arXiv subjects

Elise Koo

Publications and source records attributed to Elise Koo.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

POSEIDON III: The Aligned Orbit of the Hot Neptune Around the Hot Star WASP-195

Stellar obliquities provide important clues as to the formation and migration histories of planetary systems, but measurements remain scarce for Neptune-mass planets, especially those orbiting hot stars (above the Kraft break). Here we present observations of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect in the hot-star/hot-Neptune system WASP-195 ($T_{\rm eff}=6470\pm100$ K, $v\sin{i_\star}=10.5\pm1.1$ km s$^{-1}$) obtained with the Keck Planet Finder and NEID spectrographs. A joint analysis of these observations, archival photometry, and archival radial velocities yields a sky-projected stellar obliquity of $\lambda=-10\pm7^\circ$, consistent with spin-orbit alignment. This makes WASP-195 one of the few hot-star/hot-Neptune systems with a measured obliquity. Archival radial velocities from SOPHIE exclude Jupiter-mass planets within approximately 3 au at $5\sigma$ confidence. The aligned and nearly circular orbit is naturally consistent with a history of disk-driven migration, although coplanar high-eccentricity migration or Roche-lobe overflow cannot be ruled out. We also investigate why so few Neptunes around hot stars have measured obliquities. Their scarcity likely reflects a combination of the lower intrinsic occurrence of short-period Neptunes around hot stars and the difficulty of confirming planet candidates in this regime, where rapid stellar rotation broadens spectral lines and hampers conventional radial-velocity confirmation. Rapid rotation also increases the detectability of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, a feature that could help to widen the planet confirmation bottleneck while expanding the obliquity census of small planets around hot stars.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2026

Discovery and Characterization of the TOI-4468 Planetary System: A Transiting Hot Jupiter With a Lone Nearby Outer Companion

We report the discovery of two planets, a hot Jupiter and a nearby outer sub-Neptune, orbiting the star TOI-4468. This system is unique among the current exoplanet census in that it features a close outer companion to a hot Jupiter without an accompanying inner companion. By jointly fitting radial velocity measurements taken with the NEID spectrograph and transit photometry from TESS and several ground-based observatories, we constrain the orbital periods, masses, and radii of these two planets. We confirm the planetary nature of the hot Jupiter TOI-4468 b ($R = 1.01 R_J$, $m = 0.54 M_J$, $P = 2.77$ days). We also validate the outer planet TOI-4468 c ($R = 0.28 R_J$, $P = 7.01$ days) statistically, incorporating constraints from ground-based observations. We also identify, but cannot confirm, an additional radial velocity signal which may be due to an outer giant in this system with an orbital period of 624 days. From the observed geometry of this system, we argue that it must never have encountered an early secular resonance that is thought to excite the mutual inclination of other hot Jupiter/outer companion systems. We discuss the possibility of an undetected inner companion, as well as potential implications for hot Jupiter formation.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2026

POSEIDON II: The Anti-Aligned Orbit of the Warm Neptune TOI-1710 A b

We present an observation of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect for the TOI-1710 system with the NEID spectrograph on the WIYN 3.5 m telescope. The system hosts a warm Neptune ($P\sim24$ days), and our observations reveal that it orbits in the opposite direction to the stellar spin, with a sky-projected obliquity $\lambda=179\pm19^{\circ}$. Combined with information about the rotation period of the host star, we measure a true obliquity $\psi=158_{-13}^{+11}\,^{\circ}$. The host star has an M-dwarf companion at a separation of $\sim3600$ au, but this companion is too distant to be solely responsible for misaligning the warm Neptune. The host star also shows a long-term radial velocity trend, indicative of a companion at intermediate separations. We show that such a companion can dynamically couple the warm Neptune to the distant M dwarf, enabling the transfer of inclination from the wide binary orbit to the planetary orbit. Assuming this scenario is correct, we predict the intermediate companion is a $\sim5\,M_J$ planet on a $\sim15$ au orbit that is nearly aligned with the transiting planet's orbit.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2026

POSEIDON I: The Dynamical Origins of Transiting Neptunes

We present the first results from the POSEIDON survey, aimed at constraining the dynamical origins of transiting Neptunes through stellar obliquity measurements. We report Rossiter-McLaughlin observations of two Neptunes, TOI-181 b and TOI-883 b, obtained with high-resolution spectroscopy from Magellan/PFS and WIYN/NEID. TOI-181 b is on a 4.5-day orbit with a sky-projected spin-orbit misalignment $\lambda = 32.0_{-6.5}^{+6.3}\,^{\circ}$ and a low eccentricity ($e<0.12$ with $2\sigma$ confidence). TOI-883 b has a longer orbital period of 10 days with $\lambda = 22_{-14}^{+15}\,^{\circ}$ and eccentricity $e = 0.16 \pm 0.03$. The significant misalignment of TOI-181 b and the significant eccentricity of TOI-883 b are suggestive of high-eccentricity migration for both systems. After adding these and other new measurements to the sample, we analyze the obliquity distribution of the host stars of transiting Neptunes. Earlier studies had suggested that the obliquity distribution is bimodal, with peaks corresponding to aligned orbits and polar orbits; the addition of more measurements has weakened the evidence for bimodality. The current sample appears to be consistent with a population of well-aligned systems and a smaller population with nearly random obliquities. This distribution resembles that observed for more massive planets, suggesting that transiting Jupiters and Neptunes originate from similar dynamical processes.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2025

Hipparcos, Gaia, and RVs reveal that the radio emitting F star HD 220242 has an M dwarf companion, a likely source of the radio emission

The detection of circularly polarized, low frequency radio emission offers the tantalizing possibility of the observation of interactions between stars and their possible substellar companions, as well as direct emission from exoplanets. Additional follow up of systems with radio emission is key to understanding the true origin of the emission, since multiple astrophysical mechanisms can plausibly lead to such signals. While nineteen M dwarfs were detected by LOFAR in circular polarization as part of the V-LoTSS survey, HD~220242 is the only F star to have a circularly polarized low frequency radio detection in the same survey. We conducted radial velocity follow up with the Habitable-zone Planet Finder and combined these observations with additional archival RVs and \textit{Hipparcos}-\textit{Gaia} proper motion accelerations to determine that HD~220242 has a stellar companion with P=16.79$\pm$0.04\,yrs and a mass of $0.619\pm0.014$\,M$_\odot$. We use Spectral Energy Distribution fitting and lack of any UV excess to rule out a co-evolved white dwarf companion and confirm that the companion is an M dwarf star. Given that F stars lack the coronal properties to produce such coherent emission, and the companion mass and lack of UV excess are consistent with an M dwarf, the radio emission is most plausibly associated with the companion.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Searching for Corannulene with ALMA: Observations of the Red Rectangle Nebula

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic molecules responsible for the Aromatic Infrared Bands (AIBs), observed across a multitude of astrophysical environments. Despite their ubiquity, the precise formation mechanisms of PAHs remain unclear. One of the possible way for PAHs to form is in the outflows of evolved stars, such as HD 44179, which produces the Red Rectangle nebula - a known emitter of AIBs. However, no specific PAH molecules have been detected in such environments, complicating the understanding of PAH formation and evolution. This study aimed to detect the PAH molecule corannulene C20H10, a viable candidate for radio detection due to its large dipole moment of 2.07D. We analyzed high-resolution band 4 ALMA observations of the Red Rectangle nebula, collected over almost 9 hrs. Although corannulene emission was not detected, we estimated a firm upper limit on its abundance compared to hydrogen (5x10^-13) and we discuss the lack of detection in the context of our current understanding of PAH formation and destruction mechanisms. Additionally, we report tentative detection of signals at 139.612 GHz, 139.617 GHz, and 139.621 GHz, potentially originating from cyclopropenyledine c-C3H2 and the 140 GHz H2O maser.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

An Earth-Sized Planet in a 5.4h Orbit Around a Nearby K dwarf

We present the discovery and confirmation of the ultra-short period (USP) planet TOI-2431 b orbiting a nearby ($d\sim36$ pc) late K star ($T_{\mathrm{eff}}$ = $4109 \pm 28 \, {\rm K}$) using observations from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), precise radial velocities with the NEID and the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF) spectrographs, as well as ground-based high contrast imaging from NESSI. TOI-2431 b has a period of 5 hours and 22 minutes, making it one of the shortest-period exoplanets known to date. TOI-2431 b has a radius of $1.536 \pm 0.033\, \rm{R_\oplus}$, and a mass of $6.2 \pm 1.2\, \rm{M_\oplus}$, suggesting it has a density compatible with an Earth-like composition and, due to its high irradiation, is likely a 'lava-world' with a $T_{\mathrm{eq}}$ = $2063 \pm 30 \, {\rm K}$. We estimate that the current orbital period is only 30% larger than the Roche-limit orbital period, and that it has an expected orbital decay timescale of only $\sim$31 Myr. Finally, due to the brightness of the host star ($V = 10.9$, $K = 7.6$), TOI-2431 b has a high Emission Spectroscopy Metric of 27, making it one of the best USP systems for atmospheric phase-curve analysis.

astro-ph.EP↗