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.

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.

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: Disk solids are critical in many planet formation processes; however, their effect on planet migration remains largely unexplored. Here we assess this important issue for the first time by building on the systematic measurements of dust torques on an embedded planet by Benitez-Llambay & Pessah. Adopting standard models for the gaseous disk and its solid content, we quantify the impact of the dust torque for a wide range of conditions describing the disk/planet system. We show that the total torque can be positive and reverse inward planet migration for planetary cores with M (p) & LSIM; 10 M (& OPLUS;). We compute formation tracks for low-mass embryos for conditions usually invoked when modeling planet formation processes. Our most important conclusion is that dust torques can have a significant impact on the migration and formation history of planetary embryos. The most important implications of our findings are as follows. (i) For nominal dust-to-gas mass ratios & epsilon; & SIME; 0.01, low-mass planets migrate outwards beyond the water ice-line if most of the mass in the solids is in particles with Stokes numbers St & SIME;0.1. (ii) For & epsilon; & GSIM; 0.02-0.05, solids with small Stokes numbers, St & SIME; 0.01, can play a dominant role if most of the mass is in those particles. (iii) Dust torques have the potential to enable low-mass planetary cores formed in the inner disk to migrate outwards and act as the seed for massive planets at distances of tens of au.

Abstract: Substructures in protoplanetary disks can act as dust traps that shape the radial distribution of pebbles. By blocking the passage of pebbles, the presence of gaps in disks may have a profound effect on pebble delivery into the inner disk, crucial for the formation of inner planets via pebble accretion. This process can also affect the delivery of volatiles (such as H2O) and their abundance within the water snow line region (within a few au). In this study, we aim to understand what effect the presence of gaps in the outer gas disk may have on water vapor enrichment in the inner disk. Building on previous work, we employ a volatile-inclusive disk evolution model that considers an evolving ice-bearing drifting dust population, sensitive to dust traps, which loses its icy content to sublimation upon reaching the snow line. We find that the vapor abundance in the inner disk is strongly affected by the fragmentation velocity (v( f)) and turbulence, which control how intense vapor enrichment from pebble delivery is, if present, and how long it may last. Generally, for disks with low to moderate turbulence (a = 1 x 10(-3)) and a range of v( f), radial locations and gap depths (especially those of the innermost gaps) can significantly alter enrichment. Shallow inner gaps may continuously leak material from beyond it, despite the presence of additional deep outer gaps. We finally find that for realistic v( f) (=10 m s(-1)), the presence of gaps is more important than planetesimal formation beyond the snow line in regulating pebble and volatile delivery into the inner disk.

Abstract: We present a study of the stellar populations of globular clusters (GCs) in the Virgo Cluster core with a homogeneous spectroscopic catalog of 692 GCs within a major-axis distance R (maj) = 840 kpc from M87. We investigate radial and azimuthal variations in the mean age, total metallicity, [Fe/H], and alpha-element abundance of blue (metal-poor) and red (metal-rich) GCs using their co-added spectra. We find that the blue GCs have a steep radial gradient in [Z/H] within R (maj) = 165 kpc, with roughly equal contributions from [Fe/H] and [alpha/Fe], and flat gradients beyond. By contrast, the red GCs show a much shallower gradient in [Z/H], which is entirely driven by [Fe/H]. We use GC-tagged Illustris simulations to demonstrate an accretion scenario where more massive satellites (with more metal- and alpha-rich GCs) sink further into the central galaxy than less massive ones, and where the gradient flattening occurs because of the low GC occupation fraction of low-mass dwarfs disrupted at larger distances. The dense environment around M87 may also cause the steep [alpha/Fe] gradient of the blue GCs, mirroring what is seen in the dwarf galaxy population. The progenitors of red GCs have a narrower mass range than those of blue GCs, which makes their gradients shallower. We also explore spatial inhomogeneity in GC abundances, finding that the red GCs to the northwest of M87 are slightly more metal-rich. Future observations of GC stellar population gradients will be useful diagnostics of halo merger histories.

Abstract: We present a study of ultracompact dwarf (UCD) galaxies in the Virgo cluster based mainly on imaging from the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). Using similar to 100 deg(2) of u*giz imaging, we have identified more than 600 candidate UCDs, from the core of Virgo out to its virial radius. Candidates have been selected through a combination of magnitudes, ellipticities, colors, surface brightnesses, half-light radii, and, when available, radial velocities. Candidates were also visually validated from deep NGVS images. Subsamples of varying completeness and purity have been defined to explore the properties of UCDs and compare to those of globular clusters and the nuclei of dwarf galaxies with the aim of delineating the nature and origins of UCDs. From a surface density map, we find the UCDs to be mostly concentrated within Virgo's main subclusters, around its brightest galaxies. We identify several subsamples of UCDs-i.e., the brightest, largest, and those with the most pronounced and/or asymmetric envelopes-that could hold clues to the origin of UCDs and possible evolutionary links with dwarf nuclei. We find some evidence for such a connection from the existence of diffuse envelopes around some UCDs and comparisons of radial distributions of UCDs and nucleated galaxies within the cluster.

Abstract: Studies of exoplanetary atmospheres have found no definite correlations between observed high-altitude aerosols and other system parameters. This could be, in part, because of the lack of homogeneous exoplanet samples for which specific parameters can be isolated and inspected. Here, we present a set of seven exoplanets with very similar system parameters. We analyze existing photometric time series, Gaia parallax, and high-resolution spectroscopic data to produce a new set of homogeneous stellar, planetary, and orbital parameters for these systems. With this, we confirm that most measured parameters for all systems are very similar, except for the host stars' metallicities and possibly high-energy irradiation levels, which require UV and X-ray observations to constrain. From the sample, WASP-6b, WASP-96b, and WASP-110b have observed transmission spectra that we use to estimate their aerosol coverage levels using the Na i doublet 5892.9 angstrom. We find a tentative correlation between the metallicity of the host stars and the planetary aerosol levels. The trend we find with stellar metallicity can be tested by observing transmission spectra of the remaining planets in the sample. Based on our prediction, WASP-25b and WASP-55b should have higher levels of aerosols than WASP-124b and HATS-29b. Finally, we highlight how targeted surveys of alike planets similar to the ones presented here might prove key for identifying driving factors for atmospheric properties of exoplanets in the future and could be used as a sample selection criterion for future observations with, e.g., JWST, ARIEL, and the next generation of ground-based telescopes.

Abstract: Planets are born from disks of gas and dust, and observations of protoplanetary disks are used to constrain the initial conditions of planet formation. However, dust mass measurements of Class II disks with ALMA have called into question whether they contain enough solids to build the exoplanets that have been detected to date. In this paper, we calculate the mass and spatial scale of solid material around Sun-like stars probed by transit and radial velocity exoplanet surveys and compare those to the observed dust masses and sizes of Class II disks in the same stellar-mass regime. We show that the apparent mass discrepancy disappears when accounting for observational selection and detection biases. We find a discrepancy only when the planet formation efficiency is below 100%, or if there is a population of undetected exoplanets that significantly contributes to the mass in solids. We identify a positive correlation between the masses of planetary systems and their respective orbital periods, which is consistent with the trend between the masses and the outer radii of Class II dust disks. This implies that, despite a factor 100 difference in spatial scale, the properties of protoplanetary disks seem to be imprinted on the exoplanet population.

Abstract: It is the most appropriate time to characterize the Earth-like exoplanets in order to detect biosignature beyond the Earth because such exoplanets will be the prime targets of big-budget missions like JWST, Roman Space Telescope, HabEx, LUVOIR, Thirty Meter Telescope, Extremely Large Telescope, etc. We provide models for the transmission spectra of Earth-like exoplanets by incorporating the effects of multiple scattering. For this purpose we numerically solve the full multiple-scattering radiative transfer equations instead of using Beer-Bouguer-Lambert's law, which does not include the diffuse radiation due to scattering. Our models demonstrate that the effect of this diffuse transmission radiation can be observationally significant, especially in the presence of clouds. We also calculate the reflection spectra and polarization phase curves of Earth-like exoplanets by considering both cloud-free and cloudy atmospheres. We solve the 3D vector radiative transfer equations numerically and calculate the phase curves of albedo and disk-integrated polarization by using appropriate scattering phase matrices and integrating the local Stokes vectors over the illuminated part of the disks along the line of sight. We present the effects of the globally averaged surface albedo on the reflection spectra and phase curves as the surface features of such planets are known to significantly dictate the nature of these observational quantities. Synergic observations of the spectra and phase curves will certainly prove to be useful in extracting more information and reducing the degeneracy among the estimated parameters of terrestrial exoplanets. Thus, our models will play a pivotal role in driving future observations.