A systematic validation of hot Neptunes in TESS data
astro-ph.EP
/ Authors
Christian Magliano, Giovanni Covone, Richa Dobal, Luca Cacciapuoti, Luca Tonietti, Steven Giacalone, Jose I. Vines, Laura Inno, James S. Jenkins, Jack J. Lissauer
and 19 more authors
Allyson Bieryla, Fabrizio Oliva, Isabella Pagano, Veselin Kostov, Carl Ziegler, David R. Ciardi, Erica J. Gonzales, Courtney D. Dressing, Lars A. Buchhave, Steve B. Howell, Rachel A. Matson, Elisabeth Matthews, Alessandra Rotundi, Douglas Alves, Stefano Fiscale, Riccardo M. Ienco, Pablo Pena, Francesco Gallo, Maria T. Muscari Tomajoli
/ Abstract
We statistically validated a sample of hot Neptune candidates applying a two-step vetting technique using DAVE and TRICERATOPS. We performed a systematic validation of 250 transit-like events in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) archive in the parameter region defined by $P\leq 4$ d and $3R_\oplus\leq R\leq 5R_\oplus$. Through our analysis, we identified 18 hot Neptune-sized candidates, with a false positive probability $<50\%$. Nine of these planet candidates still need to be confirmed. For each of the nine targets we retrieved the stellar parameters using ARIADNE and derived constraints on the planetary parameters by fitting the lightcurves with the juliet package. Within this sample of nine candidates, we statistically validated (i.e, with false positive probability < $0.3\%$) two systems (TOI-277 b and TOI-1288 b) by re-processing the candidates with TRICERATOPS along with follow-up observations. These new validated exoplanets expand the known hot Neptunes population and are high-priority targets for future radial velocities follow-up.