8 research outputs found
Direct Imaging Explorations for Companions around Mid-Late M Stars from the Subaru/IRD Strategic Program
The Subaru telescope is currently performing a strategic program (SSP) using
the high-precision near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer IRD to search for
exoplanets around nearby mid/late-M~dwarfs via radial velocity (RV) monitoring.
As part of the observing strategy for the exoplanet survey, signatures of
massive companions such as RV trends are used to reduce the priority of those
stars. However, this RV information remains useful for studying the stellar
multiplicity of nearby M~dwarfs. To search for companions around such
``deprioritized" M~dwarfs, we observed 14 IRD-SSP targets using Keck/NIRC2
observations with pyramid wavefront sensing at NIR wavelengths, leading to high
sensitivity to substellar-mass companions within a few arcseconds. We detected
two new companions (LSPM~J1002+1459~B and LSPM~J2204+1505~B) and two new
candidates that are likely companions (LSPM~J0825+6902~B and LSPM~J1645+0444~B)
as well as one known companion. Including two known companions resolved by the
IRD fiber injection module camera, we detected seven (four new) companions at
projected separations between ~au in total. A comparison of the
colors with the spectral library suggests that LSPM~J2204+1505~B and
LSPM~J0825+6902~B are located at the boundary between late-M and early-L
spectral types. Our deep high-contrast imaging for targets where no bright
companions were resolved did not reveal any additional companion candidates.
The NIRC2 detection limits could constrain potential substellar-mass companions
() at 10~au or further. The failure with Keck/NIRC2
around the IRD-SSP stars having significant RV trends makes these objects
promising targets for further RV monitoring or deeper imaging with JWST to
search for smaller-mass companions below the NIRC2 detection limits.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A
The mass determination of TOI-519 b: a close-in giant planet transiting a metal-rich mid-M dwarf
We report the mass determination of TOI-519 b, a transiting substellar object
around a mid-M dwarf. We carried out radial velocity measurements using Subaru
/ InfraRed Doppler (IRD), revealing that TOI-519 b is a planet with a mass of
. We also find that the host star is metal
rich ( dex) and has the lowest effective
temperature ( K) among all stars hosting known
close-in giant planets based on the IRD spectra and mid-resolution infrared
spectra obtained with NASA Infrared Telescope Facility / SpeX. The core mass of
TOI-519 b inferred from a thermal evolution model ranges from to
, which can be explained by both the core accretion and disk
instability models as the formation origins of this planet. However, TOI-519 is
in line with the emerging trend that M dwarfs with close-in giant planets tend
to have high metallicity, which may indicate that they formed in the core
accretion model. The system is also consistent with the potential trend that
close-in giant planets around M dwarfs tend to be less massive than those
around FGK dwarfs.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in PAS
An Earth-sized Planet around an M5 Dwarf Star at 22 pc
We report on the discovery of an Earth-sized transiting planet ( R _p = 1.015 ± 0.051 R _⊕ ) in a P = 4.02 day orbit around K2-415 (EPIC 211414619), an M5V star at 22 pc. The planet candidate was first identified by analyzing the light-curve data obtained by the K2 mission, and it is here shown to exist in the most recent data from TESS. Combining the light curves with the data secured by our follow-up observations, including high-resolution imaging and near-infrared spectroscopy with IRD, we rule out false-positive scenarios, finding a low false-positive probability of 2 × 10 ^−4 . Based on IRD’s radial velocities of K2-415, which were sparsely taken over three years, we obtain a planet mass of 3.0 ± 2.7 M _⊕ ( M _p < 7.5 M _⊕ at 95% confidence) for K2-415b. Being one of the lowest-mass stars (≈0.16 M _⊙ ) known to host an Earth-sized transiting planet, K2-415 will be an interesting target for further follow-up observations, including additional radial velocity monitoring and transit spectroscopy
TOI-1442 b and TOI-2445 b: two ultra-short period super-Earths around M dwarfs
Context. Exoplanets with orbital periods of less than one day are know as
Ultra-short period (USP) planets. They are relatively rare products of
planetary formation and evolution processes, but especially favourable to
current planet detection methods. At the time of writing, 120 USP planets have
already been confirmed. Aims. We aim to confirm the planetary nature of two new
transiting planet candidates announced by the NASA's Transiting Exoplanet
Survey Satellite (TESS), registered as TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs)
TOI-1442.01 and TOI-2445.01. Methods. We use the TESS data, ground-based
photometric light-curves and Subaru/IRD spectrograph radial velocity (RV)
measurements to validate both planetary candidates and to establish their
physical properties. Results. TOI-1442 b is a hot super-Earth with an orbital
period of , a radius of , equilibrium temperature of , and a mass at
3. TOI-2445 b is also a hot super-Earth/mini-Neptune with an orbital
period of , a radius of , equilibrium temperature of , and a mass at
3. Their physical properties align with current empirical trends and
formation theories of USP planets. More RV measurements will be useful to
constrain the planetary masses and mean densities, as well as the predicted
presence of outer planetary companions
TOI-1696: a nearby M4 dwarf with a planet in the Neptunian desert
We present the discovery and validation of a temperate sub-Neptune around the
nearby mid-M dwarf TIC 470381900 (TOI-1696), with a radius of and an orbital period of , using a combination of
TESS and follow-up observations using ground-based telescopes. Joint analysis
of multi-band photometry from TESS, MuSCAT, MuSCAT3, Sinistro, and KeplerCam
confirmed the transit signal to be achromatic as well as refined the orbital
ephemeris. High-resolution imaging with Gemini/'Alopeke and high-resolution
spectroscopy with the Subaru/IRD confirmed that there are no stellar companions
or background sources to the star. The spectroscopic observations with IRD and
IRTF/SpeX were used to determine the stellar parameters, and found the host
star is an M4 dwarf with an effective temperature of and a metallicity of [Fe/H] . The
radial velocities measured from IRD set a - upper limit on the
planetary mass to be . The large radius ratio () and the relatively bright NIR magnitude () make
this planet an attractive target for further followup observations. TOI-1696b
is one of the planets belonging to the Neptunian desert with the highest
transmission spectroscopy metric discovered to date, making it an interesting
candidate for atmospheric characterizations with JWST.Comment: 25 pages, 18 figures, 3 tables, Submitted to A
Gliese 12 b: A Temperate Earth-sized Planet at 12 pc Ideal for Atmospheric Transmission Spectroscopy
Recent discoveries of Earth-sized planets transiting nearby M dwarfs have made it possible to characterize the atmospheres of terrestrial planets via follow-up spectroscopic observations. However, the number of such planets receiving low insolation is still small, limiting our ability to understand the diversity of the atmospheric composition and climates of temperate terrestrial planets. We report the discovery of an Earth-sized planet transiting the nearby (12 pc) inactive M3.0 dwarf Gliese 12 (TOI-6251) with an orbital period (P orb) of 12.76 days. The planet, Gliese 12 b, was initially identified as a candidate with an ambiguous P orb from TESS data. We confirmed the transit signal and P orb using ground-based photometry with MuSCAT2 and MuSCAT3, and validated the planetary nature of the signal using high-resolution images from Gemini/NIRI and Keck/NIRC2 as well as radial velocity (RV) measurements from the InfraRed Doppler instrument on the Subaru 8.2 m telescope and from CARMENES on the CAHA 3.5 m telescope. X-ray observations with XMM-Newton showed the host star is inactive, with an X-ray-to-bolometric luminosity ratio of logLX/Lbol≈−5.7 . Joint analysis of the light curves and RV measurements revealed that Gliese 12 b has a radius of 0.96 ± 0.05 R ⊕, a 3σ mass upper limit of 3.9 M ⊕, and an equilibrium temperature of 315 ± 6 K assuming zero albedo. The transmission spectroscopy metric (TSM) value of Gliese 12 b is close to the TSM values of the TRAPPIST-1 planets, adding Gliese 12 b to the small list of potentially terrestrial, temperate planets amenable to atmospheric characterization with JWST