arXiv subjects

Sarah Millholland

Publications and source records attributed to Sarah Millholland.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Resonant sub-Neptunes are puffier

A systematic, population-level discrepancy exists between the densities of exoplanets whose masses have been measured with transit timing variations (TTVs) versus those measured with radial velocities (RVs). Since the TTV planets are predominantly nearly resonant, it is still unclear whether the discrepancy is attributed to detection biases or to astrophysical differences between the nearly resonant and non resonant planet populations. We defined a controlled, unbiased sample of 36 sub-Neptunes characterised by Kepler, TESS, HARPS, and ESPRESSO. We found that their density depends mostly on the resonant state of the system, with a low probability (of $0.002_{-0.001}^{+0.010}$) that the mass of (nearly) resonant planets is drawn from the same underlying population as the bulk of sub-Neptunes. Increasing the sample to 133 sub-Neptunes reveals finer details: the densities of resonant planets are similar and lower than non-resonant planets, and both the mean and spread in density increase for planets that are away from resonance. This trend is also present in RV-characterised planets alone. In addition, TTVs and RVs have consistent density distributions for a given distance to resonance. We also show that systems closer to resonances tend to be more co-planar than their spread-out counterparts. These observational trends are also found in synthetic populations, where planets that survived in their original resonant configuration retain a lower density; whereas less compact systems have undergone post-disc giant collisions that increased the planet's density, while expanding their orbits. Our findings reinforce the claim that resonant systems are archetypes of planetary systems at their birth.

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arXiv2023

Tidal Dissipation Regimes Among the Short-Period Exoplanets

The efficiency of tidal dissipation provides a zeroth-order link to a planet's physical properties. For super-Earth and sub-Neptune planets in the range $R_{\oplus}\lesssim R_p \lesssim 4 R_{\oplus}$, particularly efficient dissipation (i.e., low tidal quality factors) may signify terrestrial-like planets capable of maintaining rigid crustal features. Here we explore global constraints on planetary tidal quality factors using a population of planets in multiple-planet systems whose orbital and physical properties indicate susceptibility to capture into secular spin-orbit resonances. Planets participating in secular spin-orbit resonance can maintain large axial tilts and significantly enhanced heating from obliquity tides. When obliquity tides are sufficiently strong, planets in low-order mean-motion resonances can experience resonant repulsion (period ratio increase). The observed distribution of period ratios among transiting planet pairs may thus depend non-trivially on the underlying planetary structures. We model the action of resonant repulsion and demonstrate that the observed distribution of period ratios near the 2:1 and 3:2 commensurabilties implies $Q$ values spanning from $Q\approx 10^1-10^7$ and peaking at $Q \approx 10^6$. This range includes the expected range in which super-Earth and sub-Neptune planets dissipate ($Q \approx 10^3 - 10^4$). This work serves as a proof of concept for a method of assessing the presence of two dissipation regimes, and we estimate the number of additional multi-transiting planetary systems needed to place any bimodality in the distribution on a strong statistical footing.

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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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arXiv2022

New Constraints on Gliese 876 -- Exemplar of Mean-Motion Resonance

Gliese 876 harbors one of the most dynamically rich and well-studied exoplanetary systems. The nearby M4V dwarf hosts four known planets, the outer three of which are trapped in a Laplace mean-motion resonance. A thorough characterization of the complex resonant perturbations exhibited by the orbiting planets, and the chaotic dynamics therein, is key to a complete picture of the system's formation and evolutionary history. Here we present a reanalysis of the system using six years of new radial velocity (RV) data from four instruments. This new data augments and more than doubles the size of the decades-long collection of existing velocity measurements. We provide updated estimates of the system parameters by employing a computationally efficient Wisdom-Holman N-body symplectic integrator, coupled with a Gaussian Process (GP) regression model to account for correlated stellar noise. Experiments with synthetic RV data show that the dynamical characterization of the system can differ depending on whether a white noise or correlated noise model is adopted. Despite there being a region of stability for an additional planet in the resonant chain, we find no evidence for one. Our new parameter estimates place the system even deeper into resonance than previously thought and suggest that the system might be in a low energy, quasi-regular double apsidal corotation resonance. This result and others will be used in a subsequent study on the primordial migration processes responsible for the formation of the resonant chain.

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arXiv2020

Formation of Ultra-Short-Period Planets by Obliquity-Driven Tidal Runaway

Small, rocky planets have been found orbiting in extreme proximity to their host stars, sometimes down to only $\sim 2$ stellar radii. These ultra-short-period planets (USPs) likely did not form in their present-day orbits, but rather migrated from larger initial separations. While tides are the probable cause of this migration, the tidal source has remained uncertain. Here we introduce planetary obliquity tides as a natural pathway for the production of USPs within close-in multi-planet systems. The crucial idea is that tidal dissipation generally forces planetary spin vectors to equilibrium configurations called "Cassini states", in which the planetary obliquities (axial tilts) are non-zero. In these cases, sustained tidal dissipation and inward orbital migration are inevitable. Migration then increases the obliquity and strengthens the tides, creating a positive feedback loop. Thus, if a planet's initial semi-major axis is small enough ($a \lesssim 0.05$ AU), it can experience runaway orbital decay, which is stalled at ultra-short orbital periods when the forced obliquity reaches very high values ($\sim 85^{\circ}$) and becomes unstable. We use secular dynamics to outline the parameter space in which the innermost member of a prototypical Kepler multiple-planet system can become a USP. We find that these conditions are consistent with many observed features of USPs, such as period ratios, mutual inclinations, and occurrence rate trends with stellar type. Future detections of stellar obliquities and close-in companions, together with theoretical explorations of the potential for chaotic obliquity dynamics, can help constrain the prevalence of this mechanism.

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arXiv2020

Integrating Machine Learning for Planetary Science: Perspectives for the Next Decade

Machine learning (ML) methods can expand our ability to construct, and draw insight from large datasets. Despite the increasing volume of planetary observations, our field has seen few applications of ML in comparison to other sciences. To support these methods, we propose ten recommendations for bolstering a data-rich future in planetary science.

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arXiv2020

Stellar Oblateness versus Distant Giants in Exciting Kepler Planet Mutual Inclinations

An overabundance of single-transiting Kepler planets suggests the existence of a sub-population of intrinsically multi-planet systems possessing large mutual inclinations. However, the origin of these mutual inclinations remains unknown. Recent work has demonstrated that mutual inclinations can be excited soon after protoplanetary disk-dispersal due to the oblateness of the rapidly-rotating host star, provided the star is tilted. Alternatively, distant giant planets, which are common in systems of close-in Kepler planets, could drive up mutual inclinations. The relative importance of each of these mechanisms has not been investigated. Here, we show that the influence of the stellar oblateness typically exceeds that of an exterior giant soon after planet formation. However, the magnitude of the resulting mutual inclinations depends critically upon the timescale over which the natal disk disperses. Specifically, we find that if the disk vanishes over a timescale shorter than 10^(3-4) years, comparable to the viscous timescale of the inner ~0.2AU, the inner planets impulsively acquire misalignments that scale with the stellar obliquity. In contrast, if the disk disperses slowly, the inner planets remain coplanar. They first align with the stellar equator but subsequently realign with the distant giant's plane as the star spins down. Our findings are consistent with recent observations that giants tend to be aligned with close-in multis but misaligned with singles. Stellar obliquity measurements offer a promising test of our proposed framework.

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arXiv2020

Obliquity Constraints on an Extrasolar Planetary-Mass Companion

We place the first constraints on the obliquity of a planetary-mass companion (PMC) outside of the Solar System. Our target is the directly imaged system 2MASS J01225093-2439505 (2M0122), which consists of a 120 Myr 0.4 M_sun star hosting a 12-27 M_J companion at 50 AU. We constrain all three of the system's angular momentum vectors: how the companion spin axis, the stellar spin axis, and the orbit normal are inclined relative to our line of sight. To accomplish this, we measure projected rotation rates (vsini) for both the star and the companion using new near-infrared high-resolution spectra with NIRSPEC at Keck Observatory. We combine these with a new stellar photometric rotation period from TESS and a published companion rotation period from HST to obtain spin axis inclinations for both objects. We also fitted multiple epochs of astrometry, including a new observation with NIRC2/Keck, to measure 2M0122b's orbital inclination. The three line-of-sight inclinations place limits on the true de-projected companion obliquity and stellar obliquity. We find that while the stellar obliquity marginally prefers alignment, the companion obliquity tentatively favors misalignment. We evaluate possible origin scenarios. While collisions, secular spin-orbit resonances, and Kozai-Lidov oscillations are unlikely, formation by gravitational instability in a gravito-turbulent disk - the scenario favored for brown dwarf companions to stars - appears promising.

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arXiv2020

Tidal Inflation Reconciles Low-Density Sub-Saturns with Core Accretion

While the Solar System contains no planets between the sizes of Uranus and Saturn, our current exoplanet census includes several dozen such planets with well-measured masses and radii. These sub-Saturns exhibit a diversity of bulk densities, ranging from ~$0.1-3\ \rm{g\ cm}^{-3}$. When modeled simply as hydrogen/helium envelopes atop rocky cores, this diversity in densities translates to a diversity in planetary envelope fractions, $f_\rm{env}=M_\rm{env}/M_p$ ranging from ~$10\%$ to ~$50\%$. Planets with $f_\rm{env}\sim50\%$ pose a challenge to traditional models of giant planet formation by core-nucleated accretion, which predict the onset of runaway gas accretion when $M_\rm{env}\sim M_\rm{core}$. Here we show that many of these apparent $f_\rm{env}\sim50\%$ planets are less envelope rich than they seem, after accounting for tidal heating. We present a new framework for modeling sub-Saturn interiors that incorporates envelope inflation due to tides, which are driven by the observed non-zero eccentricities, as well as potential obliquities. Consequently, when we apply our models to known sub-Saturns, we infer lower $f_\rm{env}$ than tides-free estimates. We present a case study of K2-19 b, a moderately eccentric sub-Saturn. Neglecting tides, K2-19 b appears to have $f_\rm{env}\sim50\%$, poised precariously near the runaway threshold; by including tides, we find $f_\rm{env}\sim10\%$, resolving the tension. Through a systematic analysis of $4-8\ R_{\oplus}$ planets, we find that most (but not all) of the similarly envelope-rich planets have more modest envelopes of $f_\rm{env}\sim10\%-20\%$. Thus, many sub-Saturns may be understood as sub-Neptunes that have undergone significant radius inflation, rather than a separate class of objects. Tidal radius inflation likely plays an important role in other size classes of planets including ultra-low-density Jupiter-size planets like WASP-107 b.

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arXiv2019

TOI 564 b and TOI 905 b: Grazing and Fully Transiting Hot Jupiters Discovered by TESS

We report the discovery and confirmation of two new hot Jupiters discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS): TOI 564 b and TOI 905 b. The transits of these two planets were initially observed by TESS with orbital periods of 1.651 d and 3.739 d, respectively. We conducted follow-up observations of each system from the ground, including photometry in multiple filters, speckle interferometry, and radial velocity measurements. For TOI 564 b, our global fitting revealed a classical hot Jupiter with a mass of $1.463^{+0.10}_{-0.096}\ M_J$ and a radius of $1.02^{+0.71}_{-0.29}\ R_J$. TOI 905 b is a classical hot Jupiter as well, with a mass of $0.667^{+0.042}_{-0.041}\ M_J$ and radius of $1.171^{+0.053}_{-0.051}\ R_J$. Both planets orbit Sun-like, moderately bright, mid-G dwarf stars with V ~ 11. While TOI 905 b fully transits its star, we found that TOI 564 b has a very high transit impact parameter of $0.994^{+0.083}_{-0.049}$, making it one of only ~20 known systems to exhibit a grazing transit and one of the brightest host stars among them. TOI 564 b is therefore one of the most attractive systems to search for additional non-transiting, smaller planets by exploiting the sensitivity of grazing transits to small changes in inclination and transit duration over the time scale of several years.

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arXiv2019

Tidally-Induced Radius Inflation of Sub-Neptunes

Recent work suggests that many short-period super-Earth and sub-Neptune planets may have significant spin axis tilts ("obliquities"). When planets are locked in high-obliquity states, the tidal dissipation rate may increase by several orders of magnitude. This intensified heat deposition within the planets' interiors should generate significant structural consequences, including atmospheric inflation leading to larger transit radii. Using up-to-date radius estimates from Gaia Data Release 2, we show evidence for $\sim50\%$ larger average radii of planets wide of first-order mean-motion resonances, a population of planets with a theorized frequent occurrence of high obliquities. We investigate whether this radius trend could be a signature of obliquity tides. Using an adaptation of the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) stellar evolution toolkit, we model the atmospheric evolution of sub-Neptune-mass planets in response to additional internal heat from obliquity tides. The degree of radius inflation predicted by the models is $\sim10\%-100\%$ for tidal luminosities $\gtrsim 10^{-5}$ of the incident stellar power; this degree of inflation is broadly consistent with the observations and can approximately be described by power law relationships. We present a few case studies of very low density "super-puff" planets -- Kepler-79 d, Kepler-31 c, and Kepler-27 b -- and show that they are strong candidates for potentially having undergone tidally-induced radius inflation. We also discuss how the discrepancy between the two populations of planets with masses derived from radial velocities and transit timing variations is connected to the radius distribution features we have identified. Altogether, the calculations in this work confirm that tidal dissipation has non-negligible consequences for the structural properties of short-period sub-Neptunes.

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arXiv2019

Signatures of Obliquity in Thermal Phase Curves of Hot Jupiters

Recent work suggests that many short-period extrasolar planets may have spin obliquities that are significantly tilted with respect to their orbital planes. These large obliquities are a natural outcome of ``secular spin-orbit resonance'', a configuration in which the planetary spin precession frequency matches the frequency of orbit nodal regression, or a Fourier component thereof. While exoplanet spin obliquities have not yet been measured directly, they may be detectable indirectly through their signatures in various observations, such as photometric measurements across the full phase of a planet's orbit. In this work, we employ a thermal radiative model to explore how large polar tilts affect full-phase light curves, and we discuss the range of unique signatures that are expected to result. We show that the well-studied short-period planets HD 149026 b, WASP-12 b, and CoRoT-2 b all exhibit phase curve features that may arise from being in high-obliquity states. We also constrain the parameters and assess the detectability of hypothetical perturbing planets that could maintain the planets in these states. Among the three planets considered, CoRoT-2 b has the tightest constraints on its proposed obliquity ($45.8^{\circ} \pm 1.4^{\circ}$) and axial orientation. For HD 149026 b, we find no significant evidence for a non-zero obliquity, and the phase curve of WASP-12 b is too complicated by strong tidal distortions for a conclusive assessment.

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arXiv2019

Excitation of Planetary Obliquities Through Planet-Disk Interactions

The tilt of a planet's spin axis off its orbital axis ("obliquity") is a basic physical characteristic that plays a central role in determining the planet's global circulation and energy redistribution. Moreover, recent studies have also highlighted the importance of obliquities in sculpting not only the physical features of exoplanets but also their orbital architectures. It is therefore of key importance to identify and characterize the dominant processes of excitation of non-zero axial tilts. Here we highlight a simple mechanism that operates early on and is likely fundamental for many extrasolar planets and perhaps even Solar System planets. While planets are still forming in the protoplanetary disk, the gravitational potential of the disk induces nodal recession of the orbits. The frequency of this recession decreases as the disk dissipates, and when it crosses the frequency of a planet's spin axis precession, large planetary obliquities may be excited through capture into a secular spin-orbit resonance. We study the conditions for encountering this resonance and calculate the resulting obliquity excitation over a wide range of parameter space. Planets with semi-major axes in the range $0.3 \ \mathrm{AU} \lesssim a \lesssim 2 \ \mathrm{AU}$ are the most readily affected, but large-$a$ planets can also be impacted. We present a case study of Uranus and Neptune and show that this mechanism likely cannot help explain their high obliquities. While it could have played a role if finely tuned and envisioned to operate in isolation, large-scale obliquity excitation was likely inhibited by gravitational planet-planet perturbations.

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arXiv2019

Obliquity-Driven Sculpting of Exoplanetary Systems

NASA's Kepler mission revealed that $\sim 30\%$ of Solar-type stars harbor planets with sizes between that of Earth and Neptune on nearly circular and co-planar orbits with periods less than 100 days. Such short-period compact systems are rarely found with planet pairs in mean-motion resonances (MMRs) -- configurations in which the planetary orbital periods exhibit a simple integer ratio -- but there is a significant overabundance of planet pairs lying just wide of the first-order resonances. Previous work suggests that tides raised on the planets by the host star may be responsible for forcing systems into these configurations by draining orbital energy to heat. Such tides, however, are insufficient unless there exists a substantial and as-yet unidentified source of extra dissipation. Here we show that this cryptic heat source may be linked to "obliquity tides" generated when a large axial tilt (obliquity) is maintained by secular resonance-driven spin-orbit coupling. We present evidence that typical compact, nearly-coplanar systems frequently experience this mechanism, and we highlight additional features in the planetary orbital period and radius distributions that may be its signatures. Extrasolar planets that maintain large obliquities will exhibit infrared light curve features that are detectable with forthcoming space missions. The observed period ratio distribution can be explained if typical tidal quality factors for super-Earths and sub-Neptunes are similar to those of Uranus and Neptune.

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arXiv2018

Obliquity Tides May Drive WASP-12b's Rapid Orbital Decay

Recent analyses have revealed a mystery. The orbital period of the highly inflated hot Jupiter, WASP-12b, is decreasing rapidly. The rate of inspiral, however, is too fast to be explained by either eccentricity tides or equilibrium stellar tides. While dynamical stellar tides are possible, they require a subgiant structure for the star, whereas stellar models point toward a main sequence host. Here, we show that these hitherto irreconcilable observations might be explained by planetary obliquity tides if planet b's spin vector is trapped in a high-obliquity state maintained by a secular spin-orbit resonance with an unseen exterior perturbing planet. We derive constraints on the obliquity ($ε\gtrsim50^{\circ}$), reduced tidal quality factor ($Q^{\prime}\sim10^{6}-10^{7}$), and perturbing planet parameters ($M_{2}\sim10-20M_{\oplus}$, $a_2\lesssim0.04\,{\rm AU}$) required to generate the observed orbital decay. Direct N-body simulations that include tidal and spin dynamics reinforce the plausibility of the scenario. Furthermore, we show that the resonance could have been captured when planet b's obliquity was small, making the proposed sequence of events easy to explain. The hypothetical perturbing planet is within the limits of current radial velocity constraints on the system yet is also detectable. If it exists, it could provide evidence in favor of the in situ formation hypothesis for hot Jupiters.

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arXiv2018

HD 202772A B: A Transiting Hot Jupiter Around A Bright, Mildly Evolved Star In A Visual Binary Discovered By Tess

We report the first confirmation of a hot Jupiter discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission: HD 202772A b. The transit signal was detected in the data from TESS Sector 1, and was confirmed to be of planetary origin through radial-velocity measurements. HD 202772A b is orbiting a mildly evolved star with a period of 3.3 days. With an apparent magnitude of V = 8.3, the star is among the brightest known to host a hot Jupiter. Based on the 27days of TESS photometry, and radial velocity data from the CHIRON and HARPS spectrographs, the planet has a mass of 1.008+/-0.074 M_J and radius of 1.562+/-0.053 R_J , making it an inflated gas giant. HD 202772A b is a rare example of a transiting hot Jupiter around a quickly evolving star. It is also one of the most strongly irradiated hot Jupiters currently known.

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arXiv2017

Kepler Multi-Planet Systems Exhibit Unexpected Intra-system Uniformity in Mass and Radius

The widespread prevalence of close-in, nearly coplanar super-Earth- and sub-Neptune-sized planets in multiple-planet systems was one of the most surprising results from the Kepler mission. By studying a uniform sample of Kepler "multis" with mass measurements from transit timing variations (TTVs), we show that a given planetary system tends to harbor a characteristic type of planet. That is, planets in a system have both masses and radii that are far more similar than if the system were assembled randomly from planets in the population. This finding has two important ramifications. First, the large intrinsic compositional scatter in the planet mass-radius relation is dominated by system-to-system variance rather than intra-system variance. Second, if provided enough properties of the star and primordial protoplanetary disk, there may be a substantial degree of predictability in the outcome of the planet formation process. We show that stellar mass and metallicity account for of order $20\%$ of the variation in outcomes; the remainder is as-yet unknown.

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arXiv2017

Supervised Learning Detection of Sixty Non-Transiting Hot Jupiter Candidates

The optical, full-phase photometric variations of a short-period planet provide a unique view of the planet's atmospheric composition and dynamics. The number of planets with optical phase curve detections, however, is currently too small to study them as an aggregate population, motivating an extension of the search to non-transiting planets. Here we present an algorithm for the detection of non-transiting, short-period giant planets in the Kepler field. The procedure uses the phase curves themselves as evidence for the planets' existence. We employ a supervised learning algorithm to recognize the salient time-dependent properties of synthetic phase curves; we then search for detections of signals that match these properties. After demonstrating the algorithm's capabilities, we classify 142,630 FGK Kepler stars without confirmed planets or KOIs and, for each one, assign a probability of a phase curve of a non-transiting planet being present. We identify 60 high-probability non-transiting hot Jupiter candidates. We also derive constraints on the candidates' albedos and offsets of the phase curve maxima. These targets are strong candidates for follow-up radial velocity confirmation and characterization. Once confirmed, the atmospheric information content in the phase curves may be studied in yet greater detail.

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