A Catalog of Cool Dwarf Targets for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

TL;DR

This paper presents a curated catalog of cool dwarf stars optimized for TESS observations, aiming to enhance the detection of small transiting exoplanets around these stars by selecting the best targets based on stellar properties and expected planet yield.

Contribution

The authors compile a comprehensive catalog of cool dwarf stars with calculated stellar parameters, tailored for TESS, and develop a method to select optimal targets for small planet detection, improving upon previous surveys.

Findings

Catalog includes cool dwarf targets suitable for TESS two-minute observations.

Estimated planet yield guides target prioritization for small planet detection.

The catalog is integrated into TESS input and candidate lists for future observations.

Abstract

We present a catalog of cool dwarf targets ($V-J>2.7$, $T_{\rm eff} \lesssim 4000 K$) and their stellar properties for the upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), for the purpose of determining which cool dwarfs should be observed using two-minute observations. TESS has the opportunity to search tens of thousands of nearby, cool, late K and M-type dwarfs for transiting exoplanets, an order of magnitude more than current or previous transiting exoplanet surveys, such as {\it Kepler}, K2 and ground-based programs. This necessitates a new approach to choosing cool dwarf targets. Cool dwarfs were chosen by collating parallax and proper motion catalogs from the literature and subjecting them to a variety of selection criteria. We calculate stellar parameters and TESS magnitudes using the best possible relations from the literature while maintaining uniformity of methods for the sake of reproducibility. We estimate the expected planet yield from TESS observations using statistical results from the Kepler Mission, and use these results to choose the best targets for two-minute observations, optimizing for small planets for which masses can conceivably be measured using follow up Doppler spectroscopy by current and future Doppler spectrometers. The catalog is incorporated into the TESS Input Catalog and TESS Candidate Target List until a more complete and accurate cool dwarf catalog identified by ESA's Gaia Mission can be incorporated.