Abstract: 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. 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 M ( P ) = 0.30 +/- 0.04 M (J), a radius of R ( P ) = 1.00 +/- 0.02 R (J), and a low-eccentricity orbit (e = 0.15 +/- 0.05) with a period of P = 30.08364 +/- 0.00005 days. TOI 2338b has a mass of M ( P ) = 5.98 +/- 0.20 M (J), a radius of R ( P ) = 1.00 +/- 0.01 R (J), and a highly eccentric orbit (e = 0.676 +/- 0.002) with a period of P = 22.65398 +/- 0.00002 days. Finally, TOI 2589b has a mass of M ( P ) = 3.50 +/- 0.10 M (J), a radius of R ( P ) = 1.08 +/- 0.03 R (J), and an eccentric orbit (e = 0.522 +/- 0.006) with a period of P = 61.6277 +/- 0.0002 days. 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.

Abstract: High-eccentricity tidal migration predicts the existence of highly eccentric proto hot Jupiters on the “tidal circularization track,” meaning that they might eventually become hot Jupiters, but that their migratory journey remains incomplete. Having experienced moderate amounts of tidal evolution of their orbital elements, proto hot Jupiter systems can be powerful test beds for the underlying mechanisms of eccentricity growth. Notably, they may be used for discriminating between variants of high-eccentricity migration, each predicting a distinct evolution of misalignment between the star and the planet's orbit. We constrain the spin-orbit misalignment of the proto hot Jupiter TOI-3362b with high-precision radial-velocity observations using ESPRESSO at Very Large Telescope. The observations reveal a sky-projected obliquity lambda=1.2+2.8(degrees)/-2.7 and constrain the orbital eccentricity to e = 0.720 +/- 0.016, making it one of the most eccentric gas giants for which the obliquity has been measured. Although the large eccentricity and the striking orbit alignment of the planet are puzzling, we suggest that ongoing coplanar high-eccentricity migration driven by a distant companion is a possible explanation for the system's architecture. This distant companion would need to reside beyond 5 au at 95% confidence to be compatible with the available radial-velocity observations.

Abstract: Determining the architecture of multi-planetary systems is one of the cornerstones of understanding planet formation and evolution. Resonant systems are especially important as the fragility of their orbital configuration ensures that no significant scattering or collisional event has taken place since the earliest formation phase when the parent protoplanetary disc was still present. In this context, TOI-178 has been the subject of particular attention since the first TESS observations hinted at the possible presence of a near 2:3:3 resonant chain. Here we report the results of observations from CHEOPS, ESPRESSO, NGTS, and SPECULOOS with the aim of deciphering the peculiar orbital architecture of the system. We show that TOI-178 harbours at least six planets in the super-Earth to mini-Neptune regimes, with radii ranging from
1.152(-0.070)(+0.073)</textual-form>
1.152-0.070+0.073 to
2.87(-0.13)(+0.14)</textual-form> 2.87-0.13+0.14 Earth radii and periods of 1.91, 3.24, 6.56, 9.96, 15.23, and 20.71 days. All planets but the innermost one form a 2:4:6:9:12 chain of Laplace resonances, and the planetary densities show important variations from planet to planet, jumping from
1.02(-0.23)(+0.28)</textual-form> 1.02-0.23+0.28 to
0.177(-0.061)(+0.055)</textual-form> 0.177-0.061+0.055 times the Earth's density between planets c and d. Using Bayesian interior structure retrieval models, we show that the amount of gas in the planets does not vary in a monotonous way, contrary to what one would expect from simple formation and evolution models and unlike other known systems in a chain of Laplace resonances. The brightness of TOI-178 (H = 8.76 mag, J = 9.37 mag, V = 11.95 mag) allows for a precise characterisation of its orbital architecture as well as of the physical nature of the six presently known transiting planets it harbours. The peculiar orbital configuration and the diversity in average density among the planets in the system will enable the study of interior planetary structures and atmospheric evolution, providing important clues on the formation of super-Earths and mini-Neptunes.

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.

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.