2025MNRAS.544.1186B

The post-main-sequence evolution of stars is expected to impact the exoplanets residing on close-in orbits around them. Using photometric data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite full-frame images we have performed a transit search for exoplanets with post-main-sequence hosts to search for the imprints of these impacts on the giant planet population. We detect 130 short-period planets and candidates, 33 of which are newly discovered candidates, from a sample of 456 941 post-main-sequence stars spanning the evolutionary stages from the end of the main sequence to the bottom of the red giant branch. We measure an occurrence rate of $0.28\pm 0.04~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ for short-period giant planets orbiting post-main-sequence stars. We also measure occurrence rates for two stellar sub-populations, measuring values of $0.35\pm 0.05~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ for a sub-population representing the earliest stages of post-main-sequence evolution and $0.11^{+0.06}_{-0.05}\;\mathrm{per\,cent}$ for a sub-population of more evolved stars. We show that the giant planet occurrence rate decreases with increasing stellar evolution stage, with a larger occurrence rate decrease observed for shorter period planets. Our results are clear evidence that the population of short-period giant planets is being sculpted by the post-main-sequence evolution of the host stars, and we conclude that this is most likely through the destruction of these giant planets through the increased strength of planet-star tidal interactions resulting in the rapid tidal decay of the planets' orbits.