Searching for GEMS: Confirmation of TOI-5573b, a Cool, Saturn-like Planet Orbiting An M-dwarf

TL;DR

This paper confirms TOI-5573b as a Saturn-sized exoplanet orbiting an M-dwarf, highlighting its unique characteristics and implications for planet formation theories around low-mass stars.

Contribution

It provides the first confirmation and detailed characterization of a Saturn-like exoplanet around an M-dwarf, including mass, radius, and temperature measurements.

Findings

TOI-5573b is one of the coolest Saturn-like exoplanets around an M-dwarf.

The planet's properties support core accretion formation models.

Host star's super-solar metallicity aligns with patterns of giant planet formation.

Abstract

We present the confirmation of TOI-5573b, a Saturn-sized exoplanet on an 8.79-day orbit around an early M-dwarf (3790 K, 0.59 R$\odot$, 0.61 M$\odot$, 12.30 J mag). TOI-5573b has a mass of $112^{+18}_{-19}$ M$\oplus$ (0.35$\pm$0.06 M$\mathrm{Jup}$) and a radius of $9.75\pm0.47$ R$\oplus$ (0.87$\pm$0.04 R$\mathrm{Jup}$), resulting in a density of $0.66^{+0.16}_{-0.13}$ g cm$^{-3}$, akin to that of Saturn. The planet was initially discovered by TESS and confirmed using a combination of 11 transits from four TESS sectors (20, 21, 47 and 74), ground-based photometry from the Red Buttes Observatory, and high-precision radial velocity data from the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF) and NEID spectrographs, achieving a 5$\sigma$ precision on the planet's mass. TOI-5573b is one of the coolest Saturn-like exoplanets discovered around an M-dwarf, with an equilibrium temperature of $528\pm10$ K, making it a valuable target for atmospheric characterization. Saturn-like exoplanets around M-dwarfs likely form through core accretion, with increased disk opacity slowing gas accretion and limiting their mass. The host star's super-solar metallicity supports core accretion, but uncertainties in M-dwarf metallicity estimates complicate definitive conclusions. Compared to other GEMS (Giant Exoplanets around M-dwarf Stars) orbiting metal-rich stars, TOI-5573b aligns with the observed pattern that giant planets preferentially form around M-dwarfs with super-solar metallicity. Further high-resolution spectroscopic observations are needed to explore the role of stellar metallicity in shaping the formation and properties of giant exoplanets like TOI-5573b.