New Mass and Radius Constraints on the LHS 1140 Planets -- LHS 1140 b is Either a Temperate Mini-Neptune or a Water World

TL;DR

This study refines the mass and radius measurements of LHS 1140 b and c, revealing that LHS 1140 b is likely a mini-Neptune or water world with potential habitability, based on new data and modeling.

Contribution

It introduces a novel line-by-line radial velocity analysis and combines multi-instrument transit data to precisely characterize the LHS 1140 planets and their internal compositions.

Findings

LHS 1140 b has a mass of 5.60±0.19 Earth masses.

LHS 1140 c has a mass of 1.91±0.06 Earth masses.

LHS 1140 b is likely a mini-Neptune or water world.

Abstract

The two-planet transiting system LHS 1140 has been extensively observed since its discovery in 2017, notably with $Spitzer$, HST, TESS, and ESPRESSO, placing strong constraints on the parameters of the M4.5 host star and its small temperate exoplanets, LHS 1140 b and c. Here, we reanalyse the ESPRESSO observations of LHS 1140 with the novel line-by-line framework designed to fully exploit the radial velocity content of a stellar spectrum while being resilient to outlier measurements. The improved radial velocities, combined with updated stellar parameters, consolidate our knowledge on the mass of LHS 1140 b (5.60$\pm$0.19 M$_{\oplus}$) and LHS 1140 c (1.91$\pm$0.06 M$_{\oplus}$) with unprecedented precision of 3%. Transits from $Spitzer$, HST, and TESS are jointly analysed for the first time, allowing us to refine the planetary radii of b (1.730$\pm$0.025 R$_{\oplus}$) and c (1.272$\pm$0.026 R$_{\oplus}$). Stellar abundance measurements of refractory elements (Fe, Mg and Si) obtained with NIRPS are used to constrain the internal structure of LHS 1140 b. This planet is unlikely to be a rocky super-Earth as previously reported, but rather a mini-Neptune with a $\sim$0.1% H/He envelope by mass or a water world with a water-mass fraction between 9 and 19% depending on the atmospheric composition and relative abundance of Fe and Mg. While the mini-Neptune case would not be habitable, a water-abundant LHS 1140 b potentially has habitable surface conditions according to 3D global climate models, suggesting liquid water at the substellar point for atmospheres with relatively low CO$_2$ concentration, from Earth-like to a few bars.