ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9312-0073
Current Organisations
University of British Columbia
,
Université de Montréal
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Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 25-05-2022
Abstract: Multiplanet systems are valuable arenas for investigating exoplanet architectures and comparing planetary siblings. TOI-1246 is one such system, with a moderately bright K dwarf ( V = 11.6, K = 9.9) and four transiting sub-Neptunes identified by TESS with orbital periods of 4.31, 5.90, 18.66, and 37.92 days. We collected 130 radial velocity observations with Keck/HIRES and TNG/HARPS-N to measure planet masses. We refit the 14 sectors of TESS photometry to refine planet radii (2.97 ± 0.06 R ⊕ , 2.47 ± 0.08 R ⊕ , 3.46 ± 0.09 R ⊕ , and 3.72 ± 0.16 R ⊕ ) and confirm the four planets. We find that TOI-1246 e is substantially more massive than the three inner planets (8.1 ± 1.1 M ⊕ , 8.8 ± 1.2 M ⊕ , 5.3 ± 1.7 M ⊕ , and 14.8 ± 2.3 M ⊕ ). The two outer planets, TOI-1246 d and TOI-1246 e, lie near to the 2:1 resonance ( P e / P d = 2.03) and exhibit transit-timing variations. TOI-1246 is one of the brightest four-planet systems, making it amenable for continued observations. It is one of only five systems with measured masses and radii for all four transiting planets. The planet densities range from 0.70 ± 0.24 to 3.21 ± 0.44 g cm −3 , implying a range of bulk and atmospheric compositions. We also report a fifth planet candidate found in the RV data with a minimum mass of 25.6 ± 3.6 M ⊕ . This planet candidate is exterior to TOI-1246 e, with a candidate period of 93.8 days, and we discuss the implications if it is confirmed to be planetary in nature.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 18-10-2023
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 13-01-2022
Abstract: We report the discovery of TOI-2180 b, a 2.8 M J giant planet orbiting a slightly evolved G5 host star. This planet transited only once in Cycle 2 of the primary Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. Citizen scientists identified the 24 hr single-transit event shortly after the data were released, allowing a Doppler monitoring c aign with the Automated Planet Finder telescope at Lick Observatory to begin promptly. The radial velocity observations refined the orbital period of TOI-2180 b to be 260.8 ± 0.6 days, revealed an orbital eccentricity of 0.368 ± 0.007, and discovered long-term acceleration from a more distant massive companion. We conducted ground-based photometry from 14 sites spread around the globe in an attempt to detect another transit. Although we did not make a clear transit detection, the nondetections improved the precision of the orbital period. We predict that TESS will likely detect another transit of TOI-2180 b in Sector 48 of its extended mission. We use giant planet structure models to retrieve the bulk heavy-element content of TOI-2180 b. When considered alongside other giant planets with orbital periods over 100 days, we find tentative evidence that the correlation between planet mass and metal enrichment relative to stellar is dependent on orbital properties. Single-transit discoveries like TOI-2180 b highlight the exciting potential of the TESS mission to find planets with long orbital periods and low irradiation fluxes despite the selection biases associated with the transit method.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 12-06-2023
Abstract: NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is an all-sky survey mission designed to find transiting exoplanets orbiting nearby bright stars. It has identified more than 329 transiting exoplanets, and almost 6000 candidates remain unvalidated. In this manuscript, we discuss the findings from the ongoing Validation of Transiting Exoplanets using Statistical Tools (VaTEST) project, which aims to validate new exoplanets for further characterization. We validated 11 new exoplanets by examining the light curves of 24 candidates using the LATTE and TESS-Plot tools and computing the false-positive probabilities using the statistical validation tool TRICERATOPS . These include planets suitable for atmospheric characterization using transmission spectroscopy (TOI-2194b), emission spectroscopy (TOI-3082b and TOI-5704b) and for both transmission and emission spectroscopy (TOI-672b, TOI-1694b, and TOI-2443b). Our validated planets have one super-Earth (TOI-2194b) orbiting a bright ( V = 8.42 mag), metal-poor ([Fe/H] = −0.3720 ± 0.1) star, and one short-period Neptune-like planet (TOI-5704) in the hot-Neptune desert. In total, we validated one super-Earth, seven sub-Neptunes, one Neptune-like, and two sub-Saturn or super-Neptune-like exoplanets. Additionally, we identify five likely planet candidates (TOI-323, TOI-1180, TOI-2200, TOI-2408, and TOI-3913), which can be further studied to establish their planetary nature.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 28-04-2023
Abstract: We present a validation of a long-period ( 91.68278 − 0.00041 + 0.00032 days) transiting sub-Neptune planet, TOI-1221 b (TIC 349095149.01), around a Sun-like ( m V = 10.5) star. This is one of the few known exoplanets with a period days, and belongs to the even smaller subset of which have bright enough hosts for detailed spectroscopic follow-up. We combine Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite light curves and ground-based time-series photometry from the Perth Exoplanet Survey Telescope (0.3 m) and Las Cumbres Observatory global telescope network (1.0 m) to analyze the transit signals and rule out nearby stars as potential false-positive sources. High-contrast imaging from the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope and Gemini/Zorro rule out nearby stellar contaminants. Reconnaissance spectroscopy from CHIRON sets a planetary scale upper mass limit on the transiting object (1.1 and 3.5 M Jup at 1 σ and 3 σ , respectively) and shows no sign of a spectroscopic binary companion. We determine a planetary radius of R p = 2.91 − 0.12 + 0.13 R ⊕ , placing it in the sub-Neptune regime. With a stellar insolation of S = 6.06 − 0.77 + 0.85 S ⊕ , we calculate a moderate equilibrium temperature of T eq = 440 K, assuming no albedo and perfect heat redistribution. We find a false-positive probability from the TRICERATOPS tool of FPP = 0.0014 ± 0.0003 as well as other qualitative and quantitative evidence to support the statistical validation of TOI-1221 b. We find significant evidence ( σ ) of oscillatory transit timing variations, likely indicative of an additional nontransiting planet.
No related grants have been discovered for Christopher Mann.