Context. The NASA mission TESS is currently doing an all-sky survey from space to detect transiting planets around bright stars. As part of the validation process, the most promising planet ...candidates need to be confirmed and characterized using follow-up observations.
Aims. In this article, our aim is to confirm the planetary nature of the transiting planet candidate TOI-674b using spectroscopic and photometric observations.
Methods. We use TESS, Spitzer, ground-based light curves, and HARPS spectrograph radial velocity measurements to establish the physical properties of the transiting exoplanet candidate TOI-674b. We perform a joint fit of the light curves and radial velocity time series to measure the mass, radius, and orbital parameters of the candidate.
Results. We confirm and characterize TOI-674b, a low-density super-Neptune transiting a nearby M dwarf. The host star (TIC 158588995, V = 14.2 mag, J = 10.3 mag) is characterized by its M2V spectral type with M⋆ = 0.420 ± 0.010 Mꙩ, R⋆ = 0.420 ± 0.013 Rꙩ, and T(eff) = 3514 ± 57 K; it is located at a distance d = 46.16 ± 0.03 pc. Combining the available transit light curves plus radial velocity measurements and jointly fitting a circular orbit model, we find an orbital period of 1.977143 ± 3 × 10^(−6) days, a planetary radius of 5.25 ± 0.17 Rꚛ, and a mass of 23.6 ± 3.3 Mꚛ implying a mean density of ρp =0.91 ± 0.15 g/cu. cm. A non-circular orbit model fit delivers similar planetary mass and radius values within the uncertainties. Given the measured planetary radius and mass, TOI-674b is one of the largest and most massive super-Neptune class planets discovered around an M-type star to date. It is found in the Neptunian desert, and is a promising candidate for atmospheric characterization using the James Webb Space Telescope.
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission was designed to perform an all-sky search of planets around bright and nearby stars. Here we report the discovery of two sub-Neptunes orbiting ...around TOI 1062 (TIC 299799658), a V = 10.25 G9V star observed in the TESS Sectors 1, 13, 27, and 28. We use precise radial velocity observations from HARPS to confirm and characterize these two planets. TOI 1062b has a radius of 2.265(-0.091,+0.096) Rꚛ, a mass of 10.15 ± 0.8 Mꚛ, and an orbital period of 4.1130 ± 0.0015 days. The second planet is not transiting, has a minimum mass of 9.78(−1.18,+1.26) Mꚛ and is near the 2:1 mean motion resonance with the innermost planet with an orbital period of 7.972(−0.024,+0.018) days. We performed a dynamical analysis to explore the proximity of the system to this resonance, and to attempt further constraining the orbital parameters. The transiting planet has a mean density of 4.85(−0.74,+0.84) g/cu. cm and an analysis of its internal structure reveals that it is expected to have a small volatile envelope accounting for 0.35% of the mass at most. The star’s brightness and the proximity of the inner planet to what is know as the radius gap make it an interesting candidate for transmission spectroscopy, which could further constrain the composition and internal structure of TOI 1062b.
Detection of the fluctuations in a 21cm line emission from neutral hydrogen during the Epoch of Reionization in thousand hour integrations poses stringent requirements on calibration and image ...quality, both of which necessitate accurate primary beam models. The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) uses phased-array antenna elements which maximize collecting area at the cost of complexity. To quantify their performance, we have developed a novel beam measurement system using the 137MHz ORBCOMM satellite constellation and a reference dipole antenna. Using power ratio measurements, we measure the in situ beampattern of the MWA antenna tile relative to that of the reference antenna, canceling the variation of satellite flux or polarization with time. We employ angular averaging to mitigate multipath effects (ground scattering) and assess environmental systematics with a null experiment in which the MWA tile is replaced with a second-reference dipole. We achieve beam measurements over 30dB dynamic range in beam sensitivity over a large field of view (65% of the visible sky), far wider and deeper than drift scans through astronomical sources allow. We verify an analytic model of the MWA tile at this frequency within a few percent statistical scatter within the full width at half maximum. Toward the edges of the main lobe and in the sidelobes, we measure tens of percent systematic deviations. We compare these errors with those expected from known beamforming errors. Key Points We develop an antenna beam measurement system using the ORBCOMM constellation We make precision MWA antenna tile beam measurements at Green Bank, WV We measure MWA beams down to 30dB from boresight over 65% of the visible sky
We report the discovery and characterization of two transiting planets around the bright M1 V star LP 961-53 (TOI-776,
J
= 8.5 mag,
M
= 0.54 ± 0.03
M
⊙
) detected during Sector 10 observations of the ...Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Combining the TESS photometry with HARPS radial velocities, as well as ground-based follow-up transit observations from the MEarth and LCOGT telescopes, for the inner planet, TOI-776 b, we measured a period of
P
b
= 8.25 d, a radius of
R
b
= 1.85 ± 0.13
R
⊕
, and a mass of
M
b
= 4.0 ± 0.9
M
⊕
; and for the outer planet, TOI-776 c, a period of
P
c
= 15.66 d, a radius of
R
c
= 2.02 ± 0.14
R
⊕
, and a mass of
M
c
= 5.3 ± 1.8
M
⊕
. The Doppler data shows one additional signal, with a period of ~34 d, associated with the rotational period of the star. The analysis of fifteen years of ground-based photometric monitoring data and the inspection of different spectral line indicators confirm this assumption. The bulk densities of TOI-776 b and c allow for a wide range of possible interior and atmospheric compositions. However, both planets have retained a significant atmosphere, with slightly different envelope mass fractions. Thanks to their location near the radius gap for M dwarfs, we can start to explore the mechanism(s) responsible for the radius valley emergence around low-mass stars as compared to solar-like stars. While a larger sample of well-characterized planets in this parameter space is still needed to draw firm conclusions, we tentatively estimate that the stellar mass below which thermally-driven mass loss is no longer the main formation pathway for sculpting the radius valley is between 0.63 and 0.54
M
⊙
. Due to the brightness of the star, the TOI-776 system is also an excellent target for the
James Webb
Space Telescope, providing a remarkable laboratory in which to break the degeneracy in planetary interior models and to test formation and evolution theories of small planets around low-mass stars.
ABSTRACT
To date, thousands of planets have been discovered, but there are regions of the orbital parameter space that are still bare. An example is the short period and intermediate mass/radius ...space known as the ‘Neptunian desert’, where planets should be easy to find but discoveries remain few. This suggests unusual formation and evolution processes are responsible for the planets residing here. We present the discovery of TOI-332 b, a planet with an ultra-short period of 0.78 d that sits firmly within the desert. It orbits a K0 dwarf with an effective temperature of 5251 ± 71 K. TOI-332 b has a radius of $3.20^{+0.16}_{-0.12}$ R⊕, smaller than that of Neptune, but an unusually large mass of 57.2 ± 1.6 M⊕. It has one of the highest densities of any Neptune-sized planet discovered thus far at $9.6^{+1.1}_{-1.3}$ g cm−3. A 4-layer internal structure model indicates it likely has a negligible hydrogen-helium envelope, something only found for a small handful of planets this massive, and so TOI-332 b presents an interesting challenge to planetary formation theories. We find that photoevaporation cannot account for the mass-loss required to strip this planet of the Jupiter-like envelope it would have been expected to accrete. We need to look towards other scenarios, such as high-eccentricity migration, giant impacts, or gap opening in the protoplanetary disc, to try and explain this unusual discovery.
The GAPS programme at TNG Carleo, I.; Malavolta, L.; Desidera, S. ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
2/2024, Letnik:
682
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Context . Different theories have been developed to explain the origins and properties of close-in giant planets, but none of them alone can explain all of the properties of the warm Jupiters (WJs, P ...orb = 10–200 days). One of the most intriguing characteristics of WJs is that they have a wide range of orbital eccentricities, challenging our understanding of their formation and evolution. Aims . The investigation of these systems is crucial in order to put constraints on formation and evolution theories. TESS is providing a significant sample of transiting WJs around stars bright enough to allow spectroscopic follow-up studies. Methods . We carried out a radial velocity (RV) follow-up study of the TESS candidate TOI-4515 b with the high-resolution spectrograph HARPS-N in the context of the GAPS project, the aim of which is to characterize young giant planets, and the TRES and FEROS spectrographs. We then performed a joint analysis of the HARPS-N, TRES, FEROS, and TESS data in order to fully characterize this planetary system. Results . We find that TOI-4515 b orbits a 1.2 Gyr-old G-star, has an orbital period of P b = 15.266446 ± 0.000013 days, a mass of M b = 2.01 ± 0.05 M J , and a radius of R b = 1.09 ± 0.04 R J . We also find an eccentricity of e = 0.46 ± 0.01, placing this planet among the WJs with highly eccentric orbits. As no additional companion has been detected, this high eccentricity might be the consequence of past violent scattering events.
ABSTRACT
HIP 9618 (HD 12572, TOI-1471, TIC 306263608) is a bright (G = 9.0 mag) solar analogue. TESS photometry revealed the star to have two candidate planets with radii of 3.9 ± 0.044 R⊕ (HIP 9618 ...b) and 3.343 ± 0.039 R⊕ (HIP 9618 c). While the 20.77291 d period of HIP 9618 b was measured unambiguously, HIP 9618 c showed only two transits separated by a 680-d gap in the time series, leaving many possibilities for the period. To solve this issue, CHEOPS performed targeted photometry of period aliases to attempt to recover the true period of planet c, and successfully determined the true period to be 52.56349 d. High-resolution spectroscopy with HARPS-N, SOPHIE, and CAFE revealed a mass of 10.0 ± 3.1M⊕ for HIP 9618 b, which, according to our interior structure models, corresponds to a $6.8\pm 1.4~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ gas fraction. HIP 9618 c appears to have a lower mass than HIP 9618 b, with a 3-sigma upper limit of <18M⊕. Follow-up and archival RV measurements also reveal a clear long-term trend which, when combined with imaging and astrometric information, reveal a low-mass companion ($0.08^{+0.12}_{-0.05} M_\odot$) orbiting at $26.0^{+19.0}_{-11.0}$ au. This detection makes HIP 9618 one of only five bright (K < 8 mag) transiting multiplanet systems known to host a planet with P > 50 d, opening the door for the atmospheric characterization of warm (Teq < 750 K) sub-Neptunes.
Astronomical wide-field imaging of interferometric radio data is computationally expensive, especially for the large data volumes created by modern non-coplanar many-element arrays. We present a new ...wide-field interferometric imager that uses the w-stacking algorithm and can make use of the w-snapshot algorithm. The performance dependences of casa's w-projection and our new imager are analysed and analytical functions are derived that describe the required computing cost for both imagers. On data from the Murchison Widefield Array, we find our new method to be an order of magnitude faster than w-projection, as well as being capable of full-sky imaging at full resolution and with correct polarization correction. We predict the computing costs for several other arrays and estimate that our imager is a factor of 2–12 faster, depending on the array configuration. We estimate the computing cost for imaging the low-frequency Square Kilometre Array observations to be 60 PetaFLOPS with current techniques. We find that combining w-stacking with the w-snapshot algorithm does not significantly improve computing requirements over pure w-stacking. The source code of our new imager is publicly released.
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.