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1. The LHS 1678 System: Two Earth-sized Transiting Planets and an Astrometric Companion Orbiting an M Dwarf Near the Convective Boundary at 20 pc

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ac32e3  

   Silverstein, Michele L. ; Schlieder, Joshua E. ; Barclay, Thomas ; Hord, Benjamin J. ; Jao, Wei-Chun ; Vrijmoet, Eliot Halley ; Henry, Todd J. ; Cloutier, Ryan ; Kostov, Veselin B. ; Kruse, Ethan ; et al ( March 2022 , The Astronomical Journal)

   Abstract We present the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovery of the LHS 1678 (TOI-696) exoplanet system, comprised of two approximately Earth-sized transiting planets and a likely astrometric brown dwarf orbiting a bright ( V J = 12.5, K s = 8.3) M2 dwarf at 19.9 pc. The two TESS-detected planets are of radius 0.70 ± 0.04 R ⊕ and 0.98 ± 0.06 R ⊕ in 0.86 day and 3.69 day orbits, respectively. Both planets are validated and characterized via ground-based follow-up observations. High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher RV monitoring yields 97.7 percentile mass upper limits of 0.35 M ⊕ and 1.4 M ⊕ for planets b and c, respectively. The astrometric companion detected by the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory/Small and Moderate Aperture Telescope System 0.9 m has an orbital period on the order of decades and is undetected by other means. Additional ground-based observations constrain the companion to being a high-mass brown dwarf or smaller. Each planet is of unique interest; the inner planet has an ultra-short period, and the outer planet is in the Venus zone. Both are promising targets for atmospheric characterization with the James Webb Space Telescope and mass measurements via extreme-precision radial velocity. Amore »third planet candidate of radius 0.9 ± 0.1 R ⊕ in a 4.97 day orbit is also identified in multicycle TESS data for validation in future work. The host star is associated with an observed gap in the lower main sequence of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. This gap is tied to the transition from partially to fully convective interiors in M dwarfs, and the effect of the associated stellar astrophysics on exoplanet evolution is currently unknown. The culmination of these system properties makes LHS 1678 a unique, compelling playground for comparative exoplanet science and understanding the formation and evolution of small, short-period exoplanets orbiting low-mass stars.« less
2. Three short-period Jupiters from TESS: HIP 65Ab, TOI-157b, and TOI-169b

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202037941  

   Nielsen, L. D. ; Brahm, R. ; Bouchy, F. ; Espinoza, N. ; Turner, O. ; Rappaport, S. ; Pearce, L. ; Ricker, G. ; Vanderspek, R. ; Latham, D. W. ; et al ( July 2020 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   We report the confirmation and mass determination of three hot Jupiters discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission: HIP 65Ab (TOI-129, TIC-201248411) is an ultra-short-period Jupiter orbiting a bright ( V = 11.1 mag) K4-dwarf every 0.98 days. It is a massive 3.213 ± 0.078  M J planet in a grazing transit configuration with an impact parameter of b = 1.17 −0.08 +0.10 . As a result the radius is poorly constrained, 2.03 −0.49 +0.61 R J . The planet’s distance to its host star is less than twice the separation at which it would be destroyed by Roche lobe overflow. It is expected to spiral into HIP 65A on a timescale ranging from 80 Myr to a few gigayears, assuming a reduced tidal dissipation quality factor of Q s ′ = 10 7 − 10 9 . We performed a full phase-curve analysis of the TESS data and detected both illumination- and ellipsoidal variations as well as Doppler boosting. HIP 65A is part of a binary stellar system, with HIP 65B separated by 269 AU (3.95 arcsec on sky). TOI-157b (TIC 140691463) is a typical hot Jupiter with a mass of 1.18 ± 0.13  M J andmore »a radius of 1.29 ± 0.02  R J . It has a period of 2.08 days, which corresponds to a separation of just 0.03 AU. This makes TOI-157 an interesting system, as the host star is an evolved G9 sub-giant star ( V = 12.7). TOI-169b (TIC 183120439) is a bloated Jupiter orbiting a V = 12.4 G-type star. It has a mass of 0.79 ±0.06  M J and a radius of 1.09 −0.05 +0.08 R J . Despite having the longest orbital period ( P = 2.26 days) of the three planets, TOI-169b receives the most irradiation and is situated on the edge of the Neptune desert. All three host stars are metal rich with [Fe / H] ranging from 0.18 to0.24.« less
3. Investigating the architecture and internal structure of the TOI-561 system planets with CHEOPS, HARPS-N, and TESS

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac199  

   Lacedelli, G. ; Wilson, T. G. ; Malavolta, L. ; Hooton, M. J. ; Collier Cameron, A. ; Alibert, Y. ; Mortier, A. ; Bonfanti, A. ; Haywood, R. D. ; Hoyer, S. ; et al ( January 2022 , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   We present a precise characterization of the TOI-561 planetary system obtained by combining previously published data with TESS and CHEOPS photometry, and a new set of 62 HARPS-N radial velocities (RVs). Our joint analysis confirms the presence of four transiting planets, namely TOI-561 b (P = 0.45 d, R = 1.42 R⊕, M = 2.0 M⊕), c (P = 10.78 d, R = 2.91 R⊕, M = 5.4 M⊕), d (P = 25.7 d, R = 2.82 R⊕, M = 13.2 M⊕), and e (P = 77 d, R = 2.55 R⊕, M = 12.6 R⊕). Moreover, we identify an additional, long-period signal (>450 d) in the RVs, which could be due to either an external planetary companion or to stellar magnetic activity. The precise masses and radii obtained for the four planets allowed us to conduct interior structure and atmospheric escape modelling. TOI-561 b is confirmed to be the lowest density (ρb = 3.8 ± 0.5 g cm−3) ultra-short period (USP) planet known to date, and the low metallicity of the host star makes it consistent with the general bulk density-stellar metallicity trend. According to our interior structure modelling, planet b has basically no gas envelope, and it could host a certain amount of water. In contrast, TOI-561 c, d, and e likely retainedmore »an H/He envelope, in addition to a possibly large water layer. The inferred planetary compositions suggest different atmospheric evolutionary paths, with planets b and c having experienced significant gas loss, and planets d and e showing an atmospheric content consistent with the original one. The uniqueness of the USP planet, the presence of the long-period planet TOI-561 e, and the complex architecture make this system an appealing target for follow-up studies.

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4. The young HD 73583 (TOI-560) planetary system: two 10-M⊕ mini-Neptunes transiting a 500-Myr-old, bright, and active K dwarf

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac638  

   Barragán, O. ; Armstrong, D. J. ; Gandolfi, D. ; Carleo, I. ; Vidotto, A. A. ; Villarreal D’Angelo, C. ; Oklopčić, A. ; Isaacson, H. ; Oddo, D. ; Collins, K. ; et al ( March 2022 , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   We present the discovery and characterization of two transiting planets observed by TESS in the light curves of the young and bright (V = 9.67) star HD73583 (TOI-560). We perform an intensive spectroscopic and photometric space- and ground-based follow-up in order to confirm and characterize the system. We found that HD73583 is a young (∼500 Myr) active star with a rotational period of 12.08 ± 0.11  d, and a mass and radius of 0.73 ± 0.02 M⊙ and 0.65 ± 0.02 R⊙, respectively. HD 73583 b (Pb = $6.3980420 _{ - 0.0000062 } ^ { + 0.0000067 }$ d) has a mass and radius of $10.2 _{ - 3.1 } ^ { + 3.4 }$ M⊕ and 2.79 ± 0.10 R⊕, respectively, which gives a density of $2.58 _{ - 0.81 } ^ { + 0.95 }$ ${\rm g\, cm^{-3}}$. HD 73583 c (Pc = $18.87974 _{ - 0.00074 } ^ { + 0.00086 }$ d) has a mass and radius of $9.7 _{ - 1.7 } ^ { + 1.8 }$ M⊕ and $2.39 _{ - 0.09 } ^ { + 0.10 }$ R⊕, respectively, which translates to a density of $3.88 _{ - 0.80 } ^ { + 0.91 }$ ${\rm g\, cm^{-3}}$. Both planets are consistent with worlds made of a solid core surrounded by a volatile envelope. Because of their youth andmore »host star brightness, they both are excellent candidates to perform transmission spectroscopy studies. We expect ongoing atmospheric mass-loss for both planets caused by stellar irradiation. We estimate that the detection of evaporating signatures on H and He would be challenging, but doable with present and future instruments.

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5. TESS Hunt for Young and Maturing Exoplanets (THYME). VI. An 11 Myr Giant Planet Transiting a Very-low-mass Star in Lower Centaurus Crux

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ac511d  

   Mann, Andrew W. ; Wood, Mackenna L. ; Schmidt, Stephen P. ; Barber, Madyson G. ; Owen, James E. ; Tofflemire, Benjamin M. ; Newton, Elisabeth R. ; Mamajek, Eric E. ; Bush, Jonathan L. ; Mace, Gregory N. ; et al ( March 2022 , The Astronomical Journal)

   Mature super-Earths and sub-Neptunes are predicted to be ≃ Jovian radius when younger than 10 Myr. Thus, we expect to find 5–15R_⊕planets around young stars even if their older counterparts harbor none. We report the discovery and validation of TOI 1227b, a 0.85 ± 0.05R_J(9.5R_⊕) planet transiting a very-low-mass star (0.170 ± 0.015M_⊙) every 27.4 days. TOI 1227's kinematics and strong lithium absorption confirm that it is a member of a previously discovered subgroup in the Lower Centaurus Crux OB association, which we designate the Musca group. We derive an age of 11 ± 2 Myr for Musca, based on lithium, rotation, and the color–magnitude diagram of Musca members. The TESS data and ground-based follow-up show a deep (2.5%) transit. We use multiwavelength transit observations and radial velocities from the IGRINS spectrograph to validate the signal as planetary in nature, and we obtain an upper limit on the planet mass of ≃0.5M_J. Because such large planets are exceptionally rare around mature low-mass stars, we suggest that TOI 1227b is still contracting and will eventually turn into one of the more common <5R_⊕planets.