3 research outputs found
A pair of TESS planets spanning the radius valley around the nearby mid-M dwarf LTT 3780
We present the confirmation of two new planets transiting the nearby mid-M
dwarf LTT 3780 (TIC 36724087, TOI-732, , , =0.374
R, =0.401 M, d=22 pc). The two planet candidates are
identified in a single TESS sector and are validated with reconnaissance
spectroscopy, ground-based photometric follow-up, and high-resolution imaging.
With measured orbital periods of days, days and sizes
R, R, the
two planets span the radius valley in period-radius space around low mass stars
thus making the system a laboratory to test competing theories of the emergence
of the radius valley in that stellar mass regime. By combining 63 precise
radial-velocity measurements from HARPS and HARPS-N, we measure planet masses
of M and
M, which indicates that LTT 3780b has a bulk composition consistent
with being Earth-like, while LTT 3780c likely hosts an extended H/He envelope.
We show that the recovered planetary masses are consistent with predictions
from both photoevaporation and from core-powered mass loss models. The
brightness and small size of LTT 3780, along with the measured planetary
parameters, render LTT 3780b and c as accessible targets for atmospheric
characterization of planets within the same planetary system and spanning the
radius valley.Comment: Accepted to AJ. 8 figures, 6 tables. CSV file of the RV measurements
(i.e. Table 2) are included in the source cod