Revisiting the Orbital Dynamics of the Hot Jupiter WASP-12 b with New Transit Times

Abstract

In this study, we examine the transit timing deviations of the extensively studied hot Jupiter WASP-12 b using a comprehensive dataset of 391 transit light curves. The dataset includes 7 new photometric observations obtained with the 1.3 m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope, the 0.61 m VASISTHA telescope, and the 0.3 m AG Optical IDK telescope, along with 119 light curves from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), 97 from the Exoplanet Transit Database (ETD), 34 from the ExoClock Project, and 134 from previously published sources. To ensure homogeneity and precision, we modeled all 391 light curves and determined their mid-transit times. A detailed transit timing analysis revealed a significant orbital decay rate of $-31.97 \pm 0.80~\mathrm{ms~yr^{-1}}$, corresponding to a stellar tidal quality factor of $Q'_\star = (1.52 \pm 0.038) \times 10^{5}$, thereby confirming that the orbit of WASP-12 b is indeed decaying rapidly. Furthermore, the computation of model selection metrics ($\chi^2_r$, BIC, AIC) favors orbital decay as the most likely explanation. However, the presence of an eccentricity above the threshold value allows apsidal precession to remain a viable alternative. We also derived a planetary Love number of $k_p = 0.63 \pm 0.089$, consistent with Jupiter's value, suggesting a similar internal density distribution. In this study, orbital decay is strongly supported, as a plausible cause of the timing deviations observed in WASP-12 system. Continued high-precision monitoring will be essential to further constrain the system's orbital evolution.