45 research outputs found
Securing the legacy of TESS through the care and maintenance of TESS planet ephemerides
Much of the science from the exoplanets detected by the TESS mission relies
on precisely predicted transit times that are needed for many follow-up
characterization studies. We investigate ephemeris deterioration for simulated
TESS planets and find that the ephemerides of 81% of those will have expired
(i.e. 1 mid-transit time uncertainties greater than 30 minutes) one
year after their TESS observations. We verify these results using a sample of
TESS planet candidates as well. In particular, of the simulated planets that
would be recommended as JWST targets by Kempton et al. (2018), 80% will
have mid-transit time uncertainties 30 minutes by the earliest time JWST
would observe them. This rapid deterioration is driven primarily by the
relatively short time baseline of TESS observations. We describe strategies for
maintaining TESS ephemerides fresh through follow-up transit observations. We
find that the longer the baseline between the TESS and the follow-up
observations, the longer the ephemerides stay fresh, and that 51% of simulated
primary mission TESS planets will require space-based observations. The
recently-approved extension to the TESS mission will rescue the ephemerides of
most (though not all) primary mission planets, but the benefits of these new
observations can only be reaped two years after the primary mission
observations. Moreover, the ephemerides of most primary mission TESS planets
(as well as those newly discovered during the extended mission) will again have
expired by the time future facilities such as the ELTs, Ariel and the possible
LUVOIR/OST missions come online, unless maintenance follow-up observations are
obtained.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted to AJ; main changes are cross-checking
results against the sample of real TOIs, and addressing the impact of the
TESS extended missio
TOI 694b and TIC 220568520b: Two Low-mass Companions near the Hydrogen-burning Mass Limit Orbiting Sun-like Stars
We report the discovery of TOI 694 b and TIC 220568520 b, two low-mass stellar companions in eccentric orbits around metal-rich Sun-like stars, first detected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). TOI 694 b has an orbital period of 48.05131 +- 0.00019 days and eccentricity of 0.51946 +- 0.00081, and we derive a mass of 89.0 +- 5.3 MJup (0.0849 +- 0.0051 M☉) and radius of 1.111 +- 0.017 RJup (0.1142 +- 0.0017 R☉). TIC 220568520 b has an orbital period of 18.55769 +- 0.00039 days and eccentricity of 0.0964 +- 0.0032, and we derive a mass of 107.2 +- 5.2 MJup (0.1023 +- 0.0050 M☉) and radius of 1.248 +- 0.018 RJup (0.1282 +- 0.0019 R☉). Both binary companions lie close to and above the hydrogen-burning mass threshold that separates brown dwarfs and the lowest-mass stars, with TOI 694 b being 2σ above the canonical mass threshold of 0.075 M☉. The relatively long periods of the systems mean that the magnetic fields of the low-mass companions are not expected to inhibit convection and inflate the radius, which according to one leading theory is common in similar objects residing in short-period tidally synchronized binary systems. Indeed we do not find radius inflation for these two objects when compared to theoretical isochrones. These two new objects add to the short but growing list of low-mass stars with well-measured masses and radii, and highlight the potential of the TESS mission for detecting such rare objects orbiting bright stars.M.N.G. acknowledges
support from MIT’s Kavli Institute as a Torres postdoctoral
fellow. L.A.dS. is supported by funding from the European
Research Council (ERC) under the European Unionʼs Horizon
2020 research and innovation program (project FOUR ACES;
grant agreement No 724427). A.J. acknowledges support from
FONDECYT project 1171208 and by the Ministry for the
Economy, Development, and Tourism’s Programa Iniciativa
CientÃfica Milenio through grant IC 120009, awarded to the
Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS)
Securing the Legacy of TESS through the Care and Maintenance of TESS Planet Ephemerides
Much of the science from the exoplanets detected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission relies on precisely predicted transit times that are needed for many follow-up characterization studies. We investigate ephemeris deterioration for simulated TESS planets and find that the ephemerides of 81% of those will have expired (i.e., 1σ mid-transit time uncertainties greater than 30 minutes) 1 yr after their TESS observations. We verify these results using a sample of TESS planet candidates as well. In particular, of the simulated planets that would be recommended as James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) targets by Kempton et al., ~80% will have mid-transit time uncertainties >30 minutes by the earliest time JWST would observe them. This rapid deterioration is driven primarily by the relatively short time baseline of TESS observations. We describe strategies for maintaining TESS ephemerides fresh through follow-up transit observations. We find that the longer the baseline between the TESS and the follow-up observations, the longer the ephemerides stay fresh, and that 51% of simulated primary mission TESS planets will require space-based observations. The recently approved extension to the TESS mission will rescue the ephemerides of most (though not all) primary mission planets, but the benefits of these new observations can only be reaped 2 yr after the primary mission observations. Moreover, the ephemerides of most primary mission TESS planets (as well as those newly discovered during the extended mission) will again have expired by the time future facilities such as the ELTs, Ariel, and the possible LUVOIR/Origins Space Telescope missions come online, unless maintenance follow-up observations are obtained
Separated twins or just siblings? A multi-planet system around an M dwarf including a cool sub-Neptune
We report the discovery of two TESS sub-Neptunes orbiting the early M dwarf
TOI-904 (TIC 261257684). Both exoplanets, TOI-904 b and c, were initially
observed in TESS sector 12 with twin sizes of 2.49R and
2.31R, respectively. Through observations in five additional sectors
in the TESS primary mission and the first and second extended missions, the
orbital periods of both planets were measured to be 10.8870.001 and
83.9990.001 days, respectively. Reconnaissance radial velocity
measurements (taken with EULER/CORALIE) and high resolution speckle imaging
with adaptive optics (obtained from SOAR/HRCAM and Gemini South/ZORRO) show no
evidence of an eclipsing binary or a nearby companion, which together with the
low false positive probabilities calculated with the statistical validation
software TRICERATOPS establish the planetary nature of these candidates. The
outer planet, TOI-904 c, is the longest-period M dwarf exoplanet found by TESS,
with an estimated equilibrium temperature of 217K. As the three other validated
planets with comparable host stars and orbital periods were observed by Kepler
around much dimmer stars (J 12), TOI-904 c, orbiting a brighter
star (J 9.6), is the coldest M dwarf planet easily accessible for
atmospheric follow-up. Future mass measurements and transmission spectroscopy
of the similar sized planets in this system could determine whether they are
also similar in density and composition, suggesting a common formation pathway,
or whether they have distinct origins.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, Accepted by the Astrophysical Journal Letter
A massive hot Jupiter orbiting a metal-rich early-M star discovered in the TESS full frame images
Observations and statistical studies have shown that giant planets are rare
around M dwarfs compared with Sun-like stars. The formation mechanism of these
extreme systems remains under debate for decades. With the help of the TESS
mission and ground based follow-up observations, we report the discovery of
TOI-4201b, the most massive and densest hot Jupiter around an M dwarf known so
far with a radius of and a mass of ,
about 5 times heavier than most other giant planets around M dwarfs. It also
has the highest planet-to-star mass ratio () among such
systems. The host star is an early-M dwarf with a mass of $0.61\pm0.02\
M_{\odot}0.63\pm0.02\ R_{\odot}0.52\pm 0.08$ dex). However, interior
structure modeling suggests that its planet TOI-4201b is metal-poor, which
challenges the classical core-accretion correlation of stellar-planet
metallicity, unless the planet is inflated by additional energy sources.
Building on the detection of this planet, we compare the stellar metallicity
distribution of four planetary groups: hot/warm Jupiters around G/M dwarfs. We
find that hot/warm Jupiters show a similar metallicity dependence around G-type
stars. For M dwarf host stars, the occurrence of hot Jupiters shows a much
stronger correlation with iron abundance, while warm Jupiters display a weaker
preference, indicating possible different formation histories.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables, submitted to A
Three long period transiting giant planets from TESS
We report the discovery and orbital characterization of three new transiting
warm giant planets. These systems were initially identified as presenting
single transit events in the light curves generated from the full frame images
of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Follow-up radial velocity
measurements and additional light curves were used to determine the orbital
periods and confirm the planetary nature of the candidates. The planets orbit
slightly metal-rich late F- and early G-type stars. We find that TOI 4406b has
a mass of = 0.30 0.04 , a radius of = 1.00 0.02
, and a low eccentricity orbit (e=0.15 0.05) with a period of P=
30.08364 0.00005 d . TOI 2338b has a mass of = 5.98 0.20
, a radius of = 1.00 0.01 , and a highly eccentric orbit (e=
0.676 0.002 ) with a period of P= 22.65398 0.00002 d . Finally, TOI
2589b has a mass of = 3.50 0.10 , a radius of = 1.08
0.03 , and an eccentric orbit (e = 0.522 0.006 ) with a
period of P= 61.6277 0.0002 d . TOI 4406b and TOI 2338b are enriched in
metals compared to their host stars, while the structure of TOI 2589b is
consistent with having similar metal enrichment to its host star.Comment: 24 pages, 16 figures, accepted in A
TOI-199 b: A well-characterized 100-day transiting warm giant planet with TTVs seen from Antarctica
We present the spectroscopic confirmation and precise mass measurement of the
warm giant planet TOI-199 b. This planet was first identified in TESS
photometry and confirmed using ground-based photometry from ASTEP in Antarctica
including a full 6.5h long transit, PEST, Hazelwood, and LCO; space
photometry from NEOSSat; and radial velocities (RVs) from FEROS, HARPS,
CORALIE, and CHIRON. Orbiting a late G-type star, TOI-199\,b has a
period, a mass of
, and a radius of .
It is the first warm exo-Saturn with a precisely determined mass and radius.
The TESS and ASTEP transits show strong transit timing variations, pointing to
the existence of a second planet in the system. The joint analysis of the RVs
and TTVs provides a unique solution for the non-transiting companion TOI-199 c,
which has a period of and an estimated
mass of . This period places it within
the conservative Habitable Zone.Comment: 33 pages, 23 figures. Accepted for publication in A