Zodiacal Exoplanets in Time (ZEIT) IV: seven transiting planets in the Praesepe cluster

TL;DR

This study identifies and characterizes seven transiting planets in the 800-million-year-old Praesepe cluster, providing insights into planet formation, evolution, and atmospheric loss over time.

Contribution

First validation of multiple transiting planets in Praesepe, combining stellar characterization and orbital analysis to study planet evolution at this age.

Findings

Seven planet candidates identified, six validated as real.

All planetary orbits are aligned with host star rotation.

Evidence of atmospheric loss in planets at 800 Myr age.

Abstract

Open clusters and young stellar associations are attractive sites to search for planets and to test theories of planet formation, migration, and evolution. We present our search for, and characterization of, transiting planets in the ~800 Myr old Praesepe (Beehive, M44) Cluster from K2 light curves. We identify seven planet candidates, six of which we statistically validate to be real planets, the last of which requires more data. For each host star we obtain high-resolution NIR spectra to measure its projected rotational broadening and radial velocity, the latter of which we use to confirm cluster membership. We combine low-resolution spectra with the known cluster distance and metallicity to provide precise temperatures, masses, radii, and luminosities for the host stars. Combining our measurements of rotational broadening, rotation periods, and our derived stellar radii, we show that all planetary orbits are consistent with alignment to their host star's rotation. We fit the K2 light curves, including priors on stellar density to put constraints on the planetary eccentricities, all of which are consistent with zero. The difference between the number of planets found in Praesepe and Hyades (8 planets) and a similar dataset for Pleiades (0 planets, ~125 Myr) suggests a trend with age, but may be due to incompleteness of current search pipelines for younger, faster-rotating stars. We see increasing evidence that some planets continue to lose atmosphere past 800 Myr, as now two planets at this age have radii significantly larger than their older counterparts from Kepler.