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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Transits of Known Planets Orbiting a Naked-eye Star

Some of the most scientifically valuable transiting planets are those that were already known from radial velocity (RV) surveys. This is primarily because their orbits are well characterized and they preferentially orbit bright stars that are the targets of RV surveys. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) provides an opportunity to survey most of the known exoplanet systems in a systematic fashion to detect possible transits of their planets. HD 136352 (Nu{sup 2} Lupi) is a naked-eye (V = 5.78) G-type main-sequence star that was discovered to host three planets with orbital periods of 11.6, 27.6, and 108.1 days via RV monitoring with the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectrograph. We present the detection and characterization of transits for the two inner planets of the HD 136352 system, revealing radii of 1.482{sub −0.056}{sup +0.058} R {sub ⊕} and 2.608{sub −0.077}{sup +0.078} R {sub ⊕} for planets b and c, respectively. We combine new HARPS observations with RV data from the Keck/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer and the Anglo-Australian Telescope, along with TESS photometry from Sector 12, to perform a complete analysis of the system parameters. The combined data analysis results in extracted bulk density values of ρ{sub b}=7.8{sub −1.1}{sup +1.2} g cm{sup −3} and ρ{sub c}=3.50{sub −0.36}{sup +0.41} g cm{sup −3} for planets b and c, respectively, thus placing them on either side of the radius valley. The combination of the multitransiting planet system, the bright host star, and the diversity of planetary interiors and atmospheres means this will likely become a cornerstone system for atmospheric and orbital characterization of small worlds.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

TOI-811b and TOI-852b: New Transiting Brown Dwarfs with Similar Masses and Very Different Radii and Ages from the TESS Mission

We report the discovery of two transiting brown dwarfs (BDs), TOI-811b and TOI-852b, from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission. These two transiting BDs have similar masses but very different radii and ages. Their host stars have similar masses, effective temperatures, and metallicities. The younger and larger transiting BD is TOI-811b at a mass of M {sub b} = 59.9 ± 13.0M {sub J} and radius of R {sub b} = 1.26 ± 0.06R {sub J}, and it orbits its host star in a period of P = 25.16551 ± 0.00004 days. We derive the host star’s age of 93{sub −29}{sup +61} Myr from an application of gyrochronology. The youth of this system, rather than external heating from its host star, is why this BD’s radius is relatively large. This constraint on the youth of TOI-811b allows us to test substellar mass–radius evolutionary models at young ages where the radius of BDs changes rapidly. TOI-852b has a similar mass at M {sub b} = 53.7 ± 1.4M {sub J} but is much older (4 or 8 Gyr, based on bimodal isochrone results of the host star) and is also smaller with a radius of R {sub b} = 0.83 ± 0.04R {sub J}. TOI-852b’s orbital period is P = 4.94561 ± 0.00008 days. TOI-852b joins the likes of other old transiting BDs that trace out the oldest substellar mass–radius evolutionary models where contraction of the BD’s radius slows and approaches a constant value. Both host stars have a mass of M {sub ⋆} = 1.32M {sub ⊙} ± 0.05 and differ in their radii, T {sub eff}, and [Fe/H], with TOI-811 having R {sub ⋆} = 1.27 ± 0.09R {sub ⊙}, T {sub eff} = 6107 ± 77 K, and [Fe/H] = + 0.40 ± 0.09 and TOI-852 having R {sub ⋆} = 1.71 ± 0.04R {sub ⊙}, T {sub eff} = 5768 ± 84 K, and [Fe/H] = + 0.33 ± 0.09. We take this opportunity to examine how TOI-811b and TOI-852b serve as test points for young and old substellar isochrones, respectively.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

TESS Discovery of a Super-Earth and Three Sub-Neptunes Hosted by the Bright, Sun-like Star HD 108236

We report the discovery and validation of four extrasolar planets hosted by the nearby, bright, Sun-like (G3V) star HD 108236 using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). We present transit photometry, reconnaissance, and precise Doppler spectroscopy, as well as high-resolution imaging, to validate the planetary nature of the objects transiting HD 108236, also known as the TESS Object of Interest (TOI) 1233. The innermost planet is a possibly rocky super-Earth with a period of 3.79523{sub −0.00044}{sup +0.00047} days and has a radius of 1.586 ± 0.098 R {sub ⊕}. The outer planets are sub-Neptunes, with potential gaseous envelopes, having radii of 2.068{sub −0.091}{sup +0.10} R {sub ⊕}, 2.72 ± 0.11 R {sub ⊕}, and 3.12{sub −0.12}{sup +0.13} R {sub ⊕} and periods of 6.20370{sub −0.00052}{sup +0.00064} days, 14.17555{sub −0.0011}{sup +0.00099} days, and 19.5917{sub −0.0020}{sup +0.0022} days, respectively. With V and K {sub s} magnitudes of 9.2 and 7.6, respectively, the bright host star makes the transiting planets favorable targets for mass measurements and, potentially, for atmospheric characterization via transmission spectroscopy. HD 108236 is the brightest Sun-like star in the visual (V) band known to host four or more transiting exoplanets. The discovered planets span a broad range of planetary radii and equilibrium temperatures and share a common history of insolation from a Sun-like star (R {sub ⋆} = 0.888 ± 0.017 R {sub ⊙}, T {sub eff} = 5730 ± 50 K), making HD 108236 an exciting, opportune cosmic laboratory for testing models of planet formation and evolution.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

SOAR TESS Survey. I. Sculpting of TESS Planetary Systems by Stellar Companions

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is finding transiting planet candidates around bright, nearby stars across the entire sky. The large field of view, however, results in low spatial resolution; therefore, multiple stars contribute to almost every TESS light curve. High angular resolution imaging can detect the previously unknown companions to planetary candidate hosts that dilute the transit depths, lead to host star ambiguity, and, in some cases, are the source of false-positive transit signals. We use speckle imaging on the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope to search for companions to 542 TESS planet candidate hosts in the southern sky. We provide correction factors for the 117 systems with resolved companions due to photometric contamination. The contamination in TESS due to close binaries is similar to that found in surveys of Kepler planet candidates. For the solar-type population, we find a deep deficit of close binary systems with projected stellar separations less than 100 au among planet candidate hosts (44 observed binaries compared to 124 expected based on field binary statistics). The close binary suppression among TESS planet candidate hosts is similar to that seen for the more distant Kepler population. We also find a large surplus of TESS planet candidates in wide binary systems detected in both SOAR and Gaia DR2 (119 observed binaries compared to 77 expected). These wide binaries almost exclusively host giant planets, however, suggesting that orbital migration caused by perturbations from the stellar companion may lead to planet–planet scattering and suppress the population of small planets in wide binaries. Both trends are also apparent in the M dwarf planet candidate hosts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

1990 The Twin Cities Metropolitan Area Travel Behavior Inventory

The Twin Cities Metropolitan Area 1990 Travel Behavior Inventory, or home interview survey, was conducted by Twin Cities Metropolitan Council—Saint Paul to document how Twin Cities residents use the streets, highways, and transit services in the region. The survey collected demographic, socioeconomic, and travel data for 9,476 households. Respondents were asked to record their travel and activities for a 24-hour period, in which 98,535 trips were documented. In addition to the home interview survey, the study included an establishment survey, a transit survey, external station traffic counts, and an external station origin/destination survey.

1Hz data↗
DOE OSTI2020

TESS Reveals a Short-period Sub-Neptune Sibling (HD 86226c) to a Known Long-period Giant Planet

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission was designed to find transiting planets around bright, nearby stars. Here, we present the detection and mass measurement of a small, short-period (≈4 days) transiting planet around the bright (V = 7.9), solar-type star HD 86226 (TOI-652, TIC 22221375), previously known to host a long-period (∼1600 days) giant planet. HD 86226c (TOI-652.01) has a radius of 2.16 ± 0.08 R {sub ⊕} and a mass of 7.25{sub −1.12}{sup +1.19} M {sub ⊕}, based on archival and new radial velocity data. We also update the parameters of the longer-period, not-known-to-transit planet, and find it to be less eccentric and less massive than previously reported. The density of the transiting planet is 3.97 g cm{sup −3}, which is low enough to suggest that the planet has at least a small volatile envelope, but the mass fractions of rock, iron, and water are not well-constrained. Given the host star brightness, planet period, and location of the planet near both the “radius gap” and the “hot Neptune desert,” HD 86226c is an interesting candidate for transmission spectroscopy to further refine its composition.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

TESS Hunt for Young and Maturing Exoplanets (THYME). IV. Three Small Planets Orbiting a 120 Myr Old Star in the Pisces–Eridanus Stream

Young exoplanets can offer insight into the evolution of planetary atmospheres, compositions, and architectures. We present the discovery of the young planetary system TOI 451 (TIC 257605131, Gaia DR2 4844691297067063424). TOI 451 is a member of the 120 Myr old Pisces–Eridanus stream (Psc–Eri). We confirm membership in the stream with its kinematics, its lithium abundance, and the rotation and UV excesses of both TOI 451 and its wide-binary companion, TOI 451 B (itself likely an M-dwarf binary). We identified three candidate planets transiting in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite data and followed up the signals with photometry from Spitzer and ground-based telescopes. The system comprises three validated planets at periods of 1.9, 9.2, and 16 days, with radii of 1.9, 3.1, and 4.1 R {sub ⨂}, respectively. The host star is near-solar mass with V = 11.0 and H = 9.3 and displays an infrared excess indicative of a debris disk. The planets offer excellent prospects for transmission spectroscopy with the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope, providing the opportunity to study planetary atmospheres that may still be in the process of evolving.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

TESS Reveals HD 118203 b to be a Transiting Planet

The exoplanet HD 118203 b, orbiting a bright (V = 8.05) host star, was discovered using the radial velocity method by da Silva et al., but was not previously known to transit. Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry has revealed that this planet transits its host star. Nine planetary transits were observed by TESS, allowing us to measure the radius of the planet to be 1.136{sub −0.028}{sup +0.029}R{sub J}, and to calculate the planet mass to be 2.166{sub −0.079}{sup +0.074}M{sub J}. The host star is slightly evolved with an effective temperature of T{sub eff}=5683{sub −85}{sup +84} K and a surface gravity of log g=3.889{sub 0.018}{sup 0.017}. With an orbital period of 6.134985{sub −0.000030}{sup +0.000029} days and an eccentricity of 0.314 ± 0.017, the planet occupies a transitional regime between circularized hot Jupiters and more dynamically active planets at longer orbital periods. The host star is among the 10 brightest known to have transiting giant planets, providing opportunities for both planetary atmospheric and asteroseismic studies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

TOI–1278 B: SPIRou Unveils a Rare Brown Dwarf Companion in Close-in Orbit around an M Dwarf

We present the discovery of an 18.5 ± 0.5 M {sub Jup} brown dwarf (BD) companion to the M0V star TOI–1278. The system was first identified through a percent-deep transit in Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite photometry; further analysis showed it to be a grazing transit of a Jupiter-sized object. Radial velocity (RV) follow-up with the SPIRou near-infrared high-resolution velocimeter and spectropolarimeter in the framework of the 300-night SPIRou Legacy Survey carried out at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope led to the detection of a Keplerian RV signal with a semi-amplitude of 2306 ± 10 m s{sup -1} in phase with the 14.5 day transit period, with a slight but nonzero eccentricity. The intermediate-mass ratio (M {sub ·}/M {sub comp} ~ 31) is unique for having such a short separation (0.095 ± 0.001 au) among known M-dwarf systems. Interestingly, M-dwarf–BD systems with similar mass ratios exist with separations of tens to thousands of astronomical unit.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

A search for transit timing variations in the HATS-18 planetary system

ABSTRACT HATS-18 b is a transiting planet with a large mass and a short orbital period, and is one of the best candidates for the detection of orbital decay induced by tidal effects. We present extensive photometry of HATS-18 from which we measure 27 times of mid-transit. Two further transit times were measured from data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and three more taken from the literature. The transit timings were fitted with linear and quadratic ephemerides and an upper limit on orbital decay was determined. This corresponds to a lower limit on the modified stellar tidal quality factor of $Q_\star ^{\, \prime } \gt 10^{5.11 \pm 0.04}$. This is at the cusp of constraining the presence of enhanced tidal dissipation due to internal gravity waves. We also refine the measured physical properties of the HATS-18 system, place upper limits on the masses of third bodies, and compare the relative performance of TESS and the 1.54 m Danish Telescope in measuring transit times for this system.

Southworth, John (ORCID:0000000238073198)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Quasi-periodic Oscillations in the TESS Light Curve of TX Col, a Diskless Intermediate Polar on the Precipice of Forming an Accretion Disk

One of the fundamental properties of an intermediate polar is the dynamical nature of the accretion flow as it encounters the white dwarf’s (WD’s) magnetosphere. Many works have presumed a dichotomy between disk-fed accretion, in which the WD accretes from a Keplerian disk, and stream-fed accretion, in which the matter stream from the donor star directly impacts the WD’s magnetosphere without forming a disk. However, there is also a third, poorly understood regime in which the accretion flow consists of a torus of diamagnetic blobs that encircles the WD. This mode of accretion is expected to exist at mass-transfer rates below those observed during disk-fed accretion, but above those observed during pure stream-fed accretion. We invoke the diamagnetic-blob regime to explain the exceptional Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite light curve of the intermediate polar TX Col, which transitioned into and out of states of enhanced accretion during Cycles 1 and 3. Power-spectral analysis reveals that the accretion was principally stream fed. However, when the mass-transfer rate spiked, large-amplitude quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) abruptly appeared and dominated the light curve for weeks. The QPOs have two striking properties: they appear in a stream-fed geometry at elevated accretion rates, and they occur preferentially within a well-defined range of frequencies (∼10–25 cycle day{sup −1}). We propose that during episodes of enhanced accretion, a torus of diamagnetic blobs forms near the binary’s circularization radius and that the QPOs are beats between the white dwarf’s spin frequency and unstable blob orbits within the WD’s magnetosphere. We discuss how such a torus could be a critical step in producing an accretion disk in a formerly diskless system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Around Which Stars Can TESS Detect Earth-like Planets? The Revised TESS Habitable Zone Catalog

In the search for life in the cosmos, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission has already monitored about 74% of the sky for transiting extrasolar planets, including potentially habitable worlds. However, TESS only observed a fraction of the stars long enough to be able to find planets like Earth. We use the primary mission data—the first two years of observations—and identify 4239 stars within 210 pc that TESS observed long enough to see three transits of an exoplanet that receives similar irradiation to Earth: 738 of these stars are located within 30 pc. We provide reliable stellar parameters from the TESS Input Catalog that incorporates Gaia DR2 and also calculate the transit depth and radial velocity semiamplitude for an Earth-analog planet. Of the 4239 stars in the Revised TESS HZ Catalog, 9 are known exoplanet hosts—GJ1061, GJ1132, GJ3512, GJ685, Kepler-42, LHS1815, L98-59, RRCae, and TOI700—around which TESS could identify additional Earth-like planetary companions. Thirty-seven additional stars host yet unconfirmed TESS Objects of Interest: three of these orbit in the habitable zone—TOI203, TOI715, and TOI2298. For a subset of 614 of the 4239 stars, TESS has observed the star long enough to be able to observe planets throughout the full temperate, habitable zone out to the equivalent of Mars’ orbit. Thus, the Revised TESS Habitable Zone Catalog provides a tool for observers to prioritize stars for follow-up observation to discover life in the cosmos. These stars are the best path toward the discovery of habitable planets using the TESS mission data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Giant Outer Transiting Exoplanet Mass (GOT ‘EM) Survey. I. Confirmation of an Eccentric, Cool Jupiter with an Interior Earth-sized Planet Orbiting Kepler-1514

Despite the severe bias of the transit method of exoplanet discovery toward short orbital periods, a modest sample of transiting exoplanets with orbital periods greater than 100 days is known. Long-term radial velocity (RV) surveys are pivotal to confirming these signals and generating a set of planetary masses and densities for planets receiving moderate to low irradiation from their host stars. Here we conduct RV observations of Kepler-1514 from the Keck I telescope using the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer. From these data, we measure the mass of the statistically validated giant (1.108 ± 0.023 R {sub J}) exoplanet Kepler-1514 b with a 218-day orbital period as 5.28 ± 0.22 M {sub J}. The bulk density of this cool (∼390 K) giant planet is 4.82{sub −0.25}{sup +0.26}g cm{sup −3}, consistent with a core supported by electron degeneracy pressure. We also infer an orbital eccentricity of 0.401{sub −0.014}{sup +0.013} from the RV and transit observations, which is consistent with planet–planet scattering and disk cavity migration models. The Kepler-1514 system contains an Earth-size, Kepler Object of Interest on a 10.5-day orbit that we statistically validate against false-positive scenarios, including those involving a neighboring star. The combination of the brightness (V = 11.8) of the host star and the long period, low irradiation, and high density of Kepler-1514 b places this system among a rare group of known exoplanetary systems and as one that is amenable to continued study.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

ACCESS and LRG-BEASTS: A Precise New Optical Transmission Spectrum of the Ultrahot Jupiter WASP-103b

We present a new ground-based optical transmission spectrum of the ultrahot Jupiter WASP-103b (T{sub eq}=2484 K). Our transmission spectrum is the result of combining five new transits from the ACCESS survey and two new transits from the LRG-BEASTS survey with a reanalysis of three archival Gemini/GMOS transits and one VLT/FORS2 transit. Our combined 11-transit transmission spectrum covers a wavelength range of 3900–9450 Å with a median uncertainty in the transit depth of 148 parts per million, which is less than one atmospheric scale height of the planet. In our retrieval analysis of WASP-103b’s combined optical and infrared transmission spectrum, we find strong evidence for unocculted bright regions (4.3σ) and weak evidence for H{sub 2}O (1.9σ), HCN (1.7σ), and TiO (2.1σ), which could be responsible for WASP-103b’s observed temperature inversion. Our optical transmission spectrum shows significant structure that is in excellent agreement with the extensively studied ultrahot Jupiter WASP-121b, for which the presence of VO has been inferred. For WASP-103b, we find that VO can only provide a reasonable fit to the data if its abundance is implausibly high and we do not account for stellar activity. Our results highlight the precision that can be achieved by ground-based observations and the impacts that stellar activity from F-type stars can have on the interpretation of exoplanet transmission spectra.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

The ‘Giraffe’: discovery of a stripped red giant in an interacting binary with an ∼2 M ⊙ lower giant

We report the discovery of a stripped giant + lower giant Algol-type binary, 2M04123153+6738486 (2M0412), identified during a search for non-interacting compact object – star binaries. 2M0412 is an evolved ( T eff, giant ≃ 4000 K), luminous ( L giant ≃ 150 L ⊙ ) red giant in a circular P = 81.2 d binary. 2M0412 is a known variable star previously classified as a semiregular variable. The cross-correlation functions of follow-up Keck/HIRES and LBT/Potsdam Echelle Polarimetric and Spectroscopic Instrument (PEPSI) spectra show an radial velocity variable second component with implied mass ratio q = M giant / M comp ≃ 0.20 ± 0.01. The All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN), Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), Transiting Exoplanet Survey Telescope ( TESS ), and Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) light curves show that the giant is a Roche lobe filling ellipsoidal variable with an inclination of 49.4 ± 0.3°, and a giant mass of M giant = 0.38 ± 0.01 M ⊙ for a distance of ≃ 3.7 kpc. The mass of the giant indicates that its envelope has been partially stripped. The giant companion on the lower red giant branch has a mass of M comp = 1.91 ± 0.03 M ⊙ with T eff, comp ≃ 5000 K, L comp ≃ 60 L ⊙ , and R comp ≃ 11 R ⊙ . The lower giant contributes ${\sim }35{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the flux in the V band. We also identify an orbital phase dependent, broad $\rm H\,\alpha$ emission line which could indicate ongoing accretion from the stripped red giant on to the companion.

(stars:) binaries: spectroscopic↗
DOE OSTI2020

Two Transiting Hot Jupiters from the WASP Survey: WASP-150b and WASP-176b

We report the discovery of two transiting exoplanets from the WASP survey, WASP-150b and WASP-176b. WASP-150b is an eccentric (e = 0.38) hot Jupiter on a 5.6 day orbit around a V = 12.03, F8 main-sequence host. The host star has a mass and radius of 1.4 M{sub ⊙} and 1.7 R{sub ⊙} respectively. WASP-150b has a mass and radius of 8.5 M{sub J} and 1.1 R {sub J}, leading to a large planetary bulk density of 6.4 ρ {sub J}. WASP-150b is found to be ∼3 Gyr old, well below its circularization timescale, supporting the eccentric nature of the planet. WASP-176b is a hot Jupiter planet on a 3.9 day orbit around a V = 12.01, F9 sub-giant host. The host star has a mass and radius of 1.3 M {sub ⊙} and 1.9 R {sub ⊙}. WASP-176b has a mass and radius of 0.86 M {sub J} and 1.5 R {sub J}, respectively, leading to a planetary bulk density of 0.23 ρ {sub J}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Cluster Difference Imaging Photometric Survey. II. TOI 837: A Young Validated Planet in IC 2602

We report the discovery of TOI 837b and its validation as a transiting planet. We characterize the system using data from the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission, the ESA Gaia mission, ground-based photometry from El Sauce and ASTEP400, and spectroscopy from CHIRON, FEROS, and Veloce. We find that TOI 837 is a T = 9.9 mag G0/F9 dwarf in the southern open cluster IC 2602. The star and planet are therefore 35$_{-5}^{+11}$ million years old. Combining the transit photometry with a prior on the stellar parameters derived from the cluster color–magnitude diagram, we find that the planet has an orbital period of 8.3 days and is slightly smaller than Jupiter (R p =0.77$_{-0.07}^{+0.09}$ R Jup ). From radial velocity monitoring, we limit M p sin i to less than 1.20 M Jup (3σ). The transits either graze or nearly graze the stellar limb. Grazing transits are a cause for concern, as they are often indicative of astrophysical false-positive scenarios. Our follow-up data show that such scenarios are unlikely. Our combined multicolor photometry, high-resolution imaging, and radial velocities rule out hierarchical eclipsing binary scenarios. Background eclipsing binary scenarios, though limited by speckle imaging, remain a 0.2% possibility. TOI 837b is therefore a validated adolescent exoplanet. The planetary nature of the system can be confirmed or refuted through observations of the stellar obliquity and the planetary mass. Such observations may also improve our understanding of how the physical and orbital properties of exoplanets change in time.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

TOI-1231 b: A Temperate, Neptune-sized Planet Transiting the Nearby M3 Dwarf NLTT 24399

We report the discovery of a transiting, temperate, Neptune-sized exoplanet orbiting the nearby (d = 27.5 pc), M3V star TOI-1231 (NLTT 24399, L 248-27, 2MASS J10265947-5228099). The planet was detected using photometric data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and followed up with observations from the Las Cumbres Observatory and the Antarctica Search for Transiting ExoPlanets program. Combining the photometric data sets, we find that the newly discovered planet has a radius of 3.65{sub −0.15}{sup +0.16} R{sub ⊕} and an orbital period of 24.246 days. Radial velocity measurements obtained with the Planet Finder Spectrograph on the Magellan Clay telescope confirm the existence of the planet and lead to a mass measurement of 15.5 ± 3.3 M {sub ⊕}. With an equilibrium temperature of just 330 K, TOI-1231 b is one of the coolest small planets accessible for atmospheric studies thus far, and its host star’s bright near-infrared brightness (J = 8.88, K {sub s} = 8.07) makes it an exciting target for the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. Future atmospheric observations would enable the first comparative planetology efforts in the 250–350 K temperature regime via comparisons with K2-18 b. Furthermore, TOI-1231's high systemic radial velocity (70.5 km s{sup −1}) may allow for the detection of low-velocity hydrogen atoms escaping the planet by Doppler, shifting the H i Lyα stellar emission away from the geocoronal and interstellar medium absorption features.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗