the width of the measured helium absorption signal is consistent with expectations for a photoevaporative outflow (10–30 km s
−1
, 5000–10,000 K). Unless broadening mechanisms other than thermal velocity and the bulk outflow velocity are significant, our observations disfavor core-powered mass-loss models, which predict much slower (1–3 km s
−1
) outflows. We utilize both an isothermal Parker wind model and an order-of-magnitude method to estimate the mass-loss timescale and obtain ∼a few hundred megayears for each planet. We conclude that many, if not all, of these planets will lose their hydrogen-rich envelopes and become super-Earths. Our results demonstrate that most mini-Neptunes orbiting Sun-like stars have primordial atmospheres, and that photoevaporation is an efficient mechanism for stripping these atmospheres and transforming these planets into super-Earths.
ABSTRACT The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is a NASA-sponsored Explorer mission that will perform a wide-field survey for planets that transit bright host stars. Here, we predict the ...properties of the transiting planets that TESS will detect along with the EB stars that produce false-positive photometric signals. The predictions are based on Monte Carlo simulations of the nearby population of stars, occurrence rates of planets derived from Kepler, and models for the photometric performance and sky coverage of the TESS cameras. We expect that TESS will find approximately 1700 transiting planets from pre-selected target stars. This includes 556 planets smaller than twice the size of Earth, of which 419 are hosted by M dwarf stars and 137 are hosted by FGK dwarfs. Approximately 130 of the planets will have host stars brighter than . Approximately 48 of the planets with lie within or near the habitable zone ( ); between 2 and 7 such planets have host stars brighter than . We also expect approximately 1100 detections of planets with radii 2-4 , and 67 planets larger than 4 . Additional planets larger than 2 can be detected around stars that are not among the pre-selected target stars, because TESS will also deliver full-frame images at a 30-minute cadence. The planet detections are accompanied by over 1000 astrophysical false positives. We discuss how TESS data and ground-based observations can be used to distinguish the false positives from genuine planets. We also discuss the prospects for follow-up observations to measure the masses and atmospheres of the TESS planets.
Abstract
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered ∼5000 planets and planet candidates after 3.5 yr. With a planned second Extended Mission (EM2) spanning Years 5–7 on the ...horizon, now is the time to revise predictions of the TESS exoplanet yield. We present simulations of the number of detectable planets around 9.4 million AFGKM stars in the TESS Candidate Target List v8.01 through 7 yr of observations. Our simulations take advantage of improved models for the photometric performance, temporal window functions, and transit detection probability. We estimate that 4719 ± 334 planets should be detectable with the Prime Mission alone (Years 1–2), and another 3707 ± 209 should be detectable across the current Extended Mission (Years 3–4). Based on a proposed pointing scenario for EM2, we predict that TESS should find another 4093 ± 180 planets, bringing the total TESS yield to 12,519 ± 678. We provide our predicted yields as functions of host star spectral type, planet radius, orbital period, follow-up feasibility, and location relative to the habitable zone. As TESS continues, new planets will be progressively smaller, with longer orbital periods, and will orbit fainter stars. Half of the planets found in EM2 will be smaller than 4
R
⊕
, and over 1200 will have orbital periods longer than 20 days, effectively doubling the TESS yields of both kinds of planets. The number of small (<2
R
⊕
) habitable-zone planets will also double, bringing the total TESS yield to 18 ± 5. We also compare our predictions to the actual Prime Mission yield, finding good agreement.
We perform a study of stellar flares for the 24,809 stars observed with 2 minute cadence during the first two months of the TESS mission. Flares may erode exoplanets' atmospheres and impact their ...habitability, but might also trigger the genesis of life around small stars. TESS provides a new sample of bright dwarf stars in our galactic neighborhood, collecting data for thousands of M dwarfs that might host habitable exoplanets. Here, we use an automated search for flares accompanied by visual inspection. Then, our public allesfitter code robustly selects the appropriate model for potentially complex flares via Bayesian evidence. We identify 1228 flaring stars, 673 of which are M dwarfs. Among 8695 flares in total, the largest superflare increased the stellar brightness by a factor of 16.1. Bolometric flare energies range from 1031.0 to 1036.9 erg, with a median of 1033.1 erg. Furthermore, we study the flare rate and energy as a function of stellar type and rotation period. We solidify past findings that fast rotating M dwarfs are the most likely to flare and that their flare amplitude is independent of the rotation period. Finally, we link our results to criteria for prebiotic chemistry, atmospheric loss through coronal mass ejections, and ozone sterilization. Four of our flaring M dwarfs host exoplanet candidates alerted on by TESS, for which we discuss how these effects can impact life. With upcoming TESS data releases, our flare analysis can be expanded to almost all bright small stars, aiding in defining criteria for exoplanet habitability.
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.
We describe the catalogs assembled and the algorithms used to populate the revised TESS Input Catalog (TIC), based on the incorporation of the Gaia second data release. We also describe a revised ...ranking system for prioritizing stars for 2 minute cadence observations, and we assemble a revised Candidate Target List (CTL) using that ranking. The TIC is available on the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes server, and an enhanced CTL is available through the Filtergraph data visualization portal system at http://filtergraph.vanderbilt.edu/tess_ctl.
Abstract
We present the detection of 1617 new transiting-planet candidates, identified in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) full-frame images observed during the Primary Mission ...(Sectors 1–26). These candidates were initially detected by the Quick-Look Pipeline (QLP), which extracts full-frame image lightcurves for, and searches all stars brighter than, TESS magnitude
T
= 13.5 mag in each sector. However, QLP heavily relies on manual inspection for the identification of planet candidates, limiting vetting efforts to planet-hosting stars brighter than
T
= 10.5 mag and leaving millions of potential transit signals unvetted. We describe an independent vetting pipeline applied to QLP transit search results, incorporating both automated vetting tests and manual inspection to identify promising planet candidates around these fainter stars. The new candidates discovered by this ongoing project will allow TESS to significantly improve the statistical power of demographic studies of giant, close-in exoplanets.
Abstract
AU Mic is a young (∼24 Myr), pre-main-sequence M dwarf star that was observed in the first month of science observations of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and reobserved 2 ...years later. This target has photometric variability from a variety of sources that is readily apparent in the TESS light curves; spots induce modulation in the light curve, flares are present throughout (manifesting as sharp rises with slow exponential decay phases), and transits of AU Mic b may be seen by eye as dips in the light curve. We present a combined analysis of both TESS Sector 1 and Sector 27 AU Mic light curves including the new 20 s cadence data from TESS Year 3. We compare flare rates between both observations and analyze the spot evolution, showing that the activity levels increase slightly from Sector 1 to Sector 27. Furthermore, the 20 s data collection allows us to detect more flares, smaller flares, and better resolve flare morphology in white light as compared to the 2 minute data collection mode. We also refine the parameters for AU Mic b by fitting three additional transits of AU Mic b from Sector 27 using a model that includes stellar activity. We show that the transits exhibit clear transit timing variations with an amplitude of ∼80 s. We also detect three transits of a 2.8
R
⊕
planet, AU Mic c, which has a period of 18.86 days.
KELT-9 b is an ultra-hot Jupiter transiting a rapidly rotating, oblate early-A-type star in a polar orbit. We model the effect of rapid stellar rotation on KELT-9 b's transit light curve using ...photometry from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite to constrain the planet's true spin-orbit angle and to explore how KELT-9 b may be influenced by stellar gravity darkening. We constrain the host star's equatorial radius to be 1.089 0.017 times as large as its polar radius and its local surface brightness to vary by ∼38% between its hot poles and cooler equator. We model the stellar oblateness and surface brightness gradient and find that it causes the transit light curve to lack the usual symmetry around the time of minimum light. We take advantage of the light-curve asymmetry to constrain KELT-9 b's true spin-orbit angle ( ), agreeing with Gaudi et al. that KELT-9 b is in a nearly polar orbit. We also apply a gravity-darkening correction to the spectral energy distribution model from Gaudi et al. and find that accounting for rapid rotation gives a better fit to available spectroscopy and yields a more reliable estimate for the star's polar effective temperature.
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