Back to Search Start Over

TOI-2015 b: A Warm Neptune with Transit Timing Variations Orbiting an Active Mid-type M Dwarf

Authors :
Sinclaire E. Jones
Guđmundur Stefánsson
Kento Masuda
Jessica E. Libby-Roberts
Cristilyn N. Gardner
Rae Holcomb
Corey Beard
Paul Robertson
Caleb I. Cañas
Suvrath Mahadevan
Shubham Kanodia
Andrea S. J. Lin
Henry A. Kobulnicky
Brock A. Parker
Chad F. Bender
William D. Cochran
Scott A. Diddams
Rachel B. Fernandes
Arvind F. Gupta
Samuel Halverson
Suzanne L. Hawley
Fred R. Hearty
Leslie Hebb
Adam Kowalski
Jack Lubin
Andrew Monson
Joe P. Ninan
Lawrence Ramsey
Arpita Roy
Christian Schwab
Ryan C. Terrien
John Wisniewski
Source :
The Astronomical Journal, Vol 168, Iss 2, p 93 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
IOP Publishing, 2024.

Abstract

We report the discovery of a close-in ( P _orb = 3.349 days) warm Neptune with clear transit timing variations (TTVs) orbiting the nearby ( d = 47.3 pc) active M4 star, TOI-2015. We characterize the planet's properties using Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry, precise near-infrared radial velocities (RVs) with the Habitable-zone Planet Finder Spectrograph, ground-based photometry, and high-contrast imaging. A joint photometry and RV fit yields a radius ${R}_{p}={3.37}_{-0.20}^{+0.15}\ {R}_{\oplus }$ , mass ${m}_{p}={16.4}_{-4.1}^{+4.1}\ {M}_{\oplus }$ , and density ${\rho }_{p}\,={2.32}_{-0.37}^{+0.38}\ {\rm{g}}\ {\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}$ for TOI-2015 b, suggesting a likely volatile-rich planet. The young, active host star has a rotation period of P _rot = 8.7 ± 0.9 days and associated rotation-based age estimate of 1.1 ± 0.1 Gyr. Though no other transiting planets are seen in the TESS data, the system shows clear TTVs of super-period ${P}_{\sup }\approx 430\ \mathrm{days}$ and amplitude ∼100 minutes. After considering multiple likely period-ratio models, we show an outer planet candidate near a 2:1 resonance can explain the observed TTVs while offering a dynamically stable solution. However, other possible two-planet solutions—including 3:2 and 4:3 resonances—cannot be conclusively excluded without further observations. Assuming a 2:1 resonance in the joint TTV-RV modeling suggests a mass of ${m}_{b}={13.3}_{-4.5}^{+4.7}\ {M}_{\oplus }$ for TOI-2015 b and ${m}_{c}={6.8}_{-2.3}^{+3.5}\ {M}_{\oplus }$ for the outer candidate. Additional transit and RV observations will be beneficial to explicitly identify the resonance and further characterize the properties of the system.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
15383881
Volume :
168
Issue :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
The Astronomical Journal
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.052ce9f7dd8e41bbb7f9ee8f3027d738
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad55ea