Surviving in the Hot Neptune Desert: the discovery of the ultrahot Neptune TOI-3261b

Emma Nabbie; Chelsea X. Huang; Jennifer A. Burt; David J. Armstrong; Eric E. Mamajek; Vardan Adibekyan; Sérgio G. Sousa; Eric D. Lopez; Daniel Thorngren; Jorge Fernández Fernández; Gongjie Li; James S. Jenkins; Jose I. Vines; João Gomes da Silva; Robert A. Wittenmyer; Daniel Bayliss; César Briceño; Karen A. Collins; Xavier Dumusque; Keith Horne; Marcelo Aron F. Keniger; Nicholas Law; Jorge Lillo-Box; Shang-Fei Liu; Andrew W. Mann; Louise D. Nielsen; Ares Osborn; Howard M. Relles; José J. Rodrigues; Juan Serrano Bell; Gregor Srdoc; Chris Stockdale; Paul A. Strøm; Cristilyn N. Watkins; Peter J. Wheatley; Duncan J. Wright; George Zhou; Carl Ziegler; George Ricker; Sara Seager; Roland Vanderspek; Joshua N. Winn; Jon M. Jenkins; Michael Fausnaugh; Michelle Kunimoto; Hugh P. Osborn; Samuel N. Quinn; Bill Wohler

doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ad60be

Surviving in the Hot Neptune Desert: the discovery of the ultrahot Neptune TOI-3261b

Emma Nabbie^*, Chelsea X. Huang, Jennifer A. Burt, David J. Armstrong, Eric E. Mamajek, Vardan Adibekyan, Sérgio G. Sousa, Eric D. Lopez, Daniel Thorngren, Jorge Fernández Fernández, Gongjie Li, James S. Jenkins, Jose I. Vines, João Gomes da Silva, Robert A. Wittenmyer, Daniel Bayliss, César Briceño, Karen A. Collins, Xavier Dumusque, Keith HorneMarcelo Aron F. Keniger, Nicholas Law, Jorge Lillo-Box, Shang-Fei Liu, Andrew W. Mann, Louise D. Nielsen, Ares Osborn, Howard M. Relles, José J. Rodrigues, Juan Serrano Bell, Gregor Srdoc, Chris Stockdale, Paul A. Strøm, Cristilyn N. Watkins, Peter J. Wheatley, Duncan J. Wright, George Zhou, Carl Ziegler, George Ricker, Sara Seager, Roland Vanderspek, Joshua N. Winn, Jon M. Jenkins, Michael Fausnaugh, Michelle Kunimoto, Hugh P. Osborn, Samuel N. Quinn, Bill Wohler

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The recent discoveries of Neptune-sized ultra-short-period planets (USPs) challenge existing planet formation theories. It is unclear whether these residents of the Hot Neptune Desert have similar origins to smaller, rocky USPs, or if this discrete population is evidence of a different formation pathway altogether. We report the discovery of TOI-3261b, an ultrahot Neptune with an orbital period P = 0.88 day. The host star is a V = 13.2 mag, slightly supersolar metallicity ([Fe/H] ≃0.15), inactive K1.5 main-sequence star at d = 300 pc. Using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope, we find that TOI-3261b has a radius of 3.82_−0.35^+0.42 R ⊕. Moreover, radial velocities from ESPRESSO and HARPS reveal a mass of 30.3_−2.4^+2.2 M ⊕, more than twice the median mass of Neptune-sized planets on longer orbits. We investigate multiple mechanisms of mass loss that can reproduce the current-day properties of TOI-3261b, simulating the evolution of the planet via tidal stripping and photoevaporation. Thermal evolution models suggest that TOI-3261b should retain an envelope potentially enriched with volatiles constituting ∼5% of its total mass. This is the second highest envelope mass fraction among ultrahot Neptunes discovered to date, making TOI-3261b an ideal candidate for atmospheric follow-up observations.

Original language	English
Article number	132
Number of pages	15
Journal	Astronomical Journal
Volume	168
Issue number	3
Early online date	27 Aug 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad60be
Publication status	Published - 2 Sept 2024

Keywords

Transits
Radial velocity
Exoplanets

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Nabbie, E., Huang, C. X., Burt, J. A., Armstrong, D. J., Mamajek, E. E., Adibekyan, V., Sousa, S. G., Lopez, E. D., Thorngren, D., Fernández Fernández, J., Li, G., Jenkins, J. S., Vines, J. I., Gomes da Silva, J., Wittenmyer, R. A., Bayliss, D., Briceño, C., Collins, K. A., Dumusque, X., ... Wohler, B. (2024). Surviving in the Hot Neptune Desert: the discovery of the ultrahot Neptune TOI-3261b. Astronomical Journal, 168(3), Article 132. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad60be

@article{86cb5f79504746e98ef00cc606c99ea9,

title = "Surviving in the Hot Neptune Desert: the discovery of the ultrahot Neptune TOI-3261b",

abstract = "The recent discoveries of Neptune-sized ultra-short-period planets (USPs) challenge existing planet formation theories. It is unclear whether these residents of the Hot Neptune Desert have similar origins to smaller, rocky USPs, or if this discrete population is evidence of a different formation pathway altogether. We report the discovery of TOI-3261b, an ultrahot Neptune with an orbital period P = 0.88 day. The host star is a V = 13.2 mag, slightly supersolar metallicity ([Fe/H] ≃0.15), inactive K1.5 main-sequence star at d = 300 pc. Using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope, we find that TOI-3261b has a radius of 3.82−0.35+0.42 R ⊕. Moreover, radial velocities from ESPRESSO and HARPS reveal a mass of 30.3−2.4+2.2 M ⊕, more than twice the median mass of Neptune-sized planets on longer orbits. We investigate multiple mechanisms of mass loss that can reproduce the current-day properties of TOI-3261b, simulating the evolution of the planet via tidal stripping and photoevaporation. Thermal evolution models suggest that TOI-3261b should retain an envelope potentially enriched with volatiles constituting ∼5% of its total mass. This is the second highest envelope mass fraction among ultrahot Neptunes discovered to date, making TOI-3261b an ideal candidate for atmospheric follow-up observations.",

keywords = "Transits, Radial velocity, Exoplanets",

author = "Emma Nabbie and Huang, {Chelsea X.} and Burt, {Jennifer A.} and Armstrong, {David J.} and Mamajek, {Eric E.} and Vardan Adibekyan and Sousa, {S{\'e}rgio G.} and Lopez, {Eric D.} and Daniel Thorngren and {Fern{\'a}ndez Fern{\'a}ndez}, Jorge and Gongjie Li and Jenkins, {James S.} and Vines, {Jose I.} and {Gomes da Silva}, Jo{\~a}o and Wittenmyer, {Robert A.} and Daniel Bayliss and C{\'e}sar Brice{\~n}o and Collins, {Karen A.} and Xavier Dumusque and Keith Horne and {F. Keniger}, {Marcelo Aron} and Nicholas Law and Jorge Lillo-Box and Shang-Fei Liu and Mann, {Andrew W.} and {D. Nielsen}, Louise and Ares Osborn and Relles, {Howard M.} and Rodrigues, {Jos{\'e} J.} and {Serrano Bell}, Juan and Gregor Srdoc and Chris Stockdale and Str{\o}m, {Paul A.} and Watkins, {Cristilyn N.} and Wheatley, {Peter J.} and Wright, {Duncan J.} and George Zhou and Carl Ziegler and George Ricker and Sara Seager and Roland Vanderspek and Winn, {Joshua N.} and Jenkins, {Jon M.} and Michael Fausnaugh and Michelle Kunimoto and Osborn, {Hugh P.} and Quinn, {Samuel N.} and Bill Wohler",

note = "Funding: This research was funded in part by the UKRI, (grants ST/X001121/1, EP/X027562/1). Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory under ESO program 108.21YY.001 (PI Armstrong). X.D. acknowledges the support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement SCORE No 851555). J.L.-B. is funded by the MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and NextGenerationEU/PRTR grants CNS2023-144309 and PID2019-107061GB-C61. P.J.W. acknowledges support from STFC under consolidated grants ST/T000406/1 and ST/X001121/1.",

year = "2024",

month = sep,

day = "2",

doi = "10.3847/1538-3881/ad60be",

language = "English",

volume = "168",

journal = "Astronomical Journal",

issn = "0004-6256",

publisher = "American Astronomical Society",

number = "3",

}

Nabbie, E, Huang, CX, Burt, JA, Armstrong, DJ, Mamajek, EE, Adibekyan, V, Sousa, SG, Lopez, ED, Thorngren, D, Fernández Fernández, J, Li, G, Jenkins, JS, Vines, JI, Gomes da Silva, J, Wittenmyer, RA, Bayliss, D, Briceño, C, Collins, KA, Dumusque, X, Horne, K, F. Keniger, MA, Law, N, Lillo-Box, J, Liu, S-F, Mann, AW, D. Nielsen, L, Osborn, A, Relles, HM, Rodrigues, JJ, Serrano Bell, J, Srdoc, G, Stockdale, C, Strøm, PA, Watkins, CN, Wheatley, PJ, Wright, DJ, Zhou, G, Ziegler, C, Ricker, G, Seager, S, Vanderspek, R, Winn, JN, Jenkins, JM, Fausnaugh, M, Kunimoto, M, Osborn, HP, Quinn, SN & Wohler, B 2024, 'Surviving in the Hot Neptune Desert: the discovery of the ultrahot Neptune TOI-3261b', Astronomical Journal, vol. 168, no. 3, 132. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad60be

TY - JOUR

T1 - Surviving in the Hot Neptune Desert

T2 - the discovery of the ultrahot Neptune TOI-3261b

AU - Nabbie, Emma

AU - Huang, Chelsea X.

AU - Burt, Jennifer A.

AU - Armstrong, David J.

AU - Mamajek, Eric E.

AU - Adibekyan, Vardan

AU - Sousa, Sérgio G.

AU - Lopez, Eric D.

AU - Thorngren, Daniel

AU - Fernández Fernández, Jorge

AU - Li, Gongjie

AU - Jenkins, James S.

AU - Vines, Jose I.

AU - Gomes da Silva, João

AU - Wittenmyer, Robert A.

AU - Bayliss, Daniel

AU - Briceño, César

AU - Collins, Karen A.

AU - Dumusque, Xavier

AU - Horne, Keith

AU - F. Keniger, Marcelo Aron

AU - Law, Nicholas

AU - Lillo-Box, Jorge

AU - Liu, Shang-Fei

AU - Mann, Andrew W.

AU - D. Nielsen, Louise

AU - Osborn, Ares

AU - Relles, Howard M.

AU - Rodrigues, José J.

AU - Serrano Bell, Juan

AU - Srdoc, Gregor

AU - Stockdale, Chris

AU - Strøm, Paul A.

AU - Watkins, Cristilyn N.

AU - Wheatley, Peter J.

AU - Wright, Duncan J.

AU - Zhou, George

AU - Ziegler, Carl

AU - Ricker, George

AU - Seager, Sara

AU - Vanderspek, Roland

AU - Winn, Joshua N.

AU - Jenkins, Jon M.

AU - Fausnaugh, Michael

AU - Kunimoto, Michelle

AU - Osborn, Hugh P.

AU - Quinn, Samuel N.

AU - Wohler, Bill

N1 - Funding: This research was funded in part by the UKRI, (grants ST/X001121/1, EP/X027562/1). Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory under ESO program 108.21YY.001 (PI Armstrong). X.D. acknowledges the support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement SCORE No 851555). J.L.-B. is funded by the MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and NextGenerationEU/PRTR grants CNS2023-144309 and PID2019-107061GB-C61. P.J.W. acknowledges support from STFC under consolidated grants ST/T000406/1 and ST/X001121/1.

PY - 2024/9/2

Y1 - 2024/9/2

N2 - The recent discoveries of Neptune-sized ultra-short-period planets (USPs) challenge existing planet formation theories. It is unclear whether these residents of the Hot Neptune Desert have similar origins to smaller, rocky USPs, or if this discrete population is evidence of a different formation pathway altogether. We report the discovery of TOI-3261b, an ultrahot Neptune with an orbital period P = 0.88 day. The host star is a V = 13.2 mag, slightly supersolar metallicity ([Fe/H] ≃0.15), inactive K1.5 main-sequence star at d = 300 pc. Using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope, we find that TOI-3261b has a radius of 3.82−0.35+0.42 R ⊕. Moreover, radial velocities from ESPRESSO and HARPS reveal a mass of 30.3−2.4+2.2 M ⊕, more than twice the median mass of Neptune-sized planets on longer orbits. We investigate multiple mechanisms of mass loss that can reproduce the current-day properties of TOI-3261b, simulating the evolution of the planet via tidal stripping and photoevaporation. Thermal evolution models suggest that TOI-3261b should retain an envelope potentially enriched with volatiles constituting ∼5% of its total mass. This is the second highest envelope mass fraction among ultrahot Neptunes discovered to date, making TOI-3261b an ideal candidate for atmospheric follow-up observations.

AB - The recent discoveries of Neptune-sized ultra-short-period planets (USPs) challenge existing planet formation theories. It is unclear whether these residents of the Hot Neptune Desert have similar origins to smaller, rocky USPs, or if this discrete population is evidence of a different formation pathway altogether. We report the discovery of TOI-3261b, an ultrahot Neptune with an orbital period P = 0.88 day. The host star is a V = 13.2 mag, slightly supersolar metallicity ([Fe/H] ≃0.15), inactive K1.5 main-sequence star at d = 300 pc. Using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope, we find that TOI-3261b has a radius of 3.82−0.35+0.42 R ⊕. Moreover, radial velocities from ESPRESSO and HARPS reveal a mass of 30.3−2.4+2.2 M ⊕, more than twice the median mass of Neptune-sized planets on longer orbits. We investigate multiple mechanisms of mass loss that can reproduce the current-day properties of TOI-3261b, simulating the evolution of the planet via tidal stripping and photoevaporation. Thermal evolution models suggest that TOI-3261b should retain an envelope potentially enriched with volatiles constituting ∼5% of its total mass. This is the second highest envelope mass fraction among ultrahot Neptunes discovered to date, making TOI-3261b an ideal candidate for atmospheric follow-up observations.

KW - Transits

KW - Radial velocity

KW - Exoplanets

U2 - 10.3847/1538-3881/ad60be

DO - 10.3847/1538-3881/ad60be

M3 - Article

SN - 0004-6256

VL - 168

JO - Astronomical Journal

JF - Astronomical Journal

IS - 3

M1 - 132

ER -

Surviving in the Hot Neptune Desert: the discovery of the ultrahot Neptune TOI-3261b

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