The Astronomical Journal (Jan 2024)
TESS Giants Transiting Giants. VI. Newly Discovered Hot Jupiters Provide Evidence for Efficient Obliquity Damping after the Main Sequence
- Nicholas Saunders,
- Samuel K. Grunblatt,
- Ashley Chontos,
- Fei Dai,
- Daniel Huber,
- Jingwen Zhang,
- Guđmundur Stefánsson,
- Jennifer L. van Saders,
- Joshua N. Winn,
- Daniel Hey,
- Andrew W. Howard,
- Benjamin Fulton,
- Howard Isaacson,
- Corey Beard,
- Steven Giacalone,
- Judah Van Zandt,
- Joseph M. Akana Murphey,
- Malena Rice,
- Sarah Blunt,
- Emma Turtelboom,
- Paul A. Dalba,
- Jack Lubin,
- Casey Brinkman,
- Emma M. Louden,
- Emma Page,
- Cristilyn N. Watkins,
- Karen A. Collins,
- Chris Stockdale,
- Thiam-Guan Tan,
- Richard P. Schwarz,
- Bob Massey,
- Steve B. Howell,
- Andrew Vanderburg,
- George R. Ricker,
- Jon M. Jenkins,
- Sara Seager,
- Jessie L. Christiansen,
- Tansu Daylan,
- Ben Falk,
- Max Brodheim,
- Steven R. Gibson,
- Grant M. Hill,
- Bradford Holden,
- Aaron Householder,
- Stephen Kaye,
- Russ R. Laher,
- Kyle Lanclos,
- Erik A. Petigura,
- Arpita Roy,
- Ryan A. Rubenzahl,
- Christian Schwab,
- Abby P. Shaum,
- Martin M. Sirk,
- Christopher L. Smith,
- Josh Walawender,
- Sherry Yeh
Affiliations
- Nicholas Saunders
- ORCiD
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
- Samuel K. Grunblatt
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Ashley Chontos
- ORCiD
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Fei Dai
- ORCiD
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
- Daniel Huber
- ORCiD
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
- Jingwen Zhang
- ORCiD
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
- Guđmundur Stefánsson
- ORCiD
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, 904 Science Park, University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam, 1098 XH, The Netherlands
- Jennifer L. van Saders
- ORCiD
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
- Joshua N. Winn
- ORCiD
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Daniel Hey
- ORCiD
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
- Andrew W. Howard
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Benjamin Fulton
- ORCiD
- NASA Exoplanet Science Institute/Caltech-IPAC , MC 314-6, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Howard Isaacson
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Centre for Astrophysics, University of Southern Queensland , Toowoomba, QLD, Australia
- Corey Beard
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of California, Irvine , Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Steven Giacalone
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Judah Van Zandt
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Joseph M. Akana Murphey
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Malena Rice
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, Yale University , New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Sarah Blunt
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; CIERA, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Emma Turtelboom
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Paul A. Dalba
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Jack Lubin
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of California, Irvine , Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Casey Brinkman
- ORCiD
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
- Emma M. Louden
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, Yale University , New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Emma Page
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Lehigh University , 16 Memorial Drive East, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
- Cristilyn N. Watkins
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics , Harvard & Smithsonian, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Karen A. Collins
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics , Harvard & Smithsonian, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Chris Stockdale
- ORCiD
- Hazelwood Observatory , Australia
- Thiam-Guan Tan
- ORCiD
- Perth Exoplanet Survey Telescope , Perth, Western Australia
- Richard P. Schwarz
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics , Harvard & Smithsonian, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Bob Massey
- ORCiD
- Villa ’39 Observatory , Landers, CA 92285, USA
- Steve B. Howell
- ORCiD
- NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Andrew Vanderburg
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- George R. Ricker
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, and Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Jon M. Jenkins
- ORCiD
- NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Sara Seager
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, and Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Jessie L. Christiansen
- ORCiD
- NASA Exoplanet Science Institute , IPAC, MS 100-22, Caltech, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Tansu Daylan
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University , St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
- Ben Falk
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Max Brodheim
- ORCiD
- W. M. Keck Observatory , 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743, USA
- Steven R. Gibson
- ORCiD
- Caltech Optical Observatories , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Grant M. Hill
- ORCiD
- W. M. Keck Observatory , 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743, USA
- Bradford Holden
- ORCiD
- UCO/Lick Observatory, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California at Santa Cruz , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Aaron Householder
- ORCiD
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Stephen Kaye
- Caltech Optical Observatories, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Russ R. Laher
- ORCiD
- NASA Exoplanet Science Institute/Caltech-IPAC , MC 314-6, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Kyle Lanclos
- ORCiD
- W. M. Keck Observatory , 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743, USA
- Erik A. Petigura
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Arpita Roy
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics & Space Institute , Schmidt Sciences, New York, NY 10011, USA
- Ryan A. Rubenzahl
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Christian Schwab
- ORCiD
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University , Balaclava Road, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
- Abby P. Shaum
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Martin M. Sirk
- ORCiD
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California , 7 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Christopher L. Smith
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California , 7 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Josh Walawender
- ORCiD
- W. M. Keck Observatory , 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743, USA
- Sherry Yeh
- ORCiD
- W. M. Keck Observatory , 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad543b
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 168,
no. 2
p. 81
Abstract
The degree of alignment between a star’s spin axis and the orbital plane of its planets (the stellar obliquity) is related to interesting and poorly understood processes that occur during planet formation and evolution. Hot Jupiters orbiting hot stars (≳6250 K) display a wide range of obliquities, while similar planets orbiting cool stars are preferentially aligned. Tidal dissipation is expected to be more rapid in stars with thick convective envelopes, potentially explaining this trend. Evolved stars provide an opportunity to test the damping hypothesis, particularly stars that were hot on the main sequence and have since cooled and developed deep convective envelopes. We present the first systematic study of the obliquities of hot Jupiters orbiting subgiants that recently developed convective envelopes using Rossiter–McLaughlin observations. Our sample includes two newly discovered systems in the Giants Transiting Giants survey (TOI-6029 b, TOI-4379 b). We find that the orbits of hot Jupiters orbiting subgiants that have cooled below ∼6250 K are aligned or nearly aligned with the spin axis of their host stars, indicating rapid tidal realignment after the emergence of a stellar convective envelope. We place an upper limit for the timescale of realignment for hot Jupiters orbiting subgiants at ∼500 Myr. Comparison with a simplified tidal evolution model shows that obliquity damping needs to be ∼4 orders of magnitude more efficient than orbital period decay to damp the obliquity without destroying the planet, which is consistent with recent predictions for tidal dissipation from inertial waves excited by hot Jupiters on misaligned orbits.
Keywords
- Exoplanet astronomy
- Exoplanet dynamics
- Exoplanet detection methods
- Exoplanet evolution
- Exoplanet migration
- Exoplanets
