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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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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

A Rotation Rate for the Planetary-mass Companion DH Tau b

DH Tau b is a young planetary-mass companion orbiting at a projected separation of 320 au from its ∼2 Myr old host star DH Tau. With an estimated mass of 8–22 M{sub Jup} this object straddles the deuterium-burning limit, and might have formed via core or pebble accretion, disk instability, or molecular cloud fragmentation. To shed light on the formation history of DH Tau b, we obtain the first measurement of rotational line broadening for this object using high-resolution (R ∼ 25,000) near-infrared spectroscopy from Keck/NIRSPEC. We measure a projected rotational velocity (v sin i) of 9.6 ± 0.7 km s{sup −1}, corresponding to a rotation rate that is between 9% and 15% of DH Tau b’s predicted breakup speed. This low rotation rate is in good agreement with scenarios in which magnetic coupling between the companion and its circumplanetary disk during the late stages of accretion reduces angular momentum and regulates spin. We compare the rotation rate of DH Tau b to published values for other planetary-mass objects with masses between 0.3 and 20 M{sub Jup} and find no evidence of a correlation between mass and rotation rate in this mass regime. Finally, we search for evidence of individual molecules in DH Tau b’s spectrum and find that it is dominated by CO and H{sub 2}O, with no evidence of the presence of CH{sub 4}. This agrees with expectations given DH Tau b’s relatively high effective temperature (∼2300 K).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Obliquity Constraints on an Extrasolar Planetary-mass Companion

We place the first constraints on the obliquity of a planetary-mass companion outside of the solar system. Our target is the directly imaged system 2MASS J01225093–2439505 (2M0122), which consists of a 120 Myr 0.4 M {sub ⊙} star hosting a 12–27 M {sub J} companion at 50 au. We constrain all three of the system’s angular-momentum vectors: how the companion spin axis, the stellar spin axis, and the orbit normal are inclined relative to our line of sight. To accomplish this, we measure projected rotation rates (v sin i) for both the star and the companion using new near-infrared high-resolution spectra with NIRSPEC at Keck Observatory. We combine these with a new stellar photometric rotation period from TESS and a published companion rotation period from Hubble Space Telescope to obtain spin-axis inclinations for both objects. We also fitted multiple epochs of astrometry, including a new observation with NIRC2/Keck, to measure 2M0122b’s orbital inclination. The three line-of-sight inclinations place limits on the true de-projected companion obliquity and stellar obliquity. We find that while the stellar obliquity marginally prefers alignment, the companion obliquity tentatively favors misalignment. We evaluate possible origin scenarios. While collisions, secular spin–orbit resonances, and Kozai–Lidov oscillations are unlikely, formation by gravitational instability in a gravito-turbulent disk—the scenario favored for brown dwarf companions to stars—appears promising.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

New Candidates for Planetary-mass Brown Dwarfs in IC 348

We have used infrared images obtained with the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope to search for planetary-mass brown dwarfs in the star-forming cluster IC 348. In those images, we have identified 12 objects that have colors indicative of spectral types later than M8, corresponding to masses of ≲30 M {sub Jup} at the age of IC 348. The four brightest candidates have been observed with spectroscopy, all of which are confirmed to have late types. Two of those candidates appear to be young, and thus are likely members of the cluster, while the ages and membership of the other two candidates are uncertain. One of the former candidates is the faintest known member of IC 348 in extinction-corrected K {sub s} and is expected to have a mass of 4–5 M {sub Jup} based on evolutionary models and an assumed age of 3 Myr. Four of the remaining eight candidates have ground-based photometry that further supports their candidacy as brown dwarfs, some of which are fainter (and potentially less massive) than the known members.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

BD+44°493: Chemo-dynamical Analysis and Constraints on Companion Planetary Masses from WIYN/NEID Spectroscopy

In this work, we present high-resolution (R ~ 100,000), high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ~ 800) spectroscopic observations for the well-known, bright, extremely metal-poor, carbon-enhanced star BD+44°493. We determined chemical abundances and upper limits for 17 elements from WIYN/NEID data, complemented with 11 abundances redetermined from Subaru and Hubble data, using the new, more accurate, stellar atmospheric parameters calculated in this work. Our analysis suggests that BD+44°493 is a low-mass (0.83 M ⊙ ), old (12.1–13.2 Gyr) second-generation star likely formed from a gas cloud enriched by a single metal-free 20.5 M ⊙ Population III star in the early Universe. With a disk-like orbit, BD+44°493 does not appear to be associated with any major merger event in the early history of the Milky Way. From the precision radial-velocity NEID measurements (median absolute deviation = 16 m s –1 ), we were able to constrain companion planetary masses around BD+44°493 and rule out the presence of planets as small as $m\sin i=2$ M J out to periods of 100 days. This study opens a new avenue of exploration for the intersection between stellar archaeology and exoplanet science using NEID.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

exoALMA. XI. ALMA Observations and Hydrodynamic Models of LkCa 15: Implications for Planetary Mass Companions in the Dust Continuum Cavity

In the past decade, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has revealed a plethora of substructures in the disks surrounding young stars. These substructures have several proposed formation mechanisms, with one leading theory being the interaction between the disk and newly formed planets. In this Letter, we present high angular resolution ALMA observations of LkCa 15’s disk that reveal a striking difference in dust and CO emission morphology. The dust continuum emission shows a ringlike structure characterized by a dust-depleted inner region of ~40 au in radius. Conversely, the CO emission is radially smoother and shows no sign of gas depletion within the dust cavity. We compare the observations with models for the disk–planet interaction, including radiative transfer calculation in the dust and CO emission. This source is particularly interesting, as the presence of massive planets within the dust cavity has been suggested based on previous near-IR observations. We find that the level of CO emission observed within the dust cavity is inconsistent with the presence of planets more massive than Jupiter orbiting between 10 and 40 au. Instead, we argue that the LkCa 15 innermost dust cavity might be created either by a chain of low-mass planets or by other processes that do not require the presence of planets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Cloud Atlas: High-precision HST/WFC3/IR Time-resolved Observations of Directly Imaged Exoplanet HD 106906b

HD 106906b is an ∼11M{sub Jup}, ∼15 Myr old directly imaged exoplanet orbiting at an extremely large distance from its host star. The wide separation (7.″11) between HD 106906b and its host star greatly reduces the difficulty in direct-imaging observations, making it one of the most favorable directly imaged exoplanets for detailed characterization. In this paper, we present HST/WFC3/IR time-resolved observations of HD 106906b in the F127M, F139M, and F153M bands. We have achieved ∼1% precision in the lightcurves in all three bands. The F127M lightcurve demonstrates marginally detectable (2.7σ significance) variability with a best-fitting period of 4 hr, while the lightcurves in the other two bands are consistent with flat lines. We construct primary-subtracted deep images and use these images to exclude additional companions to HD 106906 that are more massive than 4 M{sub Jup} and locate at projected distances of more than ∼500 au. We measure the astrometry of HD 106906b in two HST/WFC3 epochs and achieve precisions better than 2.5 mas. The position angle and separation measurements do not deviate from those in the 2004 HST/ACS/HRC images for more than 1σ uncertainty. We provide the HST/WFC3 astrometric results for 25 background stars that can be used as reference sources in future precision astrometry studies. Our observations also provide the first 1.4 μm water band photometric measurement for HD 106906b. HD 106906b’s spectral energy distribution and the best-fitting BT-Settl model have an inconsistency in the 1.4 μm water absorption band, which highlights the challenges in modeling atmospheres of young planetary-mass objects.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Predictions of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Galactic Exoplanet Survey. II. Free-floating Planet Detection Rates

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) will perform a Galactic Exoplanet Survey (RGES) to discover bound exoplanets with semimajor axes greater than 1 au using gravitational microlensing. Roman will even be sensitive to planetary-mass objects that are not gravitationally bound to any host star. Such free-floating planetary-mass objects (FFPs) will be detected as isolated microlensing events with timescales shorter than a few days. A measurement of the abundance and mass function of FFPs is a powerful diagnostic of the formation and evolution of planetary systems, as well as the physics of the formation of isolated objects via direct collapse. We show that Roman will be sensitive to FFP lenses that have masses from that of Mars (0.1 M {sub ⊕}) to gas giants (M ≳ 100 M {sub ⊕}) as isolated lensing events with timescales from a few hours to several tens of days, respectively. We investigate the impact of the detection criteria on the survey, especially in the presence of finite-source effects for low-mass lenses. The number of detections will depend on the abundance of such FFPs as a function of mass, which is at present poorly constrained. Assuming that FFPs follow the fiducial mass function of cold, bound planets adapted from Cassan et al., we estimate that Roman will detect ∼250 FFPs with masses down to that of Mars (including ∼60 with masses ≤ M {sub ⊕}). We also predict that Roman will improve the upper limits on FFP populations by at least an order of magnitude compared to currently existing constraints.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Gemini Planet Imager View of the HD 32297 Debris Disk

We present new H-band scattered light images of the HD 32297 edge-on debris disk obtained with the Gemini Planet Imager. The disk is detected in total and polarized intensity down to a projected angular separation of 0.″15, or 20 au. On the other hand, the large-scale swept-back halo remains undetected, likely a consequence of its markedly blue color relative to the parent body belt. We analyze the curvature of the disk spine and estimate a radius of ≈100 au for the parent body belt, smaller than past scattered light studies but consistent with thermal emission maps of the system. We employ three different flux-preserving post-processing methods to suppress the residual starlight and evaluate the surface brightness and polarization profile along the disk spine. Unlike past studies of the system, our high-fidelity images reveal the disk to be highly symmetric and devoid of morphological and surface brightness perturbations. We find the dust scattering properties of the system to be consistent with those observed in other debris disks, with the exception of HR 4796. Finally, we find no direct evidence for the presence of a planetary-mass object in the system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Beyond Equilibrium Temperature: How the Atmosphere/Interior Connection Affects the Onset of Methane, Ammonia, and Clouds in Warm Transiting Giant Planets

The atmospheric pressure–temperature profiles for transiting giant planets cross a range of chemical transitions. Here we show that the particular shapes of these irradiated profiles for warm giant planets below ~1300 K lead to striking differences in the behavior of nonequilibrium chemistry compared to brown dwarfs of similar temperatures. Our particular focus is H 2 O, CO, CH 4 , CO 2 , and NH 3 in Jupiter- and Neptune-class planets. We show that the cooling history of a planet, which depends most significantly on planetary mass and age, can have a dominant effect on abundances in the visible atmosphere, often swamping trends one might expect based on T eq alone. The onset of detectable CH 4 in spectra can be delayed to lower T eq for some planets compared to equilibrium, or pushed to higher T eq . The detectability of NH 3 is typically enhanced compared to equilibrium expectations, which is opposite to the brown dwarf case. We find that both CH 4 and NH 3 can become detectable at around the same T eq (at T eq values that vary with mass and metallicity), whereas these “onset” temperatures are widely spaced for brown dwarfs. We suggest observational strategies to search for atmospheric trends and stress that nonequilibrium chemistry and clouds can serve as probes of atmospheric physics. As examples of atmospheric complexity, we assess three Neptune-class planets, GJ 436b, GJ 3470b, and WASP-107, all around T eq = 700 K. Tidal heating due to eccentricity damping in all three planets heats the deep atmosphere by thousands of degrees and may explain the absence of CH 4 in these cool atmospheres. Atmospheric abundances must be interpreted in the context of physical characteristics of the planet.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Moderate-resolution K-band Spectroscopy of Substellar Companion κ Andromedae b

We present moderate-resolution (R ∼ 4000) K-band spectra of the “super-Jupiter,” κ Andromedae b. The data were taken with the OSIRIS integral field spectrograph at Keck Observatory. The spectra reveal resolved molecular lines from H{sub 2}O and CO, and are compared to a custom PHOENIX atmosphere model grid appropriate for young planetary-mass objects. We fit the data using a Markov chain Monte Carlo forward-modeling method. Using a combination of our moderate-resolution spectrum and low-resolution, broadband data from the literature, we derive an effective temperature of T {sub eff} = 1950–2150 K, a surface gravity of logg=3.5--4.5, and a metallicity of [M/H] = −0.2–0.0. These values are consistent with previous estimates from atmospheric modeling and the currently favored young age of the system (<50 Myr). We derive a C/O ratio of 0.70{sub −0.24}{sup +0.09} for the source, broadly consistent with the solar C/O ratio. This, coupled with the slightly subsolar metallicity, implies a composition consistent with that of the host star, and is suggestive of formation by a rapid process. The subsolar metallicity of κ Andromedae b is also consistent with predictions of formation via gravitational instability. Further constraints on formation of the companion will require measurement of the C/O ratio of κ Andromedae A. We also measure the radial velocity of κ Andromedae b for the first time, with a value of −1.4 ± 0.9 km s{sup −1} relative to the host star. We find that the derived radial velocity is consistent with the estimated high eccentricity of κ Andromedae b.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

KELT-25 b and KELT-26 b: A Hot Jupiter and a Substellar Companion Transiting Young A Stars Observed by TESS

We present the discoveries of KELT-25 b (TIC 65412605, TOI-626.01) and KELT-26 b (TIC 160708862, TOI-1337.01), two transiting companions orbiting relatively bright, early A stars. The transit signals were initially detected by the KELT survey and subsequently confirmed by Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry. KELT-25 b is on a 4.40 day orbit around the V = 9.66 star CD-24 5016 (T{sub eff}=8280{sub -180}{sup +440} K, M&lowast; = 2.18{sub -0.11}{sup +0.12} M{sub ⊙}), while KELT-26 b is on a 3.34 day orbit around the V = 9.95 star HD 134004 (T{sub eff} = 8640{sub -240}{sup +500} K, M&lowast; = 1.93{sub -0.16}{sup +0.14} M{sub ⊙}), which is likely an Am star. We have confirmed the substellar nature of both companions through detailed characterization of each system using ground-based and TESS photometry, radial velocity measurements, Doppler tomography, and high-resolution imaging. For KELT-25, we determine a companion radius of R{sub P} = 1.64{sub -0.043}{sup +0.039} R{sub J} and a 3σ upper limit on the companion’s mass of ~64 M{sub J}. For KELT-26 b, we infer a planetary mass and radius of M{sub P} = 1.41{sub -0.51}{sup +0.43} M{sub J} and R{sub P} = 1.94{sub -0.058}{sup +0.060} R{sub J}. From Doppler tomographic observations, we find KELT-26 b to reside in a highly misaligned orbit. This conclusion is weakly corroborated by a subtle asymmetry in the transit light curve from the TESS data. KELT-25 b appears to be in a well-aligned, prograde orbit, and the system is likely a member of the cluster Theia 449.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Simulating the Multi-epoch Direct Detection Technique to Isolate the Thermal Emission of the Non-transiting Hot Jupiter HD187123b

We report the 6.5σ detection of water from the hot Jupiter HD187123b with a Keplerian orbital velocity K {sub p} of 53 ± 13 km s{sup −1}. This high-confidence detection is made using a multi-epoch, high-resolution, cross-correlation technique, and corresponds to a planetary mass of 1.4{sub −0.3}{sup +0.5} M {sub J} and an orbital inclination of 21° ± 5°. The technique works by treating the planet/star system as a spectroscopic binary and obtaining high signal-to-noise, high-resolution observations at multiple points across the planet’s orbit to constrain the system’s binary dynamical motion. All together, seven epochs of Keck/NIRSPEC L-band observations were obtained, with five before the instrument upgrade and two after. Using high-resolution SCARLET planetary and PHOENIX stellar spectral models, we were able to drastically increase the confidence of the detection by running simulations that could reproduce, and thus remove, the nonrandom structured noise in the final likelihood space well. The ability to predict multi-epoch results will be extremely useful for furthering the technique. Here, we use these simulations to compare three different approaches to combining the cross correlations of high-resolution spectra and find that the Zucker log(L) approach is least affected by unwanted planet/star correlation for our HD187123 data set. Furthermore, we find that the same total signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) spread across an orbit in many, lower S/N epochs rather than fewer, higher S/N epochs could provide a more efficient detection. This work provides a necessary validation of multi-epoch simulations, which can be used to guide future observations and will be key to studying the atmospheres of farther separated, non-transiting exoplanets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Free-floating or Wide-orbit Planet in the Microlensing Event OGLE-2019-BLG-0551

High-cadence observations of the Galactic bulge by the microlensing surveys led to the discovery of a handful of extremely short-timescale microlensing events that can be attributed to free-floating or wide-orbit planets. Here, we report the discovery of another strong free-floating planet candidate, which was found from the analysis of the gravitational microlensing event OGLE-2019-BLG-0551. The light curve of the event is characterized by a very short duration (≲3 days) and a very small amplitude (≲0.1 mag). From modeling of the light curve, we find that the Einstein timescale, t{sub E}=0.381±0.017 day, is much shorter, and the angular Einstein radius, θ{sub E}=4.35±0.34 μas, is much smaller than those of typical lensing events produced by stellar-mass lenses (t{sub E}∼20 days, θ{sub E}∼0.3 mas), indicating that the lens is very likely to be a planetary-mass object. We conduct an extensive search for possible signatures of a companion star in the light curve of the event, finding no significant evidence for the putative host star. For the first time, we also demonstrate that the angular Einstein radius of the lens does not depend on blending in the low-magnification events with strong finite source effects.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Pair of TESS Planets Spanning the Radius Valley around the Nearby Mid-M Dwarf LTT 3780

We present the confirmation of two new planets transiting the nearby mid-M dwarf LTT 3780 (TIC 36724087, TOI-732, V = 13.07, K {sub s} = 8.204, R {sub s} = 0.374 R {sub ⊙}, M {sub s} = 0.401 M {sub ⊙}, d = 22 pc). The two planet candidates are identified in a single Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite sector and validated with reconnaissance spectroscopy, ground-based photometric follow-up, and high-resolution imaging. With measured orbital periods of P {sub b} = 0.77, P {sub c} = 12.25 days and sizes r {sub p,b} = 1.33 ± 0.07, r {sub p,c} = 2.30 ± 0.16 R {sub ⊕}, the two planets span the radius valley in period–radius space around low-mass stars, thus making the system a laboratory to test competing theories of the emergence of the radius valley in that stellar mass regime. By combining 63 precise radial velocity measurements from the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) and HARPS-N, we measure planet masses of m{sub p,b}=2.62{sub −0.46}{sup +0.48} and m{sub p,c}=8.6{sub −1.3}{sup +1.6} M {sub ⊕}, which indicates that LTT 3780b has a bulk composition consistent with being Earth-like, while LTT 3780c likely hosts an extended H/He envelope. We show that the recovered planetary masses are consistent with predictions from both photoevaporation and core-powered mass-loss models. The brightness and small size of LTT 3780, along with the measured planetary parameters, render LTT 3780b and c as accessible targets for atmospheric characterization of planets within the same planetary system and spanning the radius valley.

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 OSTI2020

Dynamical Packing in the Habitable Zone: The Case of Beta CVn

Uncovering the occurrence rate of terrestrial planets within the habitable zone (HZ) of their host stars has been a particular focus of exoplanetary science in recent years. The statistics of these occurrence rates have largely been derived from transiting planet discoveries, and have uncovered numerous HZ planets in compact systems around M-dwarf host stars. Here we explore the width of the HZ as a function of spectral type, and the dynamical constraints on the number of stable orbits within the HZ for a given star. We show that, although the Hill radius for a given planetary mass increases with larger semimajor axis, the width of the HZ for earlier-type stars allows for more terrestrial planets in the HZ than late-type stars. In general, dynamical constraints allow ∼6 HZ Earth-mass planets for stellar masses ≳0.7M {sub ⊙}, depending on the presence of farther out giant planets. As an example, we consider the case of Beta CVn, a nearby bright solar-type star. We present 20 yr of radial velocities (RV) from the Keck/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) and Automated Planet Finder (APF) instruments and conduct an injection-recovery analysis of planetary signatures in the data. Our analysis of these RV data rule out planets more massive than Saturn within 10 au of the star. These system properties are used to calculate the potential dynamical packing of terrestrial planets in the HZ and show that such nearby stellar targets could be particularly lucrative for HZ planet detection by direct imaging exoplanet missions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

TOI-1634 b: An Ultra-short-period Keystone Planet Sitting inside the M-dwarf Radius Valley

Studies of close-in planets orbiting M dwarfs have suggested that the M-dwarf radius valley may be well explained by distinct formation timescales between enveloped terrestrials and rocky planets that form at late times in a gas-depleted environment. This scenario is at odds with the picture that close-in rocky planets form with a primordial gaseous envelope that is subsequently stripped away by some thermally driven mass-loss process. These two physical scenarios make unique predictions of the rocky/enveloped transition’s dependence on orbital separation such that studying the compositions of planets within the M-dwarf radius valley may be able to establish the dominant physics. Here, we present the discovery of one such keystone planet: the ultra-short-period planet TOI-1634 b (P = 0.989 days, F=121F{sub ⊕}, r{sub p}=1.790{sub -0.081}{sup +0.080} R {sub ⊕}) orbiting a nearby M2 dwarf (K {sub s} = 8.7, R {sub s} = 0.450 R {sub ⊙}, M {sub s} = 0.502 M {sub ⊙}) and whose size and orbital period sit within the M-dwarf radius valley. We confirm the TESS-discovered planet candidate using extensive ground-based follow-up campaigns, including a set of 32 precise radial velocity measurements from HARPS-N. We measure a planetary mass of 4.91{sub -0.70}{sup +0.68} M {sub ⊕}, which makes TOI-1634 b inconsistent with an Earth-like composition at 5.9σ and thus requires either an extended gaseous envelope, a large volatile-rich layer, or a rocky composition that is not dominated by iron and silicates to explain its mass and radius. The discovery that the bulk composition of TOI-1634 b is inconsistent with that of Earth supports the gas-depleted formation mechanism to explain the emergence of the radius valley around M dwarfs with M{sub s}≲0.5 M {sub ⊙}.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

First Detection of Orbital Motion for HD 106906 b: A Wide-separation Exoplanet on a Planet Nine–like Orbit

HD 106906 is a 15 Myr old short-period (49 days) spectroscopic binary that hosts a wide-separation (737 au) planetary-mass (∼11 M{sub Jup}) common proper motion companion, HD 106906 b. Additionally, a circumbinary debris disk is resolved at optical and near-infrared wavelengths that exhibits a significant asymmetry at wide separations that may be driven by gravitational perturbations from the planet. In this study we present the first detection of orbital motion of HD 106906 b using Hubble Space Telescope images spanning a 14 yr period. We achieve high astrometric precision by cross-registering the locations of background stars with the Gaia astrometric catalog, providing the subpixel location of HD 106906 that is either saturated or obscured by coronagraphic optical elements. We measure a statistically significant 31.8 ± 7.0 mas eastward motion of the planet between the two most constraining measurements taken in 2004 and 2017. This motion enables a measurement of the inclination between the orbit of the planet and the inner debris disk of either 36{sub −14}{sup +27} deg or 44{sub −14}{sup +27} deg, depending on the true orientation of the orbit of the planet. There is a strong negative correlation between periastron and mutual inclination; orbits with smaller periastra are more misaligned with the disk plane. With a periastron of 510{sub −320}{sup +480} au, HD 106906 b is likely detached from the planetary region within 100 au radius, showing that a Planet Nine–like architecture can be established very early in the evolution of a planetary system.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗