Characterizing K2 Candidate Planetary Systems Orbiting Low-Mass Stars III: A High Mass & Low Envelope Fraction for the Warm Neptune K2-55b

TL;DR

This study characterizes the warm Neptune K2-55b orbiting a low-mass star, revealing it has a high mass, dense rocky composition, and a modest gaseous envelope, challenging existing planet formation theories.

Contribution

It provides precise measurements of K2-55b's mass, radius, and density, and discusses implications for planet formation and envelope retention in high-metallicity environments.

Findings

K2-55b has a mass of approximately 43 Earth masses.

K2-55b's density suggests a rocky core with a small H/He envelope.

The planet's properties challenge current models of gas giant formation.

Abstract

K2-55b is a Neptune-sized planet orbiting a K7 dwarf with a radius of $0.715^{+0.043}_{-0.040}R_\odot$, a mass of $0.688\pm0.069 M_\odot$, and an effective temperature of $4300^{+107}_{-100}$K. Having characterized the host star using near-infrared spectra obtained at IRTF/SpeX, we observed a transit of K2-55b with Spitzer/IRAC and confirmed the accuracy of the original K2 ephemeris for future follow-up transit observations. Performing a joint fit to the Spitzer/IRAC and K2 photometry, we found a planet radius of $4.41^{+0.32}_{-0.28} R_\oplus$, an orbital period of $2.84927265_{-6.42\times10^{-6}}^{+6.87\times10^{-6}}$ days, and an equilibrium temperature of roughly 900K. We then measured the planet mass by acquiring twelve radial velocity (RV) measurements of the system using HIRES on the 10m Keck I Telescope. Our RV data set precisely constrains the mass of K2-55b to $43.13^{+5.98}_{-5.80} M_\oplus$, indicating that K2-55b has a bulk density of $2.8_{-0.6}^{+0.8}$ g cm$^{-3}$ and can be modeled as a rocky planet capped by a modest H/He envelope ($M_{\rm envelope} = 12\pm3\% M_p$). K2-55b is denser than most similarly sized planets, raising the question of whether the high planetary bulk density of K2-55b could be attributed to the high metallicity of K2-55. The absence of a substantial volatile envelope despite the large mass of K2-55b poses a challenge to current theories of gas giant formation. We posit that K2-55b may have escaped runaway accretion by migration, late formation, or inefficient core accretion or that K2-55b was stripped of its envelope by a late giant impact.