TOI-2015 b: A warm Neptune with transit timing variations orbiting an active mid-type M dwarf

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 HalversonSuzanne 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

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Abstract

We report the discovery of a close-in (Porb = 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 Rp = 3.37−0.20+0.15 R , mass mp = 16.4−4.1+4.1 M , and density ρp = 2.32−0.37+0.38 g cm−3 for TOI-2015 b, suggesting a likely volatile-rich planet. The young, active host star has a rotation period of Prot = 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 Psup ≈ 430 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 mb = 13.3−4.5+4.7 M for TOI-2015 b and mc = 6.8−2.3+3.5 M 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.

Original languageEnglish
Article number93
Pages (from-to)1-24
Number of pages24
JournalAstronomical Journal
Volume168
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2024

Bibliographical note

© 2024. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

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