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DOE OSTI2021

HAT-P-68b: A Transiting Hot Jupiter around a K5 Dwarf Star

We report the discovery by the ground-based Hungarian-made Automated Telescope Network (HATNet) survey of the transiting exoplanet HAT-P-68b, which has a mass of 0.724 ± 0.043 M {sub J}, and radius of 1.072 ± 0.012 R {sub J}. The planet is in a circular P = 2.2984 day orbit around a moderately bright V = 13.937 ± 0.030 magnitude K-dwarf star of mass 0.673{sub −0.014}{sup +0.020} M {sub ⊙}, and radius 0.6726 ± 0.0069 R {sub ⊙}. The planetary nature of this system is confirmed through follow-up transit photometry obtained with the Fred L. Whipple Observatory (FLWO) 1.2 m telescope, high-precision radial velocities measured using Keck I/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES), FLWO 1.5 m/Tillinghast Reflector Echelle Spectrograph (TRES), and Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP) 1.9 m/Sophie, and high-spatial-resolution speckle imaging from WIYN 3.5 m/DSSI. HAT-P-68 is at an ecliptic latitude of +3° and outside the field of view of both the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite primary mission and the K2 mission. The large transit depth of 0.036 mag (r band) makes HAT-P-68b a promising target for atmospheric characterization via transmission spectroscopy.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

NASA NTRS2019

The L 98-59 System: Three Transiting, Terrestrial-size Planets Orbiting a Nearby M Dwarf

We report the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovery of three terrestrial-size planets transiting L98-59 (TOI-175, TIC 307210830)—a bright M dwarf at a distance of 10.6 pc. Using the Gaia-measured distance and broadband photometry, we find that the host star is an M3 dwarf. Combined with the TESS transits from three sectors, the corresponding stellar parameters yield planet radii ranging from 0.8 R⊕ to 1.6 R⊕. All three planets have short orbital periods, ranging from 2.25 to 7.45 days with the outer pair just wide of a 2:1 period resonance. Diagnostic tests produced by the TESS Data Validation Report and the vetting package DAVE rule out common false-positive sources. These analyses, along with dedicated follow-up and the multiplicity of the system, lend confidence that the observed signals are caused by planets transiting L 98-59 and are not associated with other sources in the field. The L 98-59 system is interesting for a number of reasons: the host star is bright (V =11.7 mag, K = 7.1 mag) and the planets are prime targets for further follow-up observations including precision radial-velocity mass measurements and future transit spectroscopy with the James Webb Space Telescope; the near-resonant configuration makes the system a laboratory to study planetary system dynamical evolution; and three planets of relatively similar size in the same system present an opportunity to study terrestrial planets where other variables (age, metallicity, etc.) can be held constant. L 98-59 will be observed in four more TESS sectors, which will provide a wealth of information on the three currently known planets and have the potential to reveal additional planets in the system.

planets↗

NASA NTRS2019

The L 98-59 System Three Transiting, Terrestrial-size Planets Orbiting a Nearby M Dwarf

We report the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovery of three terrestrial-size planets transiting L 98-59 (TOI-175, TIC 307210830)—a bright M dwarf at a distance of 10.6 pc. Using the Gaia-measured distance and broadband photometry, we ﬁnd that the host star is an M3 dwarf. Combined with the TESS transits from three sectors, the corresponding stellar parameters yield planet radii ranging from 0.8 R⊕ to 1.6 R⊕. All three planets have short orbital periods, ranging from 2.25 to 7.45 days with the outer pair just wide of a 2:1 period resonance. Diagnostic tests produced by the TESS Data Validation Report and the vetting package DAVE rule out common false-positive sources. These analyses, along with dedicated follow-up and the multiplicity of the system, lend conﬁdence that the observed signals are caused by planets transiting L 98-59 and are not associated with other sources in the ﬁeld. The L 98-59 system is interesting for a number of reasons: the host star is bright (V = 11.7 mag, K = 7.1 mag) and the planets are prime targets for further follow-up observations including precision radial-velocity mass measurements and future transit spectroscopy with the James Webb Space Telescope; the near-resonant conﬁguration makes the system a laboratory to study planetary system dynamical evolution; and three planets of relatively similar size in the same system present an opportunity to study terrestrial planets where other variables (age, metallicity, etc.) can be held constant. L 98-59 will be observed in four more TESS sectors, which will provide a wealth of information on the three currently known planets and have the potential to reveal additional planets in the system.

Veselin B Kostov↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Chasing Shadows in the Night: How NASA's Kepler and TESS Missions Are Revolutionizing Exoplanet Science

The first planet outside our own solar system was discovered almost thirty years ago in an extremely unlikely place, orbiting a pulsar, and the first exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star was discovered nearly 26 years ago. In the time since, we’ve detected over 5000 planets and over 75% of these have been detected by transit surveys. The Kepler Mission, launched in 2009, has found the lion’s share of these exoplanets, and demonstrated that each star in the night sky has, on average, at least one planet. Kepler’s success spurred NASA and ESA to select several exoplanet-themed missions to move the field of exoplanet science forward from discovery to characterization: How do these planets form and evolve? What is the structure and composition of the atmospheres and interiors of these planets? Can we detect biomarkers in the atmospheres of these planets and learn the answer to the fundamental question, are we alone? NASA selected the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in 2014 to conduct a nearly all-sky survey for transiting planets with the goal of identifying at least 50 small planets with measured masses that can be followed up by large telescopic assets, such as the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. TESS has discovered 266 exoplanets so far, 100 of which are smaller than earth with measured masses. In this talk I will describe how we detect weak transit signatures in noisy but beautiful transit survey data sets and present some of the most compelling discoveries made so far by Kepler and TESS.

TESS↗

NASA NTRS2020

TOI 564 b and TOI 905 b: Grazing and Fully Transiting Hot Jupiters Discovered by TESS

We report the discovery and confirmation of two new hot Jupiters discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite(TESS): TOI 564 b and TOI 905 b. The transits of these two planets were initially observed by TESS with orbital periods of 1.651 and 3.739 days, respectively. We conducted follow-up observations of each system from the ground, including photometry in multiple filters, speckle interferometry, and radial velocity measurements. For TOI 564 b, our global fitting revealed a classical hot Jupiter with a mass of-+1.4630.0960.10MJand a radius of-+1.020.290.71RJ. Also a classical hot Jupiter, TOI 905 b has a mass of-+0.6670.0410.042MJand radius of-+1.1710.0510.053RJ. Both planets orbit Sun-like, moderately bright, mid-G dwarf stars with V11. While TOI 905 b fully transits its star, we found that TOI 564 b has a very high transit impact parameter of-+0.9940.0490.083, making it one of only∼20 known systems to exhibit a grazing transit and one of the brightest host stars among them. Therefore, TOI 564 b is one of the most attractive systems to search for additional nontransiting, smaller planets by exploiting the sensitivity of grazing transits to small changes in inclination and transit duration over a timescale of several years.

Exoplanet astronomy↗

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

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↗

NASA NTRS2021

TIC 172900988: A Transiting Circumbinary Planet Detected in One Sector of TESS Data

We report the first discovery of a transiting circumbinary planet detected from a single sector of Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) data. During Sector 21, the planet TIC 172900988b transited the primary star and then five days later it transited the secondary star. The binary is itself eclipsing, with a period P ≈ 19.7 days and an eccentricity e ≈ 0.45. Archival data from ASAS-SN, Evryscope, KELT, and SuperWASP reveal a prominent apsidal motion of the binary orbit, caused by the dynamical interactions between the binary and the planet. A comprehensive photodynamical analysis of the TESS, archival and follow-up data yields stellar masses and radii of M(1) = 1.2384 ± 0.0007 Mꙩ and R(1) = 1.3827 ± 0.0016 Rꙩ for the primary and M(2) = 1.2019 ± 0.0007 Mꙩ and R(2) = 1.3124 ± 0.0012 Rꙩ for the secondary. The radius of the planet is R(3) = 11.25 ± 0.44 Rꚛ (1.004 ± 0.039R(Jup)). The planet’s mass and orbital properties are not uniquely determined—there are six solutions with nearly equal likelihood. Specifically, we find that the planet’s mass is in the range of 824 ≲ M3 ≲ 981 Mꚛ (2.65 ≲ M3 ≲ 3.09M(Jup)), its orbital period could be 188.8, 190.4, 194.0, 199.0, 200.4, or 204.1 days, and the eccentricity is between 0.02 and 0.09. At V = 10.141 mag, the system is accessible for high-resolution spectroscopic observations, e.g., the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect and transit spectroscopy.

Veselin B. Kostov↗

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↗

NASA NTRS2019

TESS Data Release Notes: Sectors 1 – 13, Multi-Sector Search, DR20

These Data Release Notes provide information on the processing and export of data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). This data release is a combined, multi-sector transit search only. The underlying data products from individual observing sectors have been previously released. The data products included in this data release are the Data Validation (DV) reports, time series, and associated xml les for the threshold crossing events (TCEs) found by searching a combined data set including data from multiple observing sectors. These data products were generated by the TESS Science Processing Operations Center (SPOC, Jenkins et al., 2016) at NASA Ames Research Center from data collected by the TESS instrument, which is managed by the TESS Payload Operations Center (POC) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The format and content of these data products are documented in the Science Data Products Description Document (SDPDD)1. The SPOC science algorithms are based heavily on those of the Kepler Mission science pipeline, and are described in the Kepler Data Processing Handbook (Jenkins, 2017)2. The Data Validation algorithms are documented in Twicken et al. (2018) and Li et al. (2019). The TESS Instrument Handbook (Vanderspek et al., 2018)3 contains more information about the TESS instrument design, detector layout, data properties, and mission operations. The TESS Mission is funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

Burke, Christopher J.↗

NASA NTRS2020

TESS Data Release Notes: Sectors 14 – 23, Multi-sector Search, DR34

TESS↗

NASA NTRS2021

TESS Data Release Notes: Sectors 1 – 36, Multi-sector Search, DR53

These Data Release Notes provide information on the processing and export of data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). This data release is a combined, multi-sector transit search only. The underlying data products from individual observing sectors have been previously released. The data products included in this data release are the Data Validation (DV) reports, time series, and associated xml files for the threshold crossing events (TCEs) found by searching a combined data set including data from multiple observing sectors. These data products were generated by the TESS Science Processing Operations Center (SPOC, Jenkins et al., 2016) at NASA Ames Research Center from data collected by the TESS instrument, which is managed by the TESS Payload Operations Center (POC) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The format and content of these data products are documented in the Science Data Products Description Document (SDPDD)1. The SPOC science algorithms are based heavily on those of the Kepler Mission science pipeline, and are described in the Kepler Data Processing Handbook (Jenkins, 2020)2. The Data Validation algorithms are documented in Twicken et al. (2018) and Li et al. (2019). The TESS Instrument Handbook (Vanderspek et al., 2018) contains more information about the TESS instrument design, detector layout, data properties, and mission operations. The TESS Mission is funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

TESS↗

NASA NTRS2022

TOI-712 A System of Adolescent Mini-Neptunes Extending to the Habitable Zone

As an all-sky survey, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission is able to detect the brightest and rarest types of transiting planetary systems, including young planets that enable study of the evolutionary processes that occur within the first billion years. Here we report the discovery of a young, multiplanet system orbiting the bright K4.5V star, TOI-712 ( V = 10.838, M * = 0.733 +0.026 -0.025 M ⨀ , R * = 0.674 ± 0.016 R ⨀ , T eff = 4622 +61 -60 K). From the TESS light curve, we measure a rotation period of 12.48 days and derive an age between about 500 Myr and 1.1 Gyr. The photometric observations reveal three transiting mini-Neptunes ( R b = 2.049 +0.120 -0.080 R ⊕ , R c = 2.701 +0.092 -0.082 R ⊕ , R d = 2.474 +0.090 -0.082 R ⊕ ), with orbital periods of P b = 9.531 days, P c = 51.699 days, and P d = 84.839 days. After modeling the three-planet system, an additional Earth-sized candidate is identified, TOI-712.05 ( P = 4.32 days, R P = 0.81 ± 0.11 R ⊕ ). We calculate that the habitable zone falls between 0.339 and 0.844 au (82.7 and 325.3 days), placing TOI-712 d near its inner edge. Among planetary systems harboring temperate planets, TOI-712 ( T = 9.9) stands out as a relatively young star bright enough to motivate further characterization.

Exoplanets↗

NASA NTRS2020

Mass Determinations of the Three Mini-Neptunes Transiting TOI-125

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, TESS, is currently carrying out an all-sky search for small planets transiting bright stars. In the first year of the TESS survey, a steady progress was made in achieving the mission’s primary science goal of establishing bulk densities for 50 planets smaller than Neptune. During that year, the TESS’s observations were focused on the southern ecliptic hemisphere, resulting in the discovery of three mini-Neptunes orbiting the star TOI-125, a V = 11.0 K0 dwarf. We present intensive HARPS radial velocity observations, yielding precise mass measurements for TOI-125b, TOI-125c, and TOI-125d. TOI-125b has an orbital period of 4.65 d, a radius of 2.726 ± 0.075 R(E), a mass of 9.50 ± 0.88 M(E), and is near the 2:1 mean motion resonance with TOI-125c at 9.15 d. TOI-125c has a similar radius of 2.759 ± 0.10 R(E) and a mass of 6.63 ± 0.99 M(E), being the puffiest of the three planets. TOI-125d has an orbital period of 19.98 d and a radius of 2.93 ± 0.17 R(E) and mass 13.6 ± 1.2 M(E). For TOI-125b and d, we find unusual high eccentricities of 0.19 ± 0.04 and 0.17(sup +0.08, sub −0.06), respectively. Our analysis also provides upper mass limits for the two low-SNR planet candidates in the system; for TOI-125.04 (R(P) = 1.36 R(E), P = 0.53 d), we find a 2σ upper mass limit of 1.6 M(E), whereas TOI-125.05 (R(P) = 4.2(sup +2.4, sub −1.4 R(E), P = 13.28 d) is unlikely a viable planet candidate with an upper mass limit of 2.7 M(E). We discuss the internal structure of the three confirmed planets, as well as dynamical stability and system architecture for this intriguing exoplanet system.

L D Nielsen↗

DOE OSTI2021

Decaying Orbit of the Hot Jupiter WASP-12b: Confirmation with TESS Observations

Theory suggests that the orbits of some close-in giant planets should decay due to tidal interactions with their host stars. To date, WASP-12b is the only hot Jupiter reported to have a decaying orbit, at a rate of 29 ± 2 ms yr{sup −1}. We analyzed data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to verify that WASP-12b’s orbit is indeed changing. We find that the TESS transit and occultation data are consistent with a decaying orbit with an updated period of 1.091420090 ± 0.000000041 days and a decay rate of 32.53 ± 1.62 ms yr{sup −1}. We find an orbital decay timescale of τ=P/| P-dot |=2.90±0.14 Myr. If the observed decay results from tidal dissipation, the modified tidal quality factor is Q{sub ⋆}{sup ′}=1.39±0.15×10{sup 5}, which falls at the lower end of values derived for binary star systems and hot Jupiters. Our result highlights the power of space-based photometry for investigating the orbital evolution of short-period exoplanets.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

NASA NTRS2017

Lessons Learned from Developing and Operating the Kepler Science Pipeline and Building the TESS Science Pipeline

The experience acquired through development, implementation and operation of the KeplerK2 science pipelines can provide lessons learned for the development of science pipelines for other missions such as NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, and ESA's PLATO mission.

TESS Mission↗

NASA NTRS2021

Identifying Planetary Transit Candidates in TESS Full-frame Image Light Curves via Convolutional Neural Networks

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite(TESS)mission measured light from stars in∼75% of the sky throughout its 2 yr primary mission, resulting in millions of TESS 30-minute-cadence light curves to analyze in the search for transiting exoplanets. To search this vast data trove for transit signals, we aim to provide an approach that both is computationally efficient and produces highly performant predictions. This approach minimizes the required human search effort. We present a convolutional neural network, which we train to identify planetary transit signals and dismiss false positives. To make a prediction for a given light curve, our network requires no prior transit parameters identified using other methods. Our network performs inference on a TESS 30-minute-cadence light curve in∼5 ms on a single GPU, enabling large-scale archival searches. We present 181 new planet candidates identified by our network, which pass subsequent human vetting designed to rule out false positives.Our neural network model is additionally provided as open-source code for public use and extension

Gregory Olmschenk↗