TOI-1438: A rare system with two short-period sub-Neptunes and a tentative long-period Jupiter-like planet orbiting a K0V star
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2025

We present the detection and characterisation of the TOI-1438 multi-planet system discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). To confirm the planetary nature of the candidates and determine their masses, we collected a series of followup observations including high-spectral resolution observations with HARPS-N and HIRES over a period of 5 years. Our combined modelling shows that the K0V star hosts two transiting sub-Neptunes with Rb = 3.04 ± 0.19 R⊕, Rc = 2.75 ± 0.14 R⊕, Mb = 9.4 ± 1.8 M⊕, and Mc =10.6 ± 2.1 M⊕. The orbital periods of planets b and c are 5.1 and 9.4 days, respectively, corresponding to instellations of 145 ± 10 F⊕ and 65 ± 4 F⊕. The bulk densities are 1.8 ± 0.5 g cm−3 and 2.9 ± 0.7 g cm−3, respectively, suggesting a volatile-rich interior composition. By combining the planet and stellar parameters, we were able to compute a set of planet interior structure models. Planet b presents a high-metallicity envelope that can accommodate up to 2.5% in H/He in mass, while planet c cannot have more than 0.2% as H/He in mass. For any composition of the core considered (Fe-rock or ice-rock), both planets would require a volatile-rich envelope. In addition to the two planets, the radial velocity (RV) data clearly reveal a third signal, likely coming from a non-transiting planet, with an orbital period of 7.6−2.4+1.6 years and an RV semi-amplitude of 35−5+3 m s−1. Our best-fit model finds a minimum mass of 2.1 ± 0.3 MJ and an eccentricity of 0.25−0.11+0.08. However, several RV activity indicators also show strong signals at similar periods, suggesting this signal might (partly) originate from stellar activity. More data over a longer period of time are needed to conclusively determine the nature of this signal. If it is confirmed as a triple-planet system, TOI-1438 would be one of the few detected systems to date characterised by an architecture with two small, short-period planets and one massive, long-period planet, where the inner and outer systems are separated by an orbital period ratio of the order of a few hundred.

planets and satellites: interiors

planets and satellites: composition

planets and satellites: dynamical evolution and stability

planets and satellites: general

planets and satellites: fundamental parameters

planets and satellites: detection

Författare

Carina Persson

Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Astronomi och plasmafysik

Emil Knudstrup

Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Astronomi och plasmafysik

Aarhus Universitet

Ilaria Carleo

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Universidad de la Laguna

Lorena Acuña-Aguirre

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

G. Nowak

Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Universidad de la Laguna

Alexandra Muresan

Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Astronomi och plasmafysik

D. Jankowski

Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika

K. Goździewski

Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika

R. A. García

Université Paris-Saclay

S. Mathur

Universidad de la Laguna

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Dinil B. Palakkatharappil

Université Paris-Saclay

Lina Borg

Institut National des Sciences Appliquees de Lyon

Université Paris-Saclay

A. J. Mustill

Lunds universitet

Rafael Barrena

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Universidad de la Laguna

Malcolm Fridlund

Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Astronomi och plasmafysik

Universiteit Leiden

D. Gandolfi

Universita degli Studi di Torino

A. Hatzes

Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg

Judith Korth

Université de Genève

R. Luque

NHFP Sagan Fellow

University of Chicago

Eduardo L. Martín

Universidad de la Laguna

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

T. Masseron

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Universidad de la Laguna

Giuseppe Morello

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

F. Murgas

Universidad de la Laguna

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

J. Orell-Miquel

The University of Texas at Austin

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Universidad de la Laguna

Enric Palle

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Universidad de la Laguna

Simon Albrecht

Aarhus Universitet

Allyson Bieryla

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

William D. Cochran

The University of Texas at Austin

I. J.M. Crossfield

University of Kansas

H. Deeg

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Universidad de la Laguna

Elise Furlan

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

E. W. Guenther

Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg

S.B. Howell

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

H. Isaacson

University of California

K. W.F. Lam

Deutsches Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)

J.H. Livingston

The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

National Institutes of Natural Sciences

Rachel A. Matson

US Naval Observatory

Elisabeth Matthews

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

S. Redfield

Wesleyan University

Joshua E. Schlieder

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

S. Seager

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

A. M.S. Smith

Deutsches Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)

Keivan G. Stassun

Vanderbilt University

J. D. Twicken

SETI Institute

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Vincent Van Eylen

University College London (UCL)

Cristilyn N. Watkins

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Lauren M. Weiss

University of Notre Dame

Astronomy and Astrophysics

0004-6361 (ISSN) 1432-0746 (eISSN)

Vol. 702 A69

Exoplaneter från rymden - CHEOPS och PLATO, ESA's nästa två rymdteleskop (fas 2)

Rymdstyrelsen (177/19), 2020-01-01 -- 2022-12-31.

Rymdstyrelsen (65/19), 2020-01-01 -- 2022-12-31.

Ämneskategorier (SSIF 2025)

Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi

DOI

10.1051/0004-6361/202555318

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2025-10-24