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Ilaria Pascucci

Publications and source records attributed to Ilaria Pascucci.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2023

Water-Rich Disks around Late M-stars Unveiled: Exploring the Remarkable Case of Sz114

We present an analysis of the JDISC JWST/MIRI-MRS spectrum of Sz~114, an accreting M5 star surrounded by a large dust disk with a shallow gap at $\sim 39$ au. The spectrum is molecular-rich: we report the detection of water, CO, CO$_2$, HCN, C$_2$H$_2$, and H$_2$. The only identified atomic/ionic transition is from [NeII] at 12.81 micron. A distinct feature of this spectrum is the forest of water lines with the 17.22 micron emission surpassing that of most mid-to-late M-star disks by an order of magnitude in flux and aligning instead with disks of earlier-type stars. Moreover, flux ratios of C$_2$H$_2$/H$_2$O and HCN/H$_2$O in Sz~114 also resemble those of earlier-type disks, with a slightly elevated CO$_2$/H$_2$O ratio. While accretional heating can boost all infrared lines, the unusual properties of Sz~114 could be explained by the young age of the source, its formation under unusual initial conditions (a large massive disk), and the presence of dust substructures. The latter delays the inward drift of icy pebbles and help preserve a lower C/O ratio over an extended period. In contrast, mid-to-late M-star disks--which are typically faint, small in size, and likely lack significant substructures--may have more quickly depleted the outer icy reservoir and already evolved out of a water-rich inner disk phase. Our findings underscore the unexpected diversity within mid-infrared spectra of mid-to-late M-star disks, highlighting the need to expand the observational sample for a comprehensive understanding of their variations and thoroughly test pebble drift and planet formation models.

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arXiv2023

No Evidence for More Earth-sized Planets in the Habitable Zone of Kepler's M versus FGK Stars

Reliable detections of Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone remain elusive in the Kepler sample, even for M dwarfs. The Kepler sample was once thought to contain a considerable number of M dwarf stars ($T_\mathrm{eff} < 4000$ K), which hosted enough Earth-sized ($[0.5,1.5]$ R$_\oplus$) planets to estimate their occurrence rate ($η_\oplus$) in the habitable zone. However, updated stellar properties from Gaia have shifted many Kepler stars to earlier spectral type classifications, with most stars (and their planets) now measured to be larger and hotter than previously believed. Today, only one partially-reliable Earth-sized candidate remains in the optimistic habitable zone, and zero in the conservative zone. Here we performed a new investigation of Kepler's Earth-sized planets orbiting M dwarf stars, using occurrence rate models with considerations of updated parameters and candidate reliability. Extrapolating our models to low instellations, we found an occurrence rate of $η_\oplus={8.58}_{-8.22}^{+17.94}\%$ for the conservative habitable zone (and ${14.22}_{-12.71}^{+24.96}\%$ for the optimistic), consistent with previous works when considering the large uncertainties. Comparing these estimates to those from similarly comprehensive studies of Sun-like stars, we found that the current Kepler sample does not offer evidence to support an increase in $η_\oplus$ from FGK to M stars. While the Kepler sample is too sparse to resolve an occurrence trend between early and mid-to-late M dwarfs for Earth-sized planets, studies including larger planets and/or data from the K2 and TESS missions are well-suited to this task.

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arXiv2023

JWST reveals excess cool water near the snowline in compact disks, consistent with pebble drift

Previous analyses of mid-infrared water spectra from young protoplanetary disks observed with the Spitzer-IRS found an anti-correlation between water luminosity and the millimeter dust disk radius observed with ALMA. This trend was suggested to be evidence for a fundamental process of inner disk water enrichment, used to explain properties of the Solar System 40 years ago, in which icy pebbles drift inward from the outer disk and sublimate after crossing the snowline. Previous analyses of IRS water spectra, however, were uncertain due to the low spectral resolution that blended lines together. We present new JWST-MIRI spectra of four disks, two compact and two large with multiple radial gaps, selected to test the scenario that water vapor inside the snowline is regulated by pebble drift. The higher spectral resolving power of MIRI-MRS now yields water spectra that separate individual lines, tracing upper level energies from 900 K to 10,000 K. These spectra clearly reveal excess emission in the low-energy lines in compact disks, compared to the large disks, demonstrating an enhanced cool component with $T \approx$ 170-400 K and equivalent emitting radius $R_{\rm{eq}}\approx$ 1-10 au. We interpret the cool water emission as ice sublimation and vapor diffusion near the snowline, suggesting that there is indeed a higher inwards mass flux of icy pebbles in compact disks. Observation of this process opens up multiple exciting prospects to study planet formation chemistry in inner disks with JWST.

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arXiv2023

Using Photometrically-Derived Properties of Young Stars to Refine TESS's Transiting Young Planet Survey Completeness

The demographics of young exoplanets can shed light onto their formation and evolution processes. Exoplanet properties are derived from the properties of their host stars. As such, it is important to accurately characterize the host stars since any systematic biases in their derivation can negatively impact the derivation of planetary properties. Here, we present a uniform catalog of photometrically-derived stellar effective temperatures, luminosities, radii, and masses for 4,865 young (<1 Gyr) stars in 31 nearby clusters and moving groups within 200 pc. We compared our photometrically-derived properties to a subset of those derived from spectra, and found them to be in good agreement. We also investigated the effect of stellar properties on the detection efficiency of transiting short-period young planets with TESS as calculated in Fernandes et al. 2022, and found an overall increase in the detection efficiency when the new photometrically derived properties were taken into account. Most notably, there is a 1.5 times increase in the detection efficiencies for sub-Neptunes/Neptunes (1.8-6 Re) implying that, for our sample of young stars, better characterization of host star properties can lead to the recovery of more small transiting planets. Our homogeneously derived catalog of updated stellar properties, along with a larger unbiased stellar sample and more detections of young planets, will be a crucial input to the accurate estimation of the occurrence rates of young short-period planets.

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arXiv2023

DiskMINT: A Tool to Estimate Disk Masses with CO Isotopologues

CO is one of the most abundant molecules in protoplanetary disks, and optically thin emission from its isotopologues has been detected in many of them. However, several past works have argued that reproducing the relatively low emission of CO isotopologues requires a very low disk mass or significant CO depletion. Here, we present a Python code, DiskMINT, which includes gas density and temperature structures that are both consistent with the thermal pressure gradient, isotope-selective chemistry, and conversion of CO into $\mathrm{CO_2}$ ice on grain-surfaces. The code generates a self-consistent disk structure, where the gas disk distribution is obtained from a Spectral Energy Distribution (SED)-derived dust disk structure with multiple grain sizes. We use DiskMINT to study the disk of RU~Lup, a high-accreting star whose disk was previously inferred to have a gas mass of only $\sim 1.5\times10^{-3}\,M_\odot$ and gas-to-dust mass ratio of $\sim 4$. Our best-fit model to the long-wavelength continuum emission can explain the total $\mathrm{C^{18}O}$ luminosity as well as the $\mathrm{C^{18}O}$ velocity and radial intensity profiles, and obtains a gas mass of $\sim 1.2\times10^{-2}\,M_\odot$, an order of magnitude higher than previous results. A disk model with parametric Gaussian vertical distribution that better matches the IR-SED can also explain the observables above with a similarly high gas mass $\sim 2.1\times10^{-2}\,M_\odot$. We confirm the conclusions of Ruaud et al. (2022) that optically thin $\mathrm{C^{18}O}$ rotational lines provide reasonable estimates of the disk mass and can therefore be used as gas disk tracers.

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arXiv2023

Large Myr-old Disks are Not Severely Depleted of gas-phase CO or carbon

We present an ACA search for [CI] emission at 492GHz toward large T Tauri disks (gas radii $\gtrsim 200$au) in the $\sim 1-3$Myr-old Lupus star-forming region. Combined with ALMA 12-m archival data for IM Lup, we report [CI] detections in 6 out of 10 sources, thus doubling the known detections toward T Tauri disks. We also identify four Keplerian double-peaked profiles and demonstrate that [CI] fluxes correlate with $^{13}$CO, C$^{18}$O, and $^{12}$CO(2-1) fluxes, as well as with the gas disk outer radius measured from the latter transition. These findings are in line with the expectation that atomic carbon traces the disk surface. In addition, we compare the carbon and CO line luminosities of the Lupus and literature sample with [CI] detections with predictions from the self-consistent disk thermo-chemical models of Ruaud et al. (2022). These models adopt ISM carbon and oxygen elemental abundances as input parameters. With the exception of the disk around Sz 98, we find that these models reproduce all available line luminosities and upper limits with gas masses comparable to or higher than the minimum mass solar nebula and gas-to-dust mass ratios $\geq 10$. Thus, we conclude that the majority of large Myr-old disks conform to the simple expectation that they are not significantly depleted in gas, CO, or carbon.

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arXiv2023

High-resolution [O I] line spectral mapping of TW Hya supportive of a magnetothermal wind

Disk winds are thought to play a critical role in the evolution and dispersal of protoplanetary disks. A primary diagnostic of this physics is emission from the wind, especially in the low-velocity component of the [O I] $\lambda6300$ line. However, the interpretation of the line is usually based on spectroscopy alone, which leads to confusion between magnetohydrodynamic winds and photoevaporative winds. Here we report that in high-resolution spectral mapping of TW Hya by the multi-unit spectroscopic explorer at the Very Large Telescope, 80% of the [O I] emission is confined to within 1 AU radially from the star. A generic model of a magnetothermal wind produces [O I] emission at the base of the wind that broadly matches the flux and the observed spatial and spectral profiles. The emission at large radii is much fainter that predicted from models of photoevaporation, perhaps because the magnetothermal wind partially shields the outer disk from energetic radiation from the central star. This result calls into question the previously assessed importance of photoevaporation in disk dispersal predicted by models.

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arXiv2023

Optical Forbidden Emission Line Spectro-astrometry of T CrA: Evidence for a Multiple System and Multiple Jets

Spectro-astrometry is applied to echelle spectra of the young intermediate mass star T CrA. The aim is to better understand the origin of the [O I] and [S II] emission from T CrA and further explore the usefulness of spectro-astrometry to the search for a reliable tracer of MHD disk winds. The analysis reveals a small-scale curved jet in an east-west direction and inclined parallel to the plane of the sky. It is the inclination of this jet which led to the classification of the forbidden emission lines as a low-velocity component. Thus spectro-astrometry highlights here that for close to edge-on disks spatial information is necessary. The position angle of the jet is not perpendicular to the position angle of the accretion disk nor does it agree with older observations of outflows likely driven by T CrA. The mass outflow rate of 5 - 10 $\times$ 10$^{-8}$ \Msun/yr is within the range for intermediate mass stars. We conclude that more than one outflow is driven by the T CrA system and that the curvature seen in the first detection of an outflow from T CrA and in the data presented here is likely due to the multiplicity of the system.

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arXiv2023

Stellar Characterization and Radius Inflation of Hyades M Dwarf Stars From the APOGEE Survey

We present a spectroscopic analysis of a sample of 48 M dwarf stars ($0.2 M_{\odot}< M < 0.6 M_{\odot}$) from the Hyades open cluster using high-resolution H-band spectra from the SDSS/APOGEE survey. Our methodology adopts spectrum synthesis with LTE MARCS model atmospheres, along with the APOGEE DR17 line list, to determine effective temperatures, surface gravities, metallicities, and projected rotational velocities. The median metallicity obtained for the Hyades M dwarfs is [M/H]= 0.09$\pm$0.03 dex, indicating a small internal uncertainty and good agreement with optical results for Hyades red-giants. Overall, the median radii are larger than predicted by stellar models by 1.6$\pm$2.3\% and 2.4$\pm$2.3\%, relative to a MIST and DARTMOUTH isochrone, respectively. We emphasize, however, that these isochrones are different and the fractional radius inflation for the fully- and partially-convective regimes have distinct behaviors depending on the isochrone. Using a MIST isochrone there is no evidence of radius inflation for the fully convective stars, while for the partially convective M-dwarfs the radii are inflated by 2.7$\pm$2.1\%, which is in agreement with predictions from models that include magnetic fields. For the partially-convective stars, rapid-rotators present on average higher inflation levels than slow-rotators. The comparison with SPOTS isochrone models indicates that the derived M dwarf radii can be explained by accounting for stellar spots in the photosphere of the stars, with 76\% of the studied M dwarfs having up to 20\% spot coverage, and the most inflated stars with $\sim$20 -- 40\% spot coverage.

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arXiv2023

Enabling Exoplanet Demographics Studies with Standardized Exoplanet Survey Meta-Data

Goal 1 of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Mathematics Exoplanet Science Strategy is "to understand the formation and evolution of planetary systems as products of the process of star formation, and characterize and explain the diversity of planetary system architectures, planetary compositions, and planetary environments produced by these processes", with the finding that "Current knowledge of the demographics and characteristics of planets and their systems is substantially incomplete." One significant roadblock to our ongoing efforts to improve our demographics analyses is the lack of comprehensive meta-data accompanying published exoplanet surveys. The Exoplanet Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) Science Interest Group 2: Exoplanet Demographics has prepared this document to provide guidance to survey architects, authors, referees and funding agencies as to the most valuable such data products for five different exoplanet detection techniques - transit, radial velocity, direct imaging, microlensing and astrometry. We find that making these additional data easily available would greatly enhance the community's ability to perform robust, reproducible demographics analyses, and make progress on achieving the most important goals identified by the exoplanet and wider astronomical community.

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arXiv2023

Bioverse: A Comprehensive Assessment of the Capabilities of Extremely Large Telescopes to Probe Earth-like O$_\mathrm{2}$ Levels in Nearby Transiting Habitable Zone Exoplanets

Molecular oxygen is a strong indicator of life on Earth, and may indicate biological processes on exoplanets too. Recent studies proposed that Earth-like O$_\mathrm{2}$ levels might be detectable on nearby exoplanets using high-resolution spectrographs on future extremely large telescopes (ELTs). However, these studies did not consider constraints like relative velocities, planet occurrence rates, and target observability. We expanded on past studies by creating a homogeneous catalog of 286,391 main-sequence stars within 120 pc using Gaia DR3, and used the Bioverse framework to simulate the likelihood of finding nearby transiting Earth analogs. We also simulated a survey of M dwarfs within 20 pc accounting for $η_{\oplus}$ estimates, transit probabilities, relative velocities, and target observability to determine how long ELTs and theoretical 50-100 meter ground-based telescopes need to observe to probe for Earth-like O$_\mathrm{2}$ levels with an $R=100,000$ spectrograph. This would only be possible within 50 years for up to $\sim$21% of nearby M dwarf systems if a suitable transiting habitable zone Earth-analog was discovered, assuming signals from every observable partial transit from each ELT can be combined. If so, Earth-like O$_\mathrm{2}$ levels could be detectable on TRAPPIST-1 d-g within 16 to 55 years, respectively, and about half that time with an $R=500,000$ spectrograph. These results have important implications for whether ELTs can survey nearby habitable zone Earth analogs for O$_\mathrm{2}$ via transmission spectroscopy. Our work provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of the ground-based capabilities to search for life beyond the solar system.

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arXiv2023

A High-resolution Optical Survey of Upper Sco: Evidence for Coevolution of Accretion and Disk Winds

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and photoevaporative winds are thought to play an important role in the evolution and dispersal of planet-forming disks. Here, we analyze high-resolution ($Δv \sim$ 7 kms$^{-1}$) optical spectra from a sample of 115 T Tauri stars in the $\sim 5-10$ Myr Upper Sco association and focus on the [O I]$λ$6300 and H$α$ lines to trace disk winds and accretion, respectively. Our sample covers a large range in spectral type and we divide it into Warm (G0-M3) and Cool (later than M3) to facilitate comparison with younger regions. We detect the [O I]$λ$6300 line in 45 out of 87 upper sco sources with protoplanetary disks and 32 out of 45 are accreting based on H$α$ profiles and equivalent widths. All [O I] $λ$6300 Upper Sco profiles have a low-velocity (centroid $< -30$ kms$^{-1}$, LVC) emission and most (36/45) can be fit by a single Gaussian (SC). The SC distribution of centroid velocities and FWHMs is consistent with MHD disk winds. We also find that the Upper Sco sample follows the same accretion luminosity$-$LVC [O I]$λ$6300 luminosity relation and the same anti-correlation between SC FWHM and WISE W3-W4 spectral index as the younger samples. These results indicate that accretion and disk winds coevolve and that, as inner disks clear out, wind emission arises further away from the star. Finally, our large spectral range coverage reveals that Cool stars have larger FWHMs normalized by stellar mass than Warm stars indicating that [O I]$λ$6300 emission arises closer in towards lower mass/lower luminosity stars.

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arXiv2022

Hyperion: The origin of the stars A far-UV space telescope for high-resolution spectroscopy over wide fields

We present Hyperion, a mission concept recently proposed to the December 2021 NASA Medium Explorer announcement of opportunity. Hyperion explores the formation and destruction of molecular clouds and planet-forming disks in nearby star-forming regions of the Milky Way. It does this using long-slit, high-resolution spectroscopy of emission from fluorescing molecular hydrogen, which is a powerful far-ultraviolet (FUV) diagnostic. Molecular hydrogen (H2) is the most abundant molecule in the universe and a key ingredient for star and planet formation, but is typically not observed directly because its symmetric atomic structure and lack of a dipole moment mean there are no spectral lines at visible wavelengths and few in the infrared. Hyperion uses molecular hydrogen's wealth of FUV emission lines to achieve three science objectives: (1) determining how star formation is related to molecular hydrogen formation and destruction at the boundaries of molecular clouds; (2) determining how quickly and by what process massive star feedback disperses molecular clouds; and (3) determining the mechanism driving the evolution of planet-forming disks around young solar-analog stars. Hyperion conducts this science using a straightforward, highly-efficient, single-channel instrument design. Hyperion's instrument consists of a 48 cm primary mirror, with an f/5 focal ratio. The spectrometer has two modes, both covering 138.5-161.5 nm bandpasses. A low resolution mode has a spectral resolution of R>10,000 with a slit length of 65 arcmin, while the high resolution mode has a spectral resolution of R>50,000 over a slit length of 5 armin. Hyperion occupies a 2 week long, high-earth, Lunar resonance TESS-like orbit, and conducts 2 weeks of planned observations per orbit, with time for downlinks and calibrations. Hyperion was reviewed as Category I, which is the highest rating possible, but was not selected.

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arXiv2022

X-Shooter Survey of Young Intermediate Mass Stars -- I. Stellar Characterization and Disc Evolution

Intermediate mass stars (IMSs) represent the link between low-mass and high-mass stars and cover a key mass range for giant planet formation. In this paper, we present a spectroscopic survey of 241 young IMS candidates with IR-excess, the most complete unbiased sample to date within 300 pc. We combined VLT/X-Shooter spectra with BVR photometric observations and Gaia DR3 distances to estimate fundamental stellar parameters such as Teff, mass, radius, age, and luminosity. We further selected those stars within the intermediate mass range 1.5 <= Mstar/Msun <= 3.5 and discarded old contaminants. We used 2MASS and WISE photometry to study the IR-excesses of the sample, finding 92 previously unidentified stars with IR-excess. We classified this sample into 'protoplanetary', 'hybrid candidates' and 'debris' discs based on their observed fractional excess at 12microns, finding a new population of 17 hybrid disc candidates. We studied inner disc dispersal timescales for λ < 10μm and found very different trends for IMSs and low mass stars (LMSs). IMSs show excesses dropping fast during the first 6 Myrs independently of the wavelength, while LMSs show consistently lower fractions of excess at the shortest wavelengths and increasingly higher fractions for longer wavelengths, with slower dispersal rates. In conclusion, this study demonstrates empirically that IMSs dissipate their inner discs very differently than LMSs, providing a possible explanation for the lack of short period planets around IMSs.

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arXiv2022

The kinematics and excitation of infrared water vapor emission from planet-forming disks: results from spectrally-resolved surveys and guidelines for JWST spectra

This work presents ground-based spectrally-resolved water emission at R = 30000-100000 over infrared wavelengths covered by JWST (2.9-12.8 $μ$m). Two new surveys with iSHELL and VISIR are combined with previous spectra from CRIRES and TEXES to cover parts of multiple ro-vibrational and rotational bands observable within telluric transmission bands, for a total of $\approx160$ spectra and 85 disks (30 of which are JWST targets in Cycle 1). The general expectation of a range of regions and excitation conditions traced by infrared water spectra is for the first time supported by the combined kinematics and excitation as spectrally resolved at multiple wavelengths. The main findings from this analysis are: 1) water lines are progressively narrower from the ro-vibrational bands at 2-9 $μ$m to the rotational lines at 12 $μ$m, and partly match a broad (BC) and narrow (NC) emission components, respectively, as extracted from ro-vibrational CO spectra; 2) rotation diagrams of resolved water lines from upper level energies of 4000-9500 K show vertical spread and curvatures indicative of optically thick emission ($\approx 10^{18}$ cm$^{-2}$) from a range of excitation temperatures ($\approx 800$-1100 K); 3) the new 5 $μ$m spectra demonstrate that slab model fits to the rotational lines at $> 10$ $μ$m strongly over-predict the ro-vibrational emission bands at $< 9$ $μ$m, implying non-LTE vibrational excitation. We discuss these findings in the context of emission from a disk surface and a molecular inner disk wind, and provide a list of guidelines to support the analysis of spectrally-unresolved JWST spectra.

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arXiv2022

The Demographics of Kepler's Earths and super-Earths into the Habitable Zone

Understanding the occurrence of Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars is essential to the search for Earth analogues. Yet a lack of reliable Kepler detections for such planets has forced many estimates to be derived from the close-in ($2<P_{\mathrm{orb}}<100$ days) population, whose radii may have evolved differently under the effect of atmospheric mass loss mechanisms. In this work, we compute the intrinsic occurrence rates of close-in super-Earths ($\sim1-2\,R_\oplus$) and sub-Neptunes ($\sim2-3.5\,R_\oplus$) for FGK stars ($0.56-1.63\,M_\odot$) as a function of orbital period and find evidence of two regimes: where super-Earths are more abundant at short orbital periods, and where sub-Neptunes are more abundant at longer orbital periods. We fit a parametric model in five equally populated stellar mass bins and find that the orbital period of transition between these two regimes scales with stellar mass, like $P_\mathrm{trans} \propto M_*^{1.7\pm0.2}$. These results suggest a population of former sub-Neptunes contaminating the population of Gyr-old close-in super-Earths, indicative of a population shaped by atmospheric loss. Using our model to constrain the long-period population of intrinsically rocky planets, we estimate an occurrence rate of $Γ_\oplus = 15^{+6}_{-4}\%$ for Earth-sized habitable zone planets, and predict that sub-Neptunes may be $\sim$twice as common as super-Earths in the habitable zone (when normalized over the natural log orbital period and radius range used). Finally, we discuss our results in the context of future missions searching for habitable zone planets.

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arXiv2022

An unusual reservoir of water emission in the VV CrA A protoplanetary disk

We present an analysis of an unusual pattern of water vapor emission from the $\sim$2 Myr-old low-mass binary system VV CrA, as observed in infrared spectra obtained with VLT-CRIRES, VLT-VISIR, and Spitzer-IRS. Each component of the binary shows emission from water vapor in both the L ($\sim3\,μ$m) and N ($\sim 12\,μ$m) bands. The N-band and Spitzer spectra are similar to those previously observed from young stars with disks, and are consistent with emission from an extended protoplanetary disk. Conversely, the CRIRES L-band data of VV CrA A show an unusual spectrum, which requires the presence of a water reservoir with high temperature ($T\gtrsim1500$ K), column density ($N_\mathrm{H2O}\sim 3\times10^{20}\ \mathrm{cm}^{-2}$), and turbulent broadening ($v\sim 10$ km s$^{-1}$), but very small emitting area ($A\lesssim0.005$ AU$^2$). Similarity with previously observed water emission from V1331 Cyg (Doppmann et al. 2011) and SVS 13 (Carr et al. 2004) suggests that the presence of such a reservoir may be linked to evolutionary state, perhaps related to the presence of high accretion rates or winds. While the inner disk may harbor such a reservoir, simple Keplerian models do not match well with emitting line shapes, and alternative velocity fields must be considered. We also present a new idea, that the unusual emission could arise in a circumplanetary disk, embedded within the larger VV CrA A protoplanetary disk. Additional data are likely required to determine the true physical origin of this unusual spectral pattern.

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arXiv2022

Pterodactyls: A Tool to Uniformly Search and Vet for Young Transiting Planets In TESS Primary Mission Photometry

Kepler's short-period exoplanet population has revealed evolutionary features such as the Radius Valley and the Hot Neptune desert that are likely sculpted by atmospheric loss over time. These findings suggest that the primordial planet population is different from the Gyr-old Kepler population, and motivates exoplanet searches around young stars. Here, we present pterodactyls , a data reduction pipeline specifically built to address the challenges in discovering exoplanets around young stars and to work with TESS Primary Mission 30-min cadence photometry, since most young stars were not pre-selected TESS 2-min cadence targets. pterodactyls builds on publicly available and tested tools in order to extract, detrend, search, and vet transiting young planet candidates. We search five clusters with known transiting planets: Tucana-Horologium Association, IC 2602, Upper Centaurus Lupus, Ursa Major and Pisces Eridani. We show that pterodactyls recovers seven out of the eight confirmed planets and one out of the two planet candidates, most of which were initially detected in 2-min cadence data. For these clusters, we conduct injection-recovery tests to characterize our detection efficiency, and compute an intrinsic planet occurrence rate of 49+-20% for sub-Neptunes and Neptunes (1.8-6 Re) within 12.5 days, which is higher than Kepler's Gyr-old occurrence rates of 6.8+-0.3%. This potentially implies that these planets have shrunk with time due to atmospheric mass loss. However, a proper assessment of the occurrence of transiting young planets will require a larger sample unbiased to planets already detected. As such, pterodactyls will be used in future work to search and vet for planet candidates in nearby clusters and moving groups.

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