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Richard C. Kidwell Jr.

Publications and source records attributed to Richard C. Kidwell Jr..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

TIC 172900988: A Transiting Circumbinary Planet Detected in One Sector of TESS Data

We report the first discovery of a transiting circumbinary planet detected from a single sector of TESS data. During Sector 21, the planet TIC 172900988b transited the primary star and then 5 days later it transited the secondary star. The binary is itself eclipsing, with a period of P = 19.7 days and an eccentricity of e = 0.45. Archival data from ASAS-SN, Evryscope, KELT, and SuperWASP reveal a prominent apsidal motion of the binary orbit, caused by the dynamical interactions between the binary and the planet. A comprehensive photodynamical analysis of the TESS, archival and follow-up data yields stellar masses and radii of M1 = 1.2384 +/- 0.0007 MSun and R1 = 1.3827 +/- 0.0016 RSun for the primary and M2 = 1.2019 +/- 0.0007 MSun and R2 = 1.3124 +/- 0.0012 RSun for the secondary. The radius of the planet is R3 = 11.25 +/- 0.44 REarth (1.004 +/- 0.039 RJup). The planet's mass and orbital properties are not uniquely determined - there are six solutions with nearly equal likelihood. Specifically, we find that the planet's mass is in the range of 824 < M3 < 981 MEarth (2.65 < M3 < 3.09 MJup), its orbital period could be 188.8, 190.4, 194.0, 199.0, 200.4, or 204.1 days, and the eccentricity is between 0.02 and 0.09. At a V = 10.141 mag, the system is accessible for high-resolution spectroscopic observations, e.g. Rossiter-McLaughlin effect and transit spectroscopy.

astro-ph.EP↗

TOI-431/HIP 26013: a super-Earth and a sub-Neptune transiting a bright, early K dwarf, with a third RV planet

We present the bright (V$_{mag} = 9.12$), multi-planet system TOI-431, characterised with photometry and radial velocities. We estimate the stellar rotation period to be $30.5 \pm 0.7$ days using archival photometry and radial velocities. TOI-431b is a super-Earth with a period of 0.49 days, a radius of 1.28 $\pm$ 0.04 R$_{\oplus}$, a mass of $3.07 \pm 0.35$ M$_{\oplus}$, and a density of $8.0 \pm 1.0$ g cm$^{-3}$; TOI-431d is a sub-Neptune with a period of 12.46 days, a radius of $3.29 \pm 0.09$ R$_{\oplus}$, a mass of $9.90^{+1.53}_{-1.49}$ M$_{\oplus}$, and a density of $1.36 \pm 0.25$ g cm$^{-3}$. We find a third planet, TOI-431c, in the HARPS radial velocity data, but it is not seen to transit in the TESS light curves. It has an $M \sin i$ of $2.83^{+0.41}_{-0.34}$ M$_{\oplus}$, and a period of 4.85 days. TOI-431d likely has an extended atmosphere and is one of the most well-suited TESS discoveries for atmospheric characterisation, while the super-Earth TOI-431b may be a stripped core. These planets straddle the radius gap, presenting an interesting case-study for atmospheric evolution, and TOI-431b is a prime TESS discovery for the study of rocky planet phase curves.

astro-ph.EP↗