NEID Reveals that The Young Warm Neptune TOI-2076 b Has a Low Obliquity

TL;DR

This study uses spectroscopic and photometric data to determine that the young Neptune-sized planet TOI-2076 b has a well-aligned orbit, supporting theories of disk migration in planetary system formation.

Contribution

First measurement of the obliquity of a young sub-Neptune in a multi-planet system, showing a well-aligned orbit consistent with disk migration.

Findings

TOI-2076 b has a low sky-projected obliquity of approximately -3 degrees.

The system's obliquity is less than 34 degrees at 95% confidence.

The system likely formed via convergent disk migration in a well-aligned protoplanetary disk.

Abstract

TOI-2076 b is a sub-Neptune-sized planet ($R= 2.39 \pm 0.10 {R_\oplus}$) that transits a young ($204 \pm 50 {MYr}$) bright ($V = 9.2$) K-dwarf hosting a system of three transiting planets. Using spectroscopic observations with the NEID spectrograph on the WIYN 3.5 m Telescope, we model the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect of TOI-2076 b, and derive a sky-projected obliquity of $\lambda=-3_{-15}^{+16\:\circ}$. Using the size of the star ($R=0.775 \pm0.015 {R_\odot}$), and the stellar rotation period ($P_{\mathrm{rot}}=7.27\pm0.23$ days), we estimate an obliquity of $\psi=18_{-9}^{+10\:\circ}$ ($\psi < 34^\circ$ at 95\% confidence), demonstrating that TOI-2076 b is on a well-aligned orbit. Simultaneous diffuser-assisted photometry from the 3.5 m Telescope at Apache Point Observatory rules out flares during the transit. TOI-2076 b joins a small but growing sample of young planets in compact multi-planet systems with well-aligned orbits, and is the fourth planet with an age $\lesssim 300$ Myr in a multi-transiting system with an obliquity measurement. The low obliquity of TOI-2076 b and the presence of transit timing variations in the system suggest the TOI-2076 system likely formed via convergent disk migration in an initially well-aligned disk.