A hot mini-Neptune and a temperate, highly eccentric sub-Saturn around the bright K-dwarf TOI-2134

Funding: ACC and TGW acknowledge support from STFC consolidated grant numbers ST/R000824/1 and ST/V000861/1, and UKSA grant number ST/R003203/1. RDH is funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)’s Ernest Rutherford Fellowship (grant no. ST/V004735/1). SD is funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (grant no. ST/V004735/1). BSL is funded by a UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) studentship (ST/V506679/1). This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement SCORE no. 851555).We present the characterisation of an inner mini-Neptune in a 9.2292005±0.0000063 day orbit and an outer mono-transiting sub-Saturn planet in a 95.50+0.36-0.25 day orbit around the moderately active, bright (mv = 8.9 mag) K5V star TOI-2134. Based on our analysis of five sectors of TESS data, we determine the radii of TOI-2134b and c to be 2.69±0.16 R⊕ for the inner planet and 7.27±0.42 R⊕ for the outer one. We acquired 111 radial-velocity spectra with HARPS-N and 108 radial-velocity spectra with SOPHIE. After careful periodogram analysis, we derive masses for both planets via Gaussian Process regression: 9.13+0.78-0.76 M⊕ for TOI-2134b and 41.89+7.69-7.83 M⊕ for TOI-2134c. We analysed the photometric and radial-velocity data first separately, then jointly. The inner planet is a mini-Neptune with density consistent with either a water-world or a rocky core planet with a low-mass H/He envelope. The outer planet has a bulk density similar to Saturn’s. The outer planet is derived to have a significant eccentricity of 0.67+0.05-0.06 from a combination of photometry and RVs. We compute the irradiation of TOI-2134c as 1.45±0.10 times the bolometric flux received by Earth, positioning it for part of its orbit in the habitable zone of its system. We recommend further RV observations to fully constrain the orbit of TOI-2134c. With an expected Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) effect amplitude of 7.2±1.3 m-1, we recommend TOI-2134c for follow-up RM analysis to study the spin-orbit architecture of the system. We calculate the Transmission Spectroscopy Metric, and both planets are suitable for bright-mode NIRCam atmospheric characterisation.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The Promise of Critical Theology: Essays in Honour of Charles Davis

Paul Lakeland is a contributing author, For Whom Do We Write? The Responsibility of the Theologian , pp. 33-48. Book description: Written in tribute to one of the foremost Catholic theologians in the English-speaking world, the essays in The Promise of Critical Theology address the question: Can critical theology secure its critical operation without undermining its foundation in religious tradition and experience? Is “critical theology” simply an oxymoron when viewed from both sides of the equation? From Marc Lalonde’s introductory essay which delimits Davis’ fundamental position, that the primary task of critical theology is the critique of religious orthodoxy, the essays examine Davis’ distinction between faith and belief and build upon the promise of critical theology as inextricably bound to the promise of faith. They ask: What is its promise? What particular religious ideas, themes, stories are appropriate for its concrete expression? How can the community of faith receive its transformative message? What might be the contribution of other religious traditions and philosophies? Essays by Paul Lakeland, Dennis McCann, Kenneth Melchin, Michael Oppenheim and Marsha Hewitt respond to these and other questions and critically relate Davis’ work to ongoing developments in modern theology, critical theory, philosophy and the social sciences. Their diversity attests to the comprehensive scope of Davis’ thought and exemplifies the progressive character of contemporary religious discourse. They honour Davis and illuminate the promise of critical religious thinking in itself.https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/religiousstudies-books/1031/thumbnail.jp