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TOI-1634 b: An Ultra-short-period Keystone Planet Sitting inside the M-dwarf Radius Valley

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Article

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Abstract

Studies of close-in planets orbiting M dwarfs have suggested that the M dwarf radius valley may be well-explained by distinct formation timescales between enveloped terrestrials, and rocky planets that form at late times in a gas-depleted environment. This scenario is at odds with the picture that close-in rocky planets form with a primordial gaseous envelope that is subsequently stripped away by some thermally-driven mass loss process. These two physical scenarios make unique predictions of the rocky/enveloped transition's dependence on orbital separation such that studying the compositions of planets within the M dwarf radius valley may be able to establish the dominant physics. Here, we present the discovery of one such keystone planet: the ultra-short period planet TOI-1634 b (P=0.989 days, F=121F, rp=1.790−0.081+0.080R) orbiting a nearby M2 dwarf (Ks=8.7, Rs=0.45R, Ms=0.50M) and whose size and orbital period sit within the M dwarf radius valley. We confirm the TESS-discovered planet candidate using extensive ground-based follow-up campaigns, including a set of 32 precise radial velocity measurements from HARPS-N. We measure a planetary mass of 4.91−0.70+0.68M, which makes TOI-1634 b inconsistent with an Earth-like composition at 5.9σ and thus requires either an extended gaseous envelope, a large volatile-rich layer, or a rocky portion that is not dominated by iron and silicates to explain its mass and radius. The discovery that the bulk composition of TOI-1634 b is inconsistent with that of the Earth favors the gas-depleted formation mechanism to explain the emergence of the radius valley around M dwarfs with Ms≲0.5M.

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Keywords

astro-ph.EP, astro-ph.EP

Journal Title

Astronomical Journal

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0004-6256
1538-3881

Volume Title

162

Publisher

American Astronomical Society

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All rights reserved