44 Validated Planets from K2 Campaign 10

TL;DR

This paper reports the validation of 44 exoplanets from K2 Campaign 10, including detailed follow-up observations, and highlights new discoveries, especially among super-Earths and sub-Neptunes orbiting bright stars.

Contribution

It provides a validated sample of 44 planets with detailed analysis, including 24 new discoveries, enhancing the known population of small exoplanets around bright stars.

Findings

44 validated planets from K2 Campaign 10.

Includes 24 new exoplanet discoveries.

Enhanced counts of super-Earths, sub-Neptunes, and sub-Saturns around bright stars.

Abstract

We present 44 validated planets from the 10$^\mathrm{th}$ observing campaign of the NASA $K2$ mission, as well as high resolution spectroscopy and speckle imaging follow-up observations. These 44 planets come from an initial set of 72 vetted candidates, which we subjected to a validation process incorporating pixel-level analyses, light curve analyses, observational constraints, and statistical false positive probabilities. Our validated planet sample has median values of $R_p$ = 2.2 $R_\oplus$, $P_\mathrm{orb}$ = 6.9 days, $T_{\mathrm{eq}}$ = 890 K, and $J$ = 11.2 mag. Of particular interest are four ultra-short period planets ($P_\mathrm{orb} \lesssim 1$ day), 16 planets smaller than 2 $R_\oplus$, and two planets with large predicted amplitude atmospheric transmission features orbiting infrared-bright stars. We also present 27 planet candidates, most of which are likely to be real and worthy of further observations. Our validated planet sample includes 24 new discoveries, and has enhanced the number of currently known super-Earths ($R_p \approx 1-2 R_\oplus$), sub-Neptunes ($R_p \approx 2-4 R_\oplus$), and sub-Saturns ($R_p \approx 4-8 R_\oplus$) orbiting bright stars ($J = 8-10$ mag) by $\sim$4%, $\sim$17%, and $\sim$11%, respectively.