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Ahrer, E. M., Alderson, L., Batalha, N. M., Batalha, N. E., Bean, J. L., Beatty, T. G., et al. (2023). Identification of carbon dioxide in an exoplanet atmosphere. Nature, Early Access.
Abstract: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a key chemical species that is found in a wide range of planetary atmospheres. In the context of exoplanets, CO2 is an indicator of the metal enrichment (that is, elements heavier than helium, also called 'metallicity')(1-3), and thus the formation processes of the primary atmospheres of hot gas giants(4-6). It is also one of the most promising species to detect in the secondary atmospheres of terrestrial exoplanets(7-9). Previous photometric measurements of transiting planets with the Spitzer Space Telescope have given hints of the presence of CO2, but have not yielded definitive detections owing to the lack of unambiguous spectroscopic identification(10-12). Here we present the detection of CO2 in the atmosphere of the gas giant exoplanet WASP-39b from transmission spectroscopy observations obtained with JWST as part of the Early Release Science programme(13,14). The data used in this study span 3.0-5.5micrometres in wavelength and show a prominent CO2 absorption feature at 4.3micrometres (26-sigma significance). The overall spectrum is well matched by one-dimensional, ten-times solar metallicity models that assume radiative-convective-thermochemical equilibrium and have moderate cloud opacity. These models predict that the atmosphere should have water, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide in addition to CO2, but little methane. Furthermore, we also tentatively detect a small absorption feature near 4.0micrometres that is not reproduced by these models.
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Bozhilov, V., Antonova, D., Hobson, M. J., Brahm, R., Jordan, A., Henning, T., et al. (2023). A 2:1 Mean-motion Resonance Super-Jovian Pair Revealed by TESS, FEROS, and HARPS. Astrophys. J. Lett., 946(2), L36.
Abstract: We report the discovery of a super-Jovian 2:1 mean-motion resonance (MMR) pair around the G-type star TIC 279401253, whose dynamical architecture is a prospective benchmark for planet formation and orbital evolution analysis. The system was discovered thanks to a single-transit event recorded by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission, which pointed to a Jupiter-sized companion with poorly constrained orbital parameters. We began ground-based precise radial velocity (RV) monitoring with HARPS and FEROS within the Warm gIaNts with tEss survey to constrain the transiting body's period, mass, and eccentricity. The RV measurements revealed not one but two massive planets with periods of 76.80(-0.06)(+0.06) and 155.3(-0.7)(+0.7) days, respectively. A combined analysis of transit and RV data yields an inner transiting planet with a mass of 6.14(-0.42)(+0.39) M-Jup and a radius of 1.00(-0.04)(+0.04) R-Jup, and an outer planet with a minimum mass of 8.02(-0.18)(+0.18) M-Jup, indicating a massive giant pair. A detailed dynamical analysis of the system reveals that the planets are locked in a strong firstorder, eccentricity-type 2:1 MMR, which makes TIC 279401253 one of the rare examples of truly resonant architectures supporting disk-induced planet migration. The bright host star, V approximate to 11.9 mag, the relatively short orbital period (P-b = 76.80(-0.06)(+0.06) days), and pronounced eccentricity (e = 0.448(-0.029)(+0.029)) make the transiting planet a valuable target for atmospheric investigation with the James Webb Space Telescope and ground-based extremely large telescopes.
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Clark, J. T., Addison, B. C., Okumura, J., Vach, S., Errico, A., Heitzmann, A., et al. (2023). Spinning up a Daze: TESS Uncovers a Hot Jupiter Orbiting the Rapid Rotator TOI-778. Astron. J., 165(5), 207.
Abstract: NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission has been uncovering a growing number of exoplanets orbiting nearby, bright stars. Most exoplanets that have been discovered by TESS orbit narrow-line, slow-rotating stars, facilitating the confirmation and mass determination of these worlds. We present the discovery of a hot Jupiter orbiting a rapidly rotating (v sin (i) = 35.1 +/- 1.0 km s(-1) early F3V-dwarf, HD 115447 (TOI-778). The transit signal taken from Sectors 10 and 37 of TESS's initial detection of the exoplanet is combined with follow-up ground-based photometry and velocity measurements taken from MINERVA-Australis, TRES, CORALIE, and CHIRON to confirm and characterize TOI-778 b. A joint analysis of the light curves and the radial velocity measurements yields a mass, a radius, and an orbital period for TOI-778 b of 2.76(-0.23)(+0.24) M-J, 1.370 +/- 0.043 R-J, and similar to 4.63 days, respectively. The planet orbits a bright (V = 9.1 mag) F3-dwarf with M = 1.40 +/- 0.05 M-circle dot, R = 1.70 +/- 0.05 R-circle dot, and log g = 4.05 +/- 0.17. We observed a spectroscopic transit of TOI-778 b, which allowed us to derive a sky-projected spin-orbit angle of 18 degrees +/- 11 degrees, consistent with an aligned planetary system. This discovery demonstrates the capability of smaller-aperture telescopes such as MINERVA-Australis to detect the radial velocity signals produced by planets orbiting broad-line, rapidly rotating stars.
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Dempsey, A. M., Munoz, D. J., & Lithwick, Y. (2021). Outward Migration of Super-Jupiters. Astrophys. J. Lett., 918(2), L36.
Abstract: Recent simulations show that giant planets of about 1 M (J) migrate inward at a rate that differs from the type II prediction. Here we show that at higher masses, planets migrate outward. Our result differs from previous ones because of our longer simulation times, lower viscosity, and boundary conditions that allow the disk to reach a viscous steady state. We show that, for planets on circular orbits, the transition from inward to outward migration coincides with the known transition from circular to eccentric disks that occurs for planets more massive than a few Jupiters. In an eccentric disk, the torque on the outer disk weakens due to two effects: the planet launches weaker waves, and those waves travel further before damping. As a result, the torque on the inner disk dominates, and the planet pushes itself outward. Our results suggest that the many super-Jupiters observed by direct imaging at large distances from the star may have gotten there by outward migration.
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Dong, J. Y., Huang, C. X., Dawson, R. I., Foreman-Mackey, D., Collins, K. A., Quinn, S. N., et al. (2021). Warm Jupiters in TESS Full-frame Images: A Catalog and Observed Eccentricity Distribution for Year 1. Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser., 255(1), 6.
Abstract: Warm Jupiters-defined here as planets larger than 6 Earth radii with orbital periods of 8-200 days-are a key missing piece in our understanding of how planetary systems form and evolve. It is currently debated whether Warm Jupiters form in situ, undergo disk or high-eccentricity tidal migration, or have a mixture of origin channels. These different classes of origin channels lead to different expectations for Warm Jupiters' properties, which are currently difficult to evaluate due to the small sample size. We take advantage of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) survey and systematically search for Warm Jupiter candidates around main-sequence host stars brighter than the TESS-band magnitude of 12 in the full-frame images in Year 1 of the TESS Prime Mission data. We introduce a catalog of 55 Warm Jupiter candidates, including 19 candidates that were not originally released as TESS objects of interest by the TESS team. We fit their TESS light curves, characterize their eccentricities and transit-timing variations, and prioritize a list for ground-based follow-up and TESS Extended Mission observations. Using hierarchical Bayesian modeling, we find the preliminary eccentricity distributions of our Warm-Jupiter-candidate catalog using a beta distribution, a Rayleigh distribution, and a two-component Gaussian distribution as the functional forms of the eccentricity distribution. Additional follow-up observations will be required to clean the sample of false positives for a full statistical study, derive the orbital solutions to break the eccentricity degeneracy, and provide mass measurements.
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Eberhardt, J., Hobson, M. J., Henning, T., Trifonov, T., Brahm, R., Espinoza, N., et al. (2023). Three Warm Jupiters around Solar-analog Stars Detected with TESS. Astron. J., 166(6), 271.
Abstract: We report the discovery and characterization of three giant exoplanets orbiting solar-analog stars, detected by the TESS space mission and confirmed through ground-based photometry and radial velocity measurements taken at La Silla observatory with FEROS. TOI-2373 b is a warm Jupiter orbiting its host star every similar to 13.3 days, and is one of the most massive known exoplanet with a precisely determined mass and radius around a star similar to the Sun, with an estimated mass of m(p) = 9.3(-0.2)(+0.2)Mjup and a radius of r(p) = 0.93(-0.2)(+0.2) jup. With a mean density of r = 14.4 1.0 g cm + 0.9 -3, TOI-2373 b is among the densest planets discovered so far. TOI-2416 b orbits its host star on a moderately eccentric orbit with a period of similar to 8.3 days and an eccentricity of e = 0.32 0.02 + 0.02. TOI-2416 b is more massive than Jupiter with m(p) = 3.0 +0.09 M 0.10 jup, however is significantly smaller with a radius of r(p) = 0.88 + 0.02 ,R 0.02 jup, leading to a high mean density of r = 5.4 0.3 g cm + 0.3 -3. TOI-2524 b is a warm Jupiter near the hot Jupiter transition region, orbiting its star every similar to 7.2 days on a circular orbit. It is less massive than Jupiter with a mass of m(p)=0.64- + 0.04 M 0.04 jup, and is consistent with an inflated radius of r(p)= 1.00- + 0.03 R 0.02 jup, leading to a low mean density of r = 0.79 0.08 g cm + 0.08 -3. The newly discovered exoplanets TOI-2373 b, TOI-2416 b, and TOI-2524 b have estimated equilibrium temperatures of 860 10 +10 K, 1080 10 +10 K, and 1100-20 +20 K, respectively, placing them in the sparsely populated transition zone between hot and warm Jupiters.
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Heitzmann, A., Zhou, G., Quinn, S. N., Huang, C. X., Dong, J. Y., Bouma, L. G., et al. (2023). TOI-4562b: A Highly Eccentric Temperate Jupiter Analog Orbiting a Young Field Star. Astron. J., 165(3), 121.
Abstract: We report the discovery of TOI-4562b (TIC-349576261), a Jovian planet orbiting a young F7V-type star, younger than the Praesepe/Hyades clusters (< 700 Myr). This planet stands out because of its unusually long orbital period for transiting planets with known masses (Porb = 225.11781(- 0.00022) (+0.00025 )days) and because it has a substantial eccentricity (e = 0.76(- 0.02) (+0.02)). The location of TOI-4562 near the southern continuous viewing zone of TESS allowed observations throughout 25 sectors, enabling an unambiguous period measurement from TESS alone. Alongside the four available TESS transits, we performed follow-up photometry using the South African Astronomical Observatory node of the Las Cumbres Observatory and spectroscopy with the CHIRON spectrograph on the 1.5 m SMARTS telescope. We measure a radius of 1.118 (+0.013) (-0.014) R(J )and a mass of 2.30(-0.47)(+0.48)M(J) for TOI-4562b. The radius of the planet is consistent with contraction models describing the early evolution of the size of giant planets. We detect tentative transit timing variations at the similar to 20 minutes level from five transit events, favoring the presence of a companion that could explain the dynamical history of this system if confirmed by future follow-up observations. With its current orbital configuration, tidal timescales are too long for TOI-4562b to become a hot Jupiter via high eccentricity migration though it is not excluded that interactions with the possible companion could modify TOI4562b's eccentricity and trigger circularization. The characterization of more such young systems is essential to set constraints on models describing giant-planet evolution.
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Mulders, G. D., Drazkowska, J., van der Marel, N., Ciesla, F. J., & Pascucci, I. (2021). Why Do M Dwarfs Have More Transiting Planets? Astrophys. J. Lett., 920(1), L1.
Abstract: We propose a planet formation scenario to explain the elevated occurrence rates of transiting planets around M dwarfs compared to Sun-like stars discovered by Kepler. We use a pebble drift and accretion model to simulate the growth of planet cores inside and outside of the snow line. A smaller pebble size interior to the snow line delays the growth of super-Earths, allowing giant planet cores in the outer disk to form first. When those giant planets reach pebble isolation mass they cut off the flow of pebbles to the inner disk and prevent the formation of close-in super-Earths. We apply this model to stars with masses between 0.1 and 2 M (circle dot) and for a range of initial disk masses. We find that the masses of hot super-Earths and of cold giant planets are anticorrelated. The fraction of our simulations that form hot super-Earths is higher around lower-mass stars and matches the exoplanet occurrence rates from Kepler. The fraction of simulations forming cold giant planets is consistent with the stellar mass dependence from radial-velocity surveys. A key testable prediction of the pebble accretion hypothesis is that the occurrence rates of super-Earths should decrease again for M dwarfs near the substellar boundary like Trappist-1.
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Murphy, M. M., Beatty, T. G., Roman, M. T., Malsky, I., Wingate, A., Ochs, G., et al. (2023). A Lack of Variability between Repeated Spitzer Phase Curves of WASP-43b. Astron. J., 165(3), 107.
Abstract: Though the global atmospheres of hot Jupiters have been extensively studied using phase curve observations, the level of time variability in these data is not well constrained. To investigate possible time variability in a planetary phase curve, we observed two full-orbit phase curves of the hot Jupiter WASP-43b at 4.5 mu m using the Spitzer Space Telescope, and reanalyzed a previous 4.5 mu m phase curve from Stevenson et al. We find no significant time variability between these three phase curves, which span timescales of weeks to years. The three observations are best fit by a single phase curve with an eclipse depth of 3907 +/- 85 ppm, a dayside-integrated brightness temperature of 1479 +/- 13 K, a nightside integrated brightness temperature of 755 +/- 46 K, and an eastward-shifted peak of 10.degrees 4 +/- 1.degrees 8. To model our observations, we performed 3D general circulation model simulations of WASP-43b with simple cloud models of various vertical extents. In comparing these simulations to our observations, we find that WASP-43b likely has a cloudy nightside that transitions to a relatively cloud-free dayside. We estimate that any change in WASP-43b's vertical cloud thickness of more than three pressure scale heights is inconsistent with our observed upper limit on variation. These observations, therefore, indicate that WASP-43b's clouds are stable in their vertical and spatial extent over timescales up to several years. These results strongly suggest that atmospheric properties derived from previous, single Spitzer phase curve observations of hot Jupiters likely show us the equilibrium properties of these atmospheres.
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Roman, M. T. (2023). Mid-Infrared Observations of the Giant Planets. Remote Sensing, 15(7), 1811.
Abstract: The mid-infrared spectral region provides a unique window into the atmospheric temperature, chemistry, and dynamics of the giant planets. From more than a century of mid-infrared remote sensing, progressively clearer pictures of the composition and thermal structure of these atmospheres have emerged, along with a greater insight into the processes that shape them. Our knowledge of Jupiter and Saturn has benefitted from their proximity and relatively warm temperatures, while the details of colder and more distant Uranus and Neptune are limited as these planets remain challenging targets. As the timeline of observations continues to grow, an understanding of the temporal and seasonal variability of the giant planets is beginning to develop with promising new observations on the horizon.
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Sedaghati, E., Jordan, A., Brahm, R., Munoz, D. J., Petrovich, C., & Hobson, M. J. (2023). Orbital Alignment of the Eccentric Warm Jupiter TOI-677 b. Astron. J., 166(3), 130.
Abstract: Warm Jupiters lay out an excellent laboratory for testing models of planet formation and migration. Their separation from the host star makes tidal reprocessing of their orbits ineffective, which preserves the orbital architectures that result from the planet-forming process. Among the measurable properties, the orbital inclination with respect to the stellar rotational axis, stands out as a crucial diagnostic for understanding the migration mechanisms behind the origin of close-in planets. Observational limitations have made the procurement of spin-orbit measurements heavily biased toward hot Jupiter systems. In recent years, however, high-precision spectroscopy has begun to provide obliquity measurements for planets well into the warm Jupiter regime. In this study, we present Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) measurements of the projected obliquity angle for the warm Jupiter TOI-677 b using ESPRESSO at the VLT. TOI-677 b exhibits an extreme degree of alignment (lambda = 0.3 +/- 1.3 deg), which is particularly puzzling given its significant eccentricity (e approximate to 0.45). TOI-677 b thus joins a growing class of close-in giants that exhibit large eccentricities and low spin-orbit angles, which is a configuration not predicted by existing models. We also present the detection of a candidate outer brown dwarf companion on an eccentric, wide orbit (e approximate to 0.4 and P approximate to 13 yr). Using simple estimates, we show that this companion is unlikely to be the cause of the unusual orbit of TOI-677 b. Therefore, it is essential that future efforts prioritize the acquisition of RM measurements for warm Jupiters.
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Trifonov, T., Wollbold, A., Kurster, M., Eberhardt, J., Stock, S., Henning, T., et al. (2022). A New Third Planet and the Dynamical Architecture of the HD33142 HD 33142 Planetary System. Astron. J., 164(4), 156.
Abstract: Based on recently-taken and archival HARPS, FEROS, and HIRES radial velocities (RVs), we present evidence for a new planet orbiting the first ascent red giant star HD 33142 (with an improved mass estimate of M1.52 +/- 0.03 M-circle dot), already known to host two planets. We confirm the Jovian-mass planets HD 33142b and c, with periods of P-b = 330.0(-0.4)(+0.4) days and P-c = 810. 2(-4.2)(+3.8) days and minimum dynamical masses of m(b) sin i =1.26(-0.05)(+0.05) M-Jup and m(c) sin i = 0.89(-0.05)(+0.06) M-Jup, respectively. Furthermore, our periodogram analysis of the precise RVs shows strong evidence for a short-period Doppler signal in the residuals of a two-planet Keplerian fit, which we interpret as a third, Saturn-mass planet with m(d) sin i = 0.20(-)(0.03)(+0.02) M-Jup in a close-in orbit with an orbital period of P-d = 89.9(-0.1)(+0.1) days. We study the dynamical behavior of the three-planet system configuration with an N-body integration scheme, finding it to be long-term stable with the planets alternating between low and moderate eccentricity episodes. We also perform N-body simulations, including stellar evolution and second-order dynamical effects such as planet-stellar tides and stellar mass loss on the way to the white dwarf phase. We find that planets HD 33142b, c, and d are likely to be engulfed near the tip of the red giant branch phase due to tidal migration. These results make the HD 33142 system an essential benchmark for planet population statistics of the multiple-planet systems found around evolved stars.
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van der Marel, N., & Mulders, G. D. (2021). A Stellar Mass Dependence of Structured Disks: A Possible Link with Exoplanet Demographics. Astron. J., 162(1), 28.
Abstract: Gaps in protoplanetary disks have long been hailed as signposts of planet formation. However, a direct link between exoplanets and disks remains hard to identify. We present a large sample study of ALMA disk surveys of nearby star-forming regions to disentangle this connection. All disks are classified as either structured (transition, ring, extended) or nonstructured (compact) disks. Although low-resolution observations may not identify large-scale substructure, we assume that an extended disk must contain substructure from a dust evolution argument. A comparison across ages reveals that structured disks retain high dust masses up to at least 10 Myr, whereas the dust mass of compact, nonstructured disks decreases over time. This can be understood if the dust mass evolves primarily by radial drift, unless drift is prevented by pressure bumps. We identify a stellar mass dependence of the fraction of structured disks. We propose a scenario linking this dependence with that of giant exoplanet occurrence rates. We show that there are enough exoplanets to account for the observed disk structures if transitional disks are created by exoplanets more massive than Jupiter and ring disks by exoplanets more massive than Neptune, under the assumption that most of those planets eventually migrate inwards. On the other hand, the known anticorrelation between transiting super-Earths and stellar mass implies those planets must form in the disks without observed structure, consistent with formation through pebble accretion in drift-dominated disks. These findings support an evolutionary scenario where the early formation of giant planets determines the disk's dust evolution and its observational appearance.
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Weaver, I. C., Lopez-Morales, M., Alam, M. K., Espinoza, N., Rackham, B. V., Goyal, J. M., et al. (2021). ACCESS: An Optical Transmission Spectrum of the High-gravity Hot Jupiter HAT-P-23b. Astron. J., 161(6), 278.
Abstract: We present a new ground-based visible transmission spectrum of the high-gravity, hot Jupiter HAT-P-23b, obtained as part of the ACCESS project. We derive the spectrum from five transits observed between 2016 and 2018, with combined wavelength coverage between 5200 angstrom and 9269 angstrom in 200 angstrom bins, and with a median precision of 247 ppm per bin. HAT-P-23b's relatively high surface gravity (g approximate to 30 m s(-2)), combined with updated stellar and planetary parameters from Gaia DR2, gives a five-scale-height signal of 384 ppm for a hydrogen-dominated atmosphere. Bayesian models favor a clear atmosphere for the planet with the tentative presence of TiO, after simultaneously modeling stellar contamination, using spots parameter constraints from photometry. If confirmed, HAT-P-23b would be the first example of a high-gravity gas giant with a clear atmosphere observed in transmission at optical/near-IR wavelengths; therefore, we recommend expanding observations to the UV and IR to confirm our results and further characterize this planet. This result demonstrates how combining transmission spectroscopy of exoplanet atmospheres with long-term photometric monitoring of the host stars can help disentangle the exoplanet and stellar activity signals.
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Yee, S. W., Winn, J. N., Hartman, J. D., Rodriguez, J. E., Zhou, G., Quinn, S. N., et al. (2022). The TESS Grand Unified Hot Jupiter Survey. I. Ten TESS Planets. Astron. J., 164(2), 70.
Abstract: Hot Jupiters-short-period giant planets-were the first extrasolar planets to be discovered, but many questions about their origin remain. NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an all-sky search for transiting planets, presents an opportunity to address these questions by constructing a uniform sample of hot Jupiters for demographic study through new detections and unifying the work of previous ground-based transit surveys. As the first results of an effort to build this large sample of planets, we report here the discovery of 10 new hot Jupiters (TOI-2193A b, TOI-2207b, TOI-2236b, TOI-2421b, TOI-2567b, TOI-2570b, TOI-3331b, TOI-3540A b, TOI-3693b, TOI-4137b). All of the planets were identified as planet candidates based on periodic flux dips observed by TESS, and were subsequently confirmed using ground-based time-series photometry, high-angular-resolution imaging, and high-resolution spectroscopy coordinated with the TESS Follow-up Observing Program. The 10 newly discovered planets orbit relatively bright F and G stars (G < 12.5, T (eff) between 4800 and 6200 K). The planets' orbital periods range from 2 to 10 days, and their masses range from 0.2 to 2.2 Jupiter masses. TOI-2421b is notable for being a Saturn-mass planet and TOI-2567b for being a “sub-Saturn,” with masses of 0.322 +/- 0.073 and 0.195 +/- 0.030 Jupiter masses, respectively. We also measured a detectably eccentric orbit (e = 0.17 +/- 0.05) for TOI-2207b, a planet on an 8 day orbit, while placing an upper limit of e < 0.052 for TOI-3693b, which has a 9 day orbital period. The 10 planets described here represent an important step toward using TESS to create a large and statistically useful sample of hot Jupiters.
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