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Luke G. Bouma

Publications and source records attributed to Luke G. Bouma.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2024

The TEMPO Survey II: Science Cases Leveraged from a Proposed 30-Day Time Domain Survey of the Orion Nebula with the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

The TEMPO (Transiting Exosatellites, Moons, and Planets in Orion) Survey is a proposed 30-day observational campaign using the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. By providing deep, high-resolution, short-cadence infrared photometry of a dynamic star-forming region, TEMPO will investigate the demographics of exosatellites orbiting free-floating planets and brown dwarfs -- a largely unexplored discovery space. Here, we present the simulated detection yields of three populations: extrasolar moon analogs orbiting free-floating planets, exosatellites orbiting brown dwarfs, and exoplanets orbiting young stars. Additionally, we outline a comprehensive range of anticipated scientific outcomes accompanying such a survey. These science drivers include: obtaining observational constraints to test prevailing theories of moon, planet, and star formation; directly detecting widely separated exoplanets orbiting young stars; investigating the variability of young stars and brown dwarfs; constraining the low-mass end of the stellar initial mass function; constructing the distribution of dust in the Orion Nebula and mapping evolution in the near-infrared extinction law; mapping emission features that trace the shocked gas in the region; constructing a dynamical map of Orion members using proper motions; and searching for extragalactic sources and transients via deep extragalactic observations reaching a limiting magnitude of $m_{AB}=29.7$\,mag (F146 filter).

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arXiv2024

TESS Hunt for Young and Maturing Exoplanets (THYME) XI: An Earth-sized Planet Orbiting a Nearby, Solar-like Host in the 400Myr Ursa Major Moving Group

Young terrestrial worlds are critical test beds to constrain prevailing theories of planetary formation and evolution. We present the discovery of HD 63433d - a nearby (22pc), Earth-sized planet transiting a young sunlike star (TOI-1726, HD 63433). HD 63433d is the third planet detected in this multiplanet system. The kinematic, rotational, and abundance properties of the host star indicate that it belongs to the young (414 $\pm$ 23 Myr) Ursa Major moving group, whose membership we update using new data from Gaia DR3 and TESS. Our transit analysis of the TESS light curves indicates that HD 63433 d has a radius of 1.1 $R_\oplus$ and closely orbits its host star with a period of 4.2 days. To date, HD 63433 d is the smallest confirmed exoplanet with an age less than 500 Myr, and the nearest young Earth-sized planet. Furthermore, the apparent brightness of the stellar host (V $\approx$ 6.9 mag) makes this transiting multiplanet system favorable to further investigations, including spectroscopic follow-up to probe atmospheric loss in a young Earth-sized world.

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arXiv2023

Transient Corotating Clumps Around Adolescent Low-Mass Stars From Four Years of TESS

Complex periodic variables (CPVs) are stars that exhibit highly structured and periodic optical light curves. Previous studies have indicated that these stars are typically disk-free pre-main-sequence M dwarfs with rotation periods ranging from 0.2 to 2 days. To advance our understanding of these enigmatic objects, we conducted a blind search using TESS 2-minute data of 65,760 K and M dwarfs with $T$<16 mag and $d$<150 pc. We found 50 high-quality CPVs, and subsequently determined that most are members of stellar associations. Among the new discoveries are the brightest ($T$$\approx$9.5 mag), closest ($d$$\approx$20 pc), and oldest ($\approx$200 Myr) CPVs known. One exceptional object, LP 12-502, exhibited up to eight flux dips per cycle. Some of these dips coexisted with slightly different periods, and the shortest-duration dips precisely matched the expected timescale for transiting small bodies at the corotation radius. Broadly, our search confirms that CPVs are mostly young ($\lesssim$150 Myr) and low-mass ($\lesssim$0.4 $M_\odot$). The flux dips characteristic of the class have lifetimes of $\approx$100 cycles, although stellar flares seem to induce sudden dip collapse once every few months. The most plausible explanation for these phenomena remains corotating concentrations of gas or dust. The gas or dust is probably entrained by the star's magnetic field, and the sharp features could result from a multipolar field topology, a hypothesis supported by correspondences between the light curves of CPVs and of rapidly rotating B stars known to have multipolar magnetic fields.

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arXiv2023

TOI-5126: A hot super-Neptune and warm Neptune pair discovered by $\textit{TESS}$ and $\textit{CHEOPS}$

We present the confirmation of a hot super-Neptune with an exterior Neptune companion orbiting a bright (V = 10.1 mag) F-dwarf identified by the $\textit{Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite}$ ($\textit{TESS}$). The two planets, observed in sectors 45, 46 and 48 of the $\textit{TESS}$ extended mission, are $4.74^{+0.16}_{-0.14}$ $R_{\oplus}$ and $3.86^{+0.17}_{-0.16}$ $R_{\oplus}$ with $5.4588385^{+0.0000070}_{-0.0000072}$ d and $17.8999^{+0.0018}_{-0.0013}$ d orbital periods, respectively. We also obtained precise space based photometric follow-up of the system with ESAs $\textit{CHaracterising ExOplanets Satellite}$ ($\textit{CHEOPS}$) to constrain the radius and ephemeris of TOI-5126 b. TOI 5126 b is located in the "hot Neptune Desert" and is an ideal candidate for follow-up transmission spectroscopy due to its high predicted equilibrium temperature ($T_{eq} = 1442^{+46}_{-40}$ K) implying a cloud-free atmosphere. TOI-5126 c is a warm Neptune ($T_{eq}= 971^{+31}_{-27}$ K) also suitable for follow-up. Tentative transit timing variations (TTVs) have also been identified in analysis, suggesting the presence of at least one additional planet, however this signal may be caused by spot-crossing events, necessitating further precise photometric follow-up to confirm these signals.

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arXiv2023

TOI-332 b: a super dense Neptune found deep within the Neptunian desert

To date, thousands of planets have been discovered, but there are regions of the orbital parameter space that are still bare. An example is the short period and intermediate mass/radius space known as the Neptunian desert, where planets should be easy to find but discoveries remain few. This suggests unusual formation and evolution processes are responsible for the planets residing here. We present the discovery of TOI-332 b, a planet with an ultra-short period of $0.78$ d that sits firmly within the desert. It orbits a K0 dwarf with an effective temperature of $5251 \pm 71$ K. TOI-332 b has a radius of $3.20^{+0.16}_{-0.12}$ R$_{\oplus}$, smaller than that of Neptune, but an unusually large mass of $57.2 \pm 1.6$ M$_{\oplus}$. It has one of the highest densities of any Neptune-sized planet discovered thus far at $9.6^{+1.1}_{-1.3}$ gcm$^{-3}$. A 4-layer internal structure model indicates it likely has a negligible hydrogen-helium envelope, something only found for a small handful of planets this massive, and so TOI-332 b presents an interesting challenge to planetary formation theories. We find that photoevaporation cannot account for the mass loss required to strip this planet of the Jupiter-like envelope it would have been expected to accrete. We need to look towards other scenarios, such as high-eccentricity migration, giant impacts, or gap opening in the protoplanetary disc, to try and explain this unusual discovery.

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arXiv2023

Overfitting Affects the Reliability of Radial Velocity Mass Estimates of the V1298 Tau Planets

Mass, radius, and age measurements of young (<100 Myr) planets have the power to shape our understanding of planet formation. However, young stars tend to be extremely variable in both photometry and radial velocity, which makes constraining these properties challenging. The V1298 Tau system of four ~0.5 Rjup planets transiting a pre-main sequence star presents an important, if stress-inducing, opportunity to directly observe and measure the properties of infant planets. Suárez-Mascareño et al. (2021) published radial-velocity-derived masses for two of the V1298 Tau planets using a state-of-the-art Gaussian Process regression framework. The planetary densities computed from these masses were surprisingly high, implying extremely rapid contraction after formation in tension with most existing planet formation theories. In an effort to further constrain the masses of the V1298 Tau planets, we obtained 36 RVs using Keck/HIRES, and analyzed them in concert with published RVs and photometry. Through performing a suite of cross validation tests, we found evidence that the preferred model of SM21 suffers from overfitting, defined as the inability to predict unseen data, rendering the masses unreliable. We detail several potential causes of this overfitting, many of which may be important for other RV analyses of other active stars, and recommend that additional time and resources be allocated to understanding and mitigating activity in active young stars such as V1298 Tau.

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arXiv2023

A Transiting Super-Earth in the Radius Valley and An Outer Planet Candidate Around HD 307842

We report the confirmation of a TESS-discovered transiting super-Earth planet orbiting a mid-G star, HD 307842 (TOI-784). The planet has a period of 2.8 days, and the radial velocity (RV) measurements constrain the mass to be 9.67+0.83/-0.82 [Earth Masses]. We also report the discovery of an additional planet candidate on an outer orbit that is most likely non-transiting. The possible periods of the planet candidate are approximately 20 to 63 days, with the corresponding RV semi-amplitudes expected to range from 3.2 to 5.4 m/s and minimum masses from 12.6 to 31.1 [Earth Masses]. The radius of the transiting planet (planet b) is 1.93+0.11/-0.09 [Earth Radii], which results in a mean density of 7.4+1.4/-1.2 g/cm^3 suggesting that TOI-784b is likely to be a rocky planet though it has a comparable radius to a sub-Neptune. We found TOI-784b is located at the lower edge of the so-called ``radius valley'' in the radius vs. insolation plane, which is consistent with the photoevaporation or core-powered mass loss prediction. The TESS data did not reveal any significant transit signal of the planet candidate, and our analysis shows that the orbital inclinations of planet b and the planet candidate are 88.60+0.84/-0.86 degrees and <= 88.3-89.2 degrees, respectively. More RV observations are needed to determine the period and mass of the second object, and search for additional planets in this system.

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arXiv2023

TESS spots a mini-neptune interior to a hot saturn in the TOI-2000 system

Hot jupiters (P < 10 d, M > 60 $\mathrm{M}_\oplus$) are almost always found alone around their stars, but four out of hundreds known have inner companion planets. These rare companions allow us to constrain the hot jupiter's formation history by ruling out high-eccentricity tidal migration. Less is known about inner companions to hot Saturn-mass planets. We report here the discovery of the TOI-2000 system, which features a hot Saturn-mass planet with a smaller inner companion. The mini-neptune TOI-2000 b ($2.70 \pm 0.15 \,\mathrm{R}_\oplus$, $11.0 \pm 2.4 \,\mathrm{M}_\oplus$) is in a 3.10-day orbit, and the hot saturn TOI-2000 c ($8.14^{+0.31}_{-0.30} \,\mathrm{R}_\oplus$, $81.7^{+4.7}_{-4.6} \,\mathrm{M}_\oplus$) is in a 9.13-day orbit. Both planets transit their host star TOI-2000 (TIC 371188886, V = 10.98, TESS magnitude = 10.36), a metal-rich ([Fe/H] = $0.439^{+0.041}_{-0.043}$) G dwarf 174 pc away. TESS observed the two planets in sectors 9-11 and 36-38, and we followed up with ground-based photometry, spectroscopy, and speckle imaging. Radial velocities from CHIRON, FEROS, and HARPS allowed us to confirm both planets by direct mass measurement. In addition, we demonstrate constraining planetary and stellar parameters with MIST stellar evolutionary tracks through Hamiltonian Monte Carlo under the PyMC framework, achieving higher sampling efficiency and shorter run time compared to traditional Markov chain Monte Carlo. Having the brightest host star in the V band among similar systems, TOI-2000 b and c are superb candidates for atmospheric characterization by the JWST, which can potentially distinguish whether they formed together or TOI-2000 c swept along material during migration to form TOI-2000 b.

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arXiv2023

A 2:1 Mean-Motion Resonance Super-Jovian pair revealed by TESS, FEROS, and HARPS

We report the discovery of a super-Jovian 2:1 mean-motion resonance (MMR) pair around the G-type star TIC 279401253, whose dynamical architecture is a prospective benchmark for planet formation and orbital evolution analysis. The system was discovered thanks to a single transit event recorded by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, which pointed to a Jupiter-sized companion with poorly constrained orbital parameters. We began ground-based precise radial velocity (RV) monitoring with HARPS and FEROS within the Warm gIaNts with tEss (WINE) survey to constrain the transiting body's period, mass, and eccentricity. The RV measurements revealed not one but two massive planets with periods of 76.80$_{-0.06}^{+0.06}$ days and 155.3$_{-0.7}^{+0.7}$ days, respectively. A combined analysis of transit and RV data yields an inner transiting planet with a mass of 6.14$_{-0.42}^{+0.39}$ M$_{\rm Jup}$ and a radius of 1.00$_{-0.04}^{+0.04}$ R$_{\rm Jup}$, and an outer planet with a minimum mass of 8.02$_{-0.18}^{+0.18}$ M$_{\rm Jup}$, indicating a massive giant pair. A detailed dynamical analysis of the system reveals that the planets are locked in a strong first-order, eccentricity-type 2:1 MMR, which makes TIC 279401253 one of the rare examples of truly resonant architectures supporting disk-induced planet migration. The bright host star, $V \approx$ 11.9 mag, the relatively short orbital period ($P_{\rm b}$ = 76.80$_{-0.06}^{+0.06}$ d) and pronounced eccentricity (e =0.448$_{-0.029}^{+0.028}$) make the transiting planet a valuable target for atmospheric investigation with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and ground-based extremely-large telescopes.

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arXiv2023

Stellar Rotation and Structure of the $α$ Persei Complex: When Does Gyrochronology Start to Work?

On the pre-main-sequence, the rotation rates of Sun-like stars are dictated by the interplay between the protostellar disk and the star's contraction. At ages exceeding 100 million years (Myr), magnetic spin-down erases the initial stellar spin rate and enables rotation-based age dating (gyrochronology). The exact time at which the transition between these two regimes occurs depends on stellar mass, and has been challenging to empirically resolve due to a lack of viable calibration clusters. The $α$ Persei open cluster ($t\approx80$ Myr, $d\approx170$ pc) may provide the needed calibrator, but recent analyses of the Gaia data have provided wildly varying views of its age and spatial extent. As such, we analyze a combination of TESS, Gaia, and LAMOST data to calibrate gyrochronology at the age of $α$ Per and to uncover the cluster's true morphology. By assembling a list of rotationally-confirmed $α$ Per members, we provide strong evidence that $α$ Per is part of a larger complex of similarly-aged stars. Through kinematic back-integration, we show that the most diffuse components of $α$ Per were five times closer together 50 Myr ago. Finally, we use our stellar rotation periods to derive a relative gyrochronology age for $α$ Per of 67 $\pm$ 12% the age of the Pleiades, which yields 86 $\pm$ 16 Myr given current knowledge. We show that by this age, stars more massive than $\approx$0.8 M$_{\odot}$ have converged to form a well-defined slow sequence.

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arXiv2023

The Empirical Limits of Gyrochronology

The promise of gyrochronology is that given a star's rotation period and mass, its age can be inferred. The reality of gyrochronology is complicated by effects other than ordinary magnetized braking that alter stellar rotation periods. In this work, we present an interpolation-based gyrochronology framework that reproduces the time- and mass-dependent spin-down rates implied by the latest open cluster data, while also matching the rate at which the dispersion in initial stellar rotation periods decreases as stars age. We validate our technique for stars with temperatures of 3800-6200 K and ages of 0.08-2.6 gigayears (Gyr), and use it to reexamine the empirical limits of gyrochronology. In line with previous work, we find that the uncertainty floor varies strongly with both stellar mass and age. For Sun-like stars (5800 K), the statistical age uncertainties improve monotonically from $\pm$38% at 0.2 Gyr to $\pm12$% at 2 Gyr, and are caused by the empirical scatter of the cluster rotation sequences combined with the rate of stellar spin-down. For low-mass K-dwarfs (4200 K), the posteriors are highly asymmetric due to stalled spin-down, and $\pm$1$σ$ age uncertainties vary non-monotonically between 10% and 50% over the first few gigayears. High-mass K-dwarfs (5000 K) older than 1.5 Gyr yield the most precise ages, with limiting uncertainties currently set by possible changes in the spin-down rate (12% systematic), the calibration of the absolute age scale (8% systematic), and the width of the slow sequence (4% statistical). An open-source implementation, called gyro-interp, is available online at https://github.com/lgbouma/gyro-interp

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arXiv2023

TOI-4562 b: A highly eccentric temperate Jupiter analog orbiting a young field star

We report the discovery of TOI-4562 b (TIC-349576261), a Jovian planet orbiting a young F7V-type star, younger than the Praesepe/Hyades clusters (< $700$ Myr). This planet stands out because of its unusually long orbital period for transiting planets with known masses ($P_{\mathrm{orb}}$ = $225.11781^{+0.00025}_{-0.00022}$ days), and because it has a substantial eccentricity ($e$ = $0.76^{+0.02}_{-0.02}$). The location of TOI-4562 near the southern continuous viewing zone of TESS allowed observations throughout 25 sectors, enabling an unambiguous period measurement from TESS alone. Alongside the four available TESS transits, we performed follow-up photometry using the South African Astronomical Observatory node of the Las Cumbres Observatory, and spectroscopy with the CHIRON spectrograph on the 1.5 m SMARTS telescope. We measure a radius of $1.118_{+0.013}^{-0.014}$ $R_{\mathrm{J}}$ and a mass of $2.30^{+0.48}_{-0.47}$ $M_{\mathrm{J}}$ for TOI-4562 b. The radius of the planet is consistent with contraction models describing the early evolution of the size of giant planets. We detect tentative transit timing variations at the $\sim$ 20 min level from five transit events, favouring the presence of a companion that could explain the dynamical history of this system if confirmed by future follow-up observations. With its current orbital configuration, tidal timescales are too long for TOI-4562 b to become a hot-Jupiter via high eccentricity migration, though it is not excluded that interactions with the possible companion could modify TOI-4562 b eccentricity and trigger circularization. The characterisation of more such young systems is essential to set constraints on models describing giant planet evolution.

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arXiv2022

TESS Hunt for Young and Maturing Exoplanets (THYME) IX: a 27 Myr extended population of Lower-Centaurus Crux with a transiting two-planet system

We report the discovery and characterization of a nearby (~ 85 pc), older (27 +/- 3 Myr), distributed stellar population near Lower-Centaurus-Crux (LCC), initially identified by searching for stars co-moving with a candidate transiting planet from TESS (HD 109833; TOI 1097). We determine the association membership using Gaia kinematics, color-magnitude information, and rotation periods of candidate members. We measure it's age using isochrones, gyrochronology, and Li depletion. While the association is near known populations of LCC, we find that it is older than any previously found LCC sub-group (10-16 Myr), and distinct in both position and velocity. In addition to the candidate planets around HD 109833 the association contains four directly-imaged planetary-mass companions around 3 stars, YSES-1, YSES-2, and HD 95086, all of which were previously assigned membership in the younger LCC. Using the Notch pipeline, we identify a second candidate transiting planet around HD 109833. We use a suite of ground-based follow-up observations to validate the two transit signals as planetary in nature. HD 109833 b and c join the small but growing population of <100 Myr transiting planets from TESS. HD 109833 has a rotation period and Li abundance indicative of a young age (< 100 Myr), but a position and velocity on the outskirts of the new population, lower Li levels than similar members, and a CMD position below model predictions for 27 Myr. So, we cannot reject the possibility that HD 109833 is a young field star coincidentally nearby the population.

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arXiv2022

A Low-Mass Pre-Main-Sequence Eclipsing Binary in Lower Centaurus Crux Discovered with TESS

We report the discovery of 2M1222-57 as a low-mass, pre-main-sequence (PMS) eclipsing binary (EB) in the Lower Centaurus Crux (LCC) association for which, using Gaia parallaxes and proper motions with a neural-net age estimator, we determine an age of 16.2$\pm$2.2 Myr. The broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) shows clear excess at ~10 um indicative of a circumbinary disk, and new speckle-imaging observations reveal a faint, tertiary companion separated by ~100 AU. H-alpha emission is modulated on the orbital period, consistent with theoretical models of orbitally pulsed accretion streams reaching from the inner disk edge to the central stars. From a joint analysis of spectroscopically determined radial velocities and TESS light curves, together with additional tight constraints provided by the SED and the Gaia parallax, we measure masses for the eclipsing stars of 0.74 Msun and 0.67 Msun; radii of 0.98 Rsun and 0.94 Rsun; and effective temperatures of 3750 K and 3645 K. The masses and radii of both stars are measured to an accuracy of ~1%. The measured radii are inflated, and the temperatures suppressed, relative to predictions of standard PMS evolutionary models at the age of LCC; also, the Li abundances are ~2 dex less depleted than predicted by those models. However, models that account for the global and internal effects of surface magnetic fields are able to simultaneously reproduce the measured radii, temperatures, and Li abundances at an age of 17.0$\pm$0.5 Myr. Altogether, the 2M1222-57 system presents very strong evidence that magnetic activity in young stars alters both their global properties and the physics of their interiors.

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arXiv2022

The TESS Grand Unified Hot Jupiter Survey. II. Twenty New Giant Planets

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission promises to improve our understanding of hot Jupiters by providing an all-sky, magnitude-limited sample of transiting hot Jupiters suitable for population studies. Assembling such a sample requires confirming hundreds of planet candidates with additional follow-up observations. Here, we present twenty hot Jupiters that were detected using TESS data and confirmed to be planets through photometric, spectroscopic, and imaging observations coordinated by the TESS Follow-up Observing Program (TFOP). These twenty planets have orbital periods shorter than 7 days and orbit relatively bright FGK stars ($10.9 < G < 13.0$). Most of the planets are comparable in mass to Jupiter, although there are four planets with masses less than that of Saturn. TOI-3976 b, the longest period planet in our sample ($P = 6.6$ days), may be on a moderately eccentric orbit ($e = 0.18\pm0.06$), while observations of the other targets are consistent with them being on circular orbits. We measured the projected stellar obliquity of TOI-1937A b, a hot Jupiter on a 22.4 hour orbit with the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, finding the planet's orbit to be well-aligned with the stellar spin axis ($|λ| = 4.0\pm3.5^\circ$). We also investigated the possibility that TOI-1937 is a member of the NGC 2516 open cluster, but ultimately found the evidence for cluster membership to be ambiguous. These objects are part of a larger effort to build a complete sample of hot Jupiters to be used for future demographic and detailed characterization work.

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arXiv2022

TOI 560 : Two Transiting Planets Orbiting a K Dwarf Validated with iSHELL, PFS and HIRES RVs

We validate the presence of a two-planet system orbiting the 0.15--1.4 Gyr K4 dwarf TOI 560 (HD 73583). The system consists of an inner moderately eccentric transiting mini-Neptune (TOI 560 b, $P = 6.3980661^{+0.0000095}_{-0.0000097}$ days, $e=0.294^{+0.13}_{-0.062}$, $M= 0.94^{+0.31}_{-0.23}M_{Nep}$) initially discovered in the Sector 8 \tess\ mission observations, and a transiting mini-Neptune (TOI 560 c, $P = 18.8805^{+0.0024}_{-0.0011}$ days, $M= 1.32^{+0.29}_{-0.32}M_{Nep}$) discovered in the Sector 34 observations, in a rare near-1:3 orbital resonance. We utilize photometric data from \tess\, \textit{Spitzer}, and ground-based follow-up observations to confirm the ephemerides and period of the transiting planets, vet false positive scenarios, and detect the photo-eccentric effect for TOI 560 b. We obtain follow-up spectroscopy and corresponding precise radial velocities (RVs) with the iSHELL spectrograph at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility and the HIRES Spectrograph at Keck Observatory to validate the planetary nature of these signals, which we combine with published PFS RVs from Magellan Observatory. We detect the masses of both planets at $> 3-σ$ significance. We apply a Gaussian process (GP) model to the \tess\ light curves to place priors on a chromatic radial velocity GP model to constrain the stellar activity of the TOI 560 host star, and confirm a strong wavelength dependence for the stellar activity demonstrating the ability of NIR RVs in mitigating stellar activity for young K dwarfs. TOI 560 is a nearby moderately young multi-planet system with two planets suitable for atmospheric characterization with James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and other upcoming missions. In particular, it will undergo six transit pairs separated by $<$6 hours before June 2027.

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arXiv2022

TOI-1452 b: SPIRou and TESS reveal a super-Earth in a temperate orbit transiting an M4 dwarf

Exploring the properties of exoplanets near or inside the radius valley provides insights on the transition from the rocky super-Earths to the larger, hydrogen-rich atmosphere mini-Neptunes. Here, we report the discovery of TOI-1452 b, a transiting super-Earth ($R_{\rm p} = 1.67 \pm 0.07$ R$_{\oplus}$) in an 11.1--day temperate orbit ($T_{\rm eq} = 326 \pm 7$ K) around the primary member ($H = 10.0$, $T_{\rm eff} = 3185 \pm 50$ K) of a nearby visual binary M dwarf. The transits were first detected by TESS, then successfully isolated between the two $3.2^{\prime\prime}$ companions with ground-based photometry from OMM and MuSCAT3. The planetary nature of TOI-1452 b was established through high-precision velocimetry with the near-infrared SPIRou spectropolarimeter as part of the ongoing SPIRou Legacy Survey. The measured planetary mass ($4.8 \pm 1.3$ M$_{\oplus}$) and inferred bulk density ($5.6^{+1.8}_{-1.6}$ g/cm$^3$) is suggestive of a rocky core surrounded by a volatile-rich envelope. More quantitatively, the mass and radius of TOI-1452 b, combined with the stellar abundance of refractory elements (Fe, Mg and Si) measured by SPIRou, is consistent with a core mass fraction of $18\pm6$ % and a water mass fraction of $22^{+21}_{-13}$%. The water world candidate TOI-1452 b is a prime target for future atmospheric characterization with JWST, featuring a Transmission Spectroscopy Metric similar to other well-known temperate small planets such as LHS 1140 b and K2-18 b. The system is located near Webb's northern Continuous Viewing Zone, implying that is can be followed at almost any moment of the year.

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arXiv2022

Untangling the Galaxy. IV. Empirical Constraints on Angular Momentum Evolution and Gyrochronology for Young Stars in the Field

We present a catalog of ~100,000 periodic variable stars in TESS FFI data among members of widely distributed moving groups identified with Gaia in the previous papers in the series. By combining the periods from our catalog attributable to rotation with previously derived rotation periods for benchmark open clusters, we develop an empirical gyrochronology relation of angular momentum evolution that is valid for stars with ages 10-1000 Myr. Excluding stars rotating faster than 2 days, which we find are predominantly binaries, we achieve a typical age precision of ~0.2-0.3 dex and improving at older ages. Importantly, these empirical relations apply to not only FGK-type stars but also M-type stars, due to the angular momentum distribution being much smoother, simpler, continuous and monotonic as compared to the rotation period distribution. As a result, we are also able to begin tracing in fine detail the nature of angular momentum loss in low-mass stars as functions of mass and age. We characterize the stellar variability amplitudes of the cool stars as functions of mass and age, which may correlate with the starspot covering fractions. We also identify pulsating variables among the hotter stars in the catalog, including $δ$ Scuti, $γ$ Dor and SPB-type variables. These data represent an important step forward in being able to estimate precise ages of FGK- and M-type stars in the field, starting as early as the pre-main-sequence phase of evolution.

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