A super-massive Neptune-sized planet

Luca Naponiello (), Luigi Mancini, Alessandro Sozzetti, Aldo S. Bonomo, Alessandro Morbidelli, Jingyao Dou, Li Zeng, Zoe M. Leinhardt, Katia Biazzo, Patricio E. Cubillos, Matteo Pinamonti, Daniele Locci, Antonio Maggio, Mario Damasso, Antonino F. Lanza, Jack J. Lissauer, Karen A. Collins, Philip J. Carter, Eric L. N. Jensen, Andrea Bignamini, Walter Boschin, Luke G. Bouma, David R. Ciardi, Rosario Cosentino, Ian Crossfield, Silvano Desidera, Xavier Dumusque, Aldo F. M. Fiorenzano, Akihiko Fukui, Paolo Giacobbe, Crystal L. Gnilka, Adriano Ghedina, Gloria Guilluy, Avet Harutyunyan, Steve B. Howell, Jon M. Jenkins, Michael B. Lund, John F. Kielkopf, Katie V. Lester, Luca Malavolta, Andrew W. Mann, Rachel A. Matson, Elisabeth C. Matthews, Domenico Nardiello, Norio Narita, Emanuele Pace, Isabella Pagano, Enric Palle, Marco Pedani, Sara Seager, Joshua E. Schlieder, Richard P. Schwarz, Avi Shporer, Joseph D. Twicken, Joshua N. Winn, Carl Ziegler and Tiziano Zingales
Additional contact information
Luca Naponiello: University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
Luigi Mancini: University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
Alessandro Sozzetti: INAF – Turin Astrophysical Observatory
Aldo S. Bonomo: INAF – Turin Astrophysical Observatory
Alessandro Morbidelli: Université Cote d’Azur, CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur
Jingyao Dou: University of Bristol
Li Zeng: Harvard & Smithsonian
Zoe M. Leinhardt: University of Bristol
Katia Biazzo: INAF – Rome Astronomical Observatory
Patricio E. Cubillos: INAF – Turin Astrophysical Observatory
Matteo Pinamonti: INAF – Turin Astrophysical Observatory
Daniele Locci: INAF – Palermo Astronomical Observatory
Antonio Maggio: INAF – Palermo Astronomical Observatory
Mario Damasso: INAF – Turin Astrophysical Observatory
Antonino F. Lanza: INAF – Catania Astrophysical Observatory
Jack J. Lissauer: NASA Ames Research Center
Karen A. Collins: Harvard & Smithsonian
Philip J. Carter: University of Bristol
Eric L. N. Jensen: Swarthmore College
Andrea Bignamini: INAF – Trieste Astronomical Observatory
Walter Boschin: Fundación Galileo Galilei - INAF
Luke G. Bouma: NASA Exoplanet Science Institute – Caltech/IPAC
David R. Ciardi: NASA Exoplanet Science Institute – Caltech/IPAC
Rosario Cosentino: Fundación Galileo Galilei - INAF
Ian Crossfield: University of Kansas
Silvano Desidera: INAF – Padova Astronomical Observatory
Xavier Dumusque: Université de Genève
Aldo F. M. Fiorenzano: Fundación Galileo Galilei - INAF
Akihiko Fukui: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)
Paolo Giacobbe: INAF – Turin Astrophysical Observatory
Crystal L. Gnilka: NASA Ames Research Center
Adriano Ghedina: Fundación Galileo Galilei - INAF
Gloria Guilluy: INAF – Turin Astrophysical Observatory
Avet Harutyunyan: Fundación Galileo Galilei - INAF
Steve B. Howell: NASA Ames Research Center
Jon M. Jenkins: NASA Ames Research Center
Michael B. Lund: NASA Exoplanet Science Institute – Caltech/IPAC
John F. Kielkopf: University of Louisville
Katie V. Lester: NASA Ames Research Center
Luca Malavolta: INAF – Padova Astronomical Observatory
Andrew W. Mann: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Rachel A. Matson: United States Naval Observatory
Elisabeth C. Matthews: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Domenico Nardiello: INAF – Padova Astronomical Observatory
Norio Narita: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)
Emanuele Pace: University of Florence
Isabella Pagano: INAF – Catania Astrophysical Observatory
Enric Palle: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)
Marco Pedani: Fundación Galileo Galilei - INAF
Sara Seager: Harvard University
Joshua E. Schlieder: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Richard P. Schwarz: Harvard & Smithsonian
Avi Shporer: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Joseph D. Twicken: NASA Ames Research Center
Joshua N. Winn: Princeton University
Carl Ziegler: Stephen F. Austin State University
Tiziano Zingales: INAF – Padova Astronomical Observatory

Nature, 2023, vol. 622, issue 7982, 255-260

Abstract: Abstract Neptune-sized planets exhibit a wide range of compositions and densities, depending on factors related to their formation and evolution history, such as the distance from their host stars and atmospheric escape processes. They can vary from relatively low-density planets with thick hydrogen–helium atmospheres1,2 to higher-density planets with a substantial amount of water or a rocky interior with a thinner atmosphere, such as HD 95338 b (ref. 3), TOI-849 b (ref. 4) and TOI-2196 b (ref. 5). The discovery of exoplanets in the hot-Neptune desert6, a region close to the host stars with a deficit of Neptune-sized planets, provides insights into the formation and evolution of planetary systems, including the existence of this region itself. Here we show observations of the transiting planet TOI-1853 b, which has a radius of 3.46 ± 0.08 Earth radii and orbits a dwarf star every 1.24 days. This planet has a mass of 73.2 ± 2.7 Earth masses, almost twice that of any other Neptune-sized planet known so far, and a density of 9.7 ± 0.8 grams per cubic centimetre. These values place TOI-1853 b in the middle of the Neptunian desert and imply that heavy elements dominate its mass. The properties of TOI-1853 b present a puzzle for conventional theories of planetary formation and evolution, and could be the result of several proto-planet collisions or the final state of an initially high-eccentricity planet that migrated closer to its parent star.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06499-2

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