SIMBAD references

2025ApJ...990L...9C - Astrophys. J., 990, L9 (2025/September-1)

Wide Separation Planets in Time (WISPIT): Discovery of a Gap Hα Protoplanet WISPIT 2b with MagAO-X.

CLOSE L.M., VAN CAPELLEVEEN R.F., WEIBLE G., WAGNER K., HAFFERT S.Y., MALES J.R., ILYIN I., KENWORTHY M.A., LI J., LONG J.D., ERTEL S., GINSKI C., WEINBERGER A.J., FOLLETTE K., LIBERMAN J., TWITCHELL K., JOHNSON P., KUENY J., APAI D., DOYON R., FOSTER W., GASHO V., VAN GORKOM K., GUYON O., KAUTZ M.Y., McLEOD A., McEWEN E., PEARCE L., SCHATZ L., HEDGLEN A.D., WU Y.-L., ISBELL J., POWER J., CARLSON J., CLOSE E., TONUCCI E. and MARS M.

Abstract (from CDS):

Excellent (<25 mas) Hα images of the star TYC 5709-354-1 led to the discovery of a rare Hα protoplanet. This star was discovered by the WISPIT survey to have a large multi-ring transitional disk, and is hereafter WISPIT 2. Our Hα images of 2025 April 13 and 16 discovered an accreting (Hα in emission) protoplanet: WISPIT 2b (r = 309.43 ± 1.56 mas; (∼54 au deprojected), PA = 242$\mathop{.}\limits^{\unicode{x000b0}}$21 ± 0$\mathop{.}\limits^{\unicode{x000b0}}$41) likely clearing a dust-free gap between the two brightest dust rings in the transitional disk. Our signal-to-noise ratio of 12.5 detection gave an Hα ASDI contrast of (6.5 ± 0.5) × 10–4 and an Hα line flux of (1.29 ± 0.28) × 10–15 erg s–1 cm–2. We also present L' photometry from LBT/LMIRcam of the planet (L' = 15.30 ± 0.05 mag), which, when coupled with an age of $5.{1}_{-1.3}^{+2.4}$ Myr, yields a planet mass estimate of 5.3 ± 1.0 Mjup from the DUSTY evolutionary models. WISPIT 2b is accreting at $2.{25}_{-0.17}^{+3.75}$ × 10–12MSun yr–1. WISPIT 2b is very similar to the other Hα protoplanets in terms of mass, age, flux, and accretion rate. The inclination of the system (i = 44°) is also, surprisingly, very similar to the other known Hα protoplanet systems, which all cluster from 37° ≤ i ≤ 52°. We argue this clustering has only a ∼1.0% (2.6σ) probability of occurring randomly, and so we speculate that magnetospherical accretion might have a preferred inclination range (∼37°-52°) for the direct (cloud free, low extinction) line of sight to the Hα line formation/shock region. We also find at 110 mas (∼15 au deprojected) a close companion candidate (CC1) that may be consistent with an inner dusty 9 ± 4 Mjup planet.

Abstract Copyright: © 2025. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.

Journal keyword(s): Exoplanet astronomy - Exoplanet formation - Protoplanetary disks - Adaptive optics - Planet formation - Accretion - T Tauri stars - Exoplanet atmospheres

Simbad objects: 15

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