An Eccentric Sub-Neptune Moving Into the Evaporation Desert

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery and characterization of TOI-5800 b, an eccentric sub-Neptune planet with a short orbital period, providing insights into planetary migration, photoevaporation, and tidal heating within the Neptune desert.

Contribution

It presents the confirmation of an eccentric sub-Neptune planet actively undergoing tidal migration, offering a rare case to study atmospheric effects during planetary evolution.

Findings

TOI-5800 b has a high eccentricity of 0.39.

The planet experiences significant tidal heating.

It is a prime target for JWST atmospheric studies.

Abstract

Though missions such as Kepler, K2, and TESS have discovered $>$2,000 sub-Neptune and Neptunian planets, there is a dearth of such planets at close-in (P$\lesssim$3 days) orbits. This feature, called the Neptune desert or the evaporation desert, is believed to be primarily shaped by planetary migration and photoevaporation. However, this region is not completely devoid of planets--a small number of very hot Neptunes reside within the desert. These planets provide an opportunity to directly probe the effects of migration and photoevaporation. We present confirmation of TOI-5800 b, an eccentric sub-Neptune on a $\approx$2.6 day period that is likely actively undergoing tidal migration. We use radial velocity measurements from the Carnegie Planet Finder Spectrograph (PFS) to constrain TOI-5800 b's mass and eccentricity. We find that it has an unusually high eccentricity (0.39$\pm$0.07) for its short orbit. TOI-5800 is therefore currently experiencing high levels of tidal heating as it moves into the desert. Ranked as a top candidate for transmission and emission spectroscopy within its temperature and radius regime, TOI-5800 b is a prime target for atmospheric characterization with JWST. TOI-5800 b presents a unique opportunity to study the atmosphere of a planet undergoing tidal heating and to probe the composition of sub-Neptune planets.