Evidence for a Nonzero Eccentricity Superpuff Exoplanet WASP-107 b Using JWST Occultation Observation

TL;DR

This study uses JWST and other data to measure the eccentricity of the super-puff exoplanet WASP-107 b, revealing it is in the final stage of high-eccentricity migration and contributing to understanding its inflation.

Contribution

First robust measurement of WASP-107 b's eccentricity combining JWST, HST, and TESS data, clarifying its dynamical status and evolutionary history.

Findings

WASP-107 b has an eccentricity of 0.09±0.02.

The planet's eccentricity supports the high-eccentricity migration scenario.

Eccentricity-driven tidal heating may explain its radius inflation.

Abstract

WASP-107~b is an extremely low-density super-puff exoplanet whose inflated radius and evidence of strong internal heating make it a key target for understanding planetary structure and evolution. Its orbital eccentricity is a critical parameter for testing mechanisms such as tidal heating and high-eccentricity migration, yet previous measurements have remained inconclusive. Due to the large radial velocity jitter caused by stellar activity, and the presence of at least one additional planet in the system, previous radial velocity measurements could not robustly determine the eccentricity of WASP-107~b. Here we combine the new JWST secondary eclipse data with transit timing data from HST, TESS, and JWST to measure the eccentricity of WASP-107~b. Our joint analysis shows that WASP-107~b has an eccentricity of $0.09\pm0.02$, a mass of $0.096\pm0.005 \, M_J$, and an orbital period of $5.721487\pm0.000001$~days. We find the $99.7\%$ lower limit of the eccentricity is about 0.04. These new measurements are consistent with the scenario in which WASP-107~b is in the final stage of high-eccentricity migration. Preliminary estimate shows that eccentricity-driven tidal dissipation can provide a significant contribution to the energy required to sustain the observed radius inflation of WASP-107~b. Our results establish the dynamical status of one of the most intriguing low-density exoplanets known, and offer new insights into its formation and evolution history.