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Early Exploration of the Scientific Discovery Space for the Habitable Worlds Observatory
Authors:
Courtney D. Dressing,
Danica Adams,
Evelyne Alecian,
Gagandeep Anand,
Giada Arney,
Sarah Gomes Aroucha Barbosa,
Martin Barstow,
Joanna K. Barstow,
Rachael L. Beaton,
Eduardo Bendek,
Svetlana Berdyugina,
Julie Biedermann,
Sarah Blunt,
Sanchayeeta Borthakur,
Kara Brugman,
Joseph N. Burchett,
Eric Burns,
Jenna M. Cann,
Ludmila Carone,
Cody A. Carr,
Richard Cartwright,
Renyue Cen,
Jean-yves Chaufray,
Pin Chen,
Lígia F Coelho
, et al. (302 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is a future NASA flagship mission concept identified by the Astro2020 Decadal Survey as the highest priority for large space missions. HWO should conduct "transformative astrophysics" and search for biosignatures in the atmospheres of approximately 25 potentially Earth-like planets. To further the early-stage development of HWO, NASA formed the Science, Techn…
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The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is a future NASA flagship mission concept identified by the Astro2020 Decadal Survey as the highest priority for large space missions. HWO should conduct "transformative astrophysics" and search for biosignatures in the atmospheres of approximately 25 potentially Earth-like planets. To further the early-stage development of HWO, NASA formed the Science, Technology, Architecture Review Team (START). In turn, START invited the scientific community to join working groups to explore the potential discovery space. In this paper, we present 70 science cases that resulted from this process. The cases address four scientific pillars: growth of galaxies (15 cases), evolution of the elements (13 cases), solar systems in context (32 cases), and living worlds (10 cases). Combined, they would address 27 of the 30 science questions and discovery areas identified by Astro2020. The 140 observing programs needed for the 70 investigations encompass a rich variety of spectroscopic (for 87% of science cases) and photometric (for 30%) observations extending from the UV to the NIR. Additionally, high-contrast and polarimetric capabilities would be needed for 34% and 27% of science cases, respectively. Access to UV wavelengths is critical: 83% of science cases need data at wavelengths <400 nm, and 26% extend to <100 nm. In the NIR, 26% of science cases need observations at wavelengths >=2000 nm. Pursuing the full portfolio of science would also necessitate precise astrometry for planet mass measurement, rapid response capabilities, a large instantaneous field of regard, non-sidereal tracking, saturation mitigation strategies, and high dynamic range.
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Submitted 11 August, 2026;
originally announced August 2026.
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A broad exploration of climate and observability of close-in rocky exoplanets: applications to Ross 128 b
Authors:
Mathilde Houelle,
Emeline Bolmont,
Christophe Lovis,
Martin Turbet,
Guillaume Chaverot,
Alexandre Mechineau,
Jérémy Leconte
Abstract:
VLT/RISTRETTO, ELT/ANDES and ELT/PCS will soon enable atmospheric characterization of non-transiting, small rocky exoplanets orbiting closer than the inner edge of the Habitable Zone around M dwarfs, combining high-contrast imaging with high-resolution spectroscopy in reflected light. A key parameter for reflected-light observability is wavelength-dependent reflectivity, shaped by climate, surface…
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VLT/RISTRETTO, ELT/ANDES and ELT/PCS will soon enable atmospheric characterization of non-transiting, small rocky exoplanets orbiting closer than the inner edge of the Habitable Zone around M dwarfs, combining high-contrast imaging with high-resolution spectroscopy in reflected light. A key parameter for reflected-light observability is wavelength-dependent reflectivity, shaped by climate, surface and atmospheric properties. This work refines spectral reflectivity predictions for this population. Using Ross 128 b as a prototype, we provide physically consistent geometric albedo estimates within the RISTRETTO and ANDES spectral ranges across diverse atmospheric scenarios. We run 3D global climate model simulations of Ross 128 b for varying atmospheric compositions, surface pressures, water inventories and spin-orbit resonances to explore its possible climate regimes. We then compute synthetic reflectance spectra with Pytmosph3R to assess spectral signatures per scenario and discuss detectability and instrument capacity for constraining climate. Results show hazeless rocky planets receiving irradiation similar to Ross 128 b exhibit low reflectivity, with geometric albedos of 0.07-0.2 in the RISTRETTO bandpass and 0-0.14 in the ANDES bandpass across all scenarios. This low reflectivity can stem from the lack of clouds or surface ice deposits on the dayside, or from strong atmospheric absorption due to high water vapor concentrations, depending on the parameter configurations. These features are characteristic of the climate moist bistability found in close-in, low-water-reservoir planets in previous studies. Our results suggest arbitrary albedo assumptions, such as the common 0.3 Earth-like value, can overestimate reflectivity for this population, highlighting the need for accurate climate models to improve reflectivity predictions and optimize preparation for next-generation spectrographs.
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Submitted 10 August, 2026; v1 submitted 4 August, 2026;
originally announced August 2026.
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A Fast and Physically Grounded Ocean Model for GCMs: The Dynamical Slab Ocean Model of the Generic-PCM (rev. 3423)
Authors:
Siddharth Bhatnagar,
Francis Codron,
Ehouarn Millour,
Emeline Bolmont,
Maura Brunetti,
Jérôme Kasparian,
Martin Turbet,
Guillaume Chaverot
Abstract:
Ocean dynamics are often sidelined in exoplanet climate studies due to the high computational cost of fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (GCMs). However, ocean heat transport (OHT) can play a critical role in shaping the climate and observables of terrestrial planets. As a compromise, most exoplanet GCMs rely on slab ocean models without OHT. Here, we present an improved com…
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Ocean dynamics are often sidelined in exoplanet climate studies due to the high computational cost of fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (GCMs). However, ocean heat transport (OHT) can play a critical role in shaping the climate and observables of terrestrial planets. As a compromise, most exoplanet GCMs rely on slab ocean models without OHT. Here, we present an improved compromise - a fast and physically grounded dynamical slab ocean model, implemented in the Generic Planetary Climate Model (Generic-PCM). The model extends previous frameworks by incorporating a Sverdrup balance formulation for wind-driven Ekman transport, the first application of the Gent-McWilliams parameterisation of mesoscale eddies in a slab ocean model, and a spectrally and thickness-dependent treatment of sea ice and snow albedo. In aquaplanet simulations, enabling OHT produces substantial changes in both surface climate and atmospheric circulation, including cooler tropical sea surface temperatures, reduced sea ice, and the emergence of a double-banded equatorial precipitation pattern driven by Ekman-induced upwelling. The resulting OHT profiles show first-order agreement with fully coupled atmosphere-ocean GCMs. Applied to modern Earth, the model reproduces key large-scale climate properties, including a global mean surface temperature of 13°C (within 1°C of observations), planetary albedo of 0.32 (within 0.01), and sea ice extent with significantly reduced seasonal biases relative to simulations without OHT. Due to model parallelisation, these improvements are achieved at almost no additional computation cost compared to OHT-disabled simulations run over the same number of model years. This enables long integrations, making the model particularly well suited for exoplanet and paleoclimate studies where broad parameter exploration is essential.
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Submitted 15 April, 2026;
originally announced April 2026.
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Atmospheric Collapse and Habitability on Tidally-Locked Exoplanets
Authors:
Keigo Taniguchi,
Takanori Kodama,
Martin Turbet,
Guillaume Chaverot,
Ehouarn Millour,
Hidenori Genda
Abstract:
The habitability of terrestrial exoplanets orbiting M dwarfs is a key topic in the search for extraterrestrial life. The climates of these planets differ significantly from the Earth's due to their likely tidal locking, resulting in a hotter dayside and a colder nightside caused by uneven stellar irradiation. On tidally-locked planets around the outer edge of the habitable zone (HZ), although the…
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The habitability of terrestrial exoplanets orbiting M dwarfs is a key topic in the search for extraterrestrial life. The climates of these planets differ significantly from the Earth's due to their likely tidal locking, resulting in a hotter dayside and a colder nightside caused by uneven stellar irradiation. On tidally-locked planets around the outer edge of the habitable zone (HZ), although the definition of the classical HZ requires thick CO2 atmosphere, CO2 can condense onto the surface, leading to the reduction of greenhouse effect. However, the dayside permanent stellar irradiation could maintain a surface liquid water area. The onset of atmospheric collapse and the persistence of surface liquid water are governed by global heat redistribution which is influenced by factors such as atmospheric mass, stellar irradiation, and greenhouse effects. In this study, we used a three-dimensional global climate model to investigate the impact of atmospheric collapse on the presence of dayside surface liquid water. Our results indicate that surface liquid water could counter-intuitively persist despite atmospheric collapse. This is because the loss of atmospheric CO2 weakens not only the greenhouse effect but also daynight heat transport, leading to less redistribution of the energy of dayside insolation to the nightside. While atmospheric collapse is typically seen as an obstacle to maintaining a habitable climate, our findings suggest that it could play a positive role in sustaining surface liquid water on tidally-locked planets. Our work provides new light into the relationship between atmospheric collapse and planetary habitability.
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Submitted 10 March, 2026;
originally announced March 2026.
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Climates of Terrestrial Exoplanets and Biosignatures
Authors:
Siddharth Bhatnagar,
Emeline Bolmont,
Nikita J. Boeren,
Janina Hansen,
Björn Konrad,
Leander Schlarmann,
Eleonora Alei,
Marie Azevedo,
Marrick Braam,
Guillaume Chaverot,
Jonathan Grone,
Kaustubh Hakim,
Mathilde Houelle,
Daniel Kitzmann,
Christophe Lovis,
Antoine Pommerol,
Sascha P. Quanz,
Martin Turbet,
Audrey Vorburger,
Susanne F. Wampfler,
Francis Zong Lang
Abstract:
Understanding the climates of terrestrial exoplanets and the detectability of biosignatures is an inherently interdisciplinary challenge, requiring the integration of insights from Solar System exploration, exoplanet observations and climate science. Building from Earth as the only known inhabited planet, NCCR PlanetS has developed models, tools and observational strategies to assess planetary env…
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Understanding the climates of terrestrial exoplanets and the detectability of biosignatures is an inherently interdisciplinary challenge, requiring the integration of insights from Solar System exploration, exoplanet observations and climate science. Building from Earth as the only known inhabited planet, NCCR PlanetS has developed models, tools and observational strategies to assess planetary environments far beyond direct reach. Between 2018 and 2025, PlanetS made major contributions across theory, modelling, instrumentation and mission preparation. On the modelling side, the Generic Planetary Climate Model enabled climate studies across a wide range of planetary regimes, from early Venus to temperate terrestrial exoplanets including Proxima b, incorporating advanced developments such as a dynamical slab ocean. In parallel, the THOR global climate model was developed to avoid Earth-centric assumptions and to stably simulate diverse atmospheric regimes. PlanetS has also advanced atmospheric retrieval techniques combining forward modelling, Bayesian inference and machine learning, applied to targets ranging from Solar System bodies to exoplanet phase curves and directly imaged spectra. These efforts have helped assess the scientific return of future missions, notably the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE) and to define instrumental requirements for detecting Earth-like atmospheres and biosignatures. Within the Solar System, PlanetS contributed key technologies for biosignature detection, including ORIGIN and SenseLife, enabling in-situ and remote detection of organics, isotopic ratios and microstructures. Finally, PlanetS has played a major role in preparing the next generation of observatories, from JWST, VLT and ELT instruments to LIFE and the Habitable Worlds Observatory. Together, these contributions form an integrated framework advancing the search for life beyond Earth.
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Submitted 29 January, 2026; v1 submitted 28 January, 2026;
originally announced January 2026.
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Constraints on the possible atmospheres on TRAPPIST-1 b: insights from 3D climate modeling
Authors:
Alice Maurel,
Martin Turbet,
Elsa Ducrot,
Jérémy Leconte,
Guillaume Chaverot,
Gwenael Milcareck,
Alexandre Revol,
Benjamin Charnay,
J. Thomas Fauchez,
Michaël Gillon,
Alexandre Mechineau,
Emeline Bolmont,
Ehouarn Millour,
Franck Selsis,
Jean-Philippe Beaulieu,
Pierre Drossart
Abstract:
JWST observations of the secondary eclipse of TRAPPIST-1 b at 12.8 and 15 microns revealed a very bright dayside. These measurements are consistent with an absence of atmosphere. Previous 1D atmospheric modeling also excludes -- at first sight -- CO2-rich atmospheres. However, only a subset of the possible atmosphere types has been explored and ruled out to date. Recently, a full thermal phase cur…
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JWST observations of the secondary eclipse of TRAPPIST-1 b at 12.8 and 15 microns revealed a very bright dayside. These measurements are consistent with an absence of atmosphere. Previous 1D atmospheric modeling also excludes -- at first sight -- CO2-rich atmospheres. However, only a subset of the possible atmosphere types has been explored and ruled out to date. Recently, a full thermal phase curve of the planet at 15 microns with JWST has also been observed, allowing for more information on the thermal structure of the planet.
We first looked for atmospheres capable of producing a dayside emission compatible with secondary eclipse observations. We then tried to determine which of these are compatible with the observed thermal phase curve.
We used a 1D radiative-convective model and a 3D global climate model (GCM) to simulate a wide range of atmospheric compositions and surface pressures. We then produced observables from these simulations and compared them to available emission observations.
We found several families of atmospheres compatible at 2-sigma with the eclipse observations. Among them, some feature a flat phase curve and can be ruled out with the observation, and some produce a phase curve still compatible with the data (i.e., thin N2-CO2 atmospheres, and CO2 atmospheres rich in hazes). We also highlight different 3D effects that could not be predicted from 1D studies (redistribution efficiency, atmospheric collapse).
The available observations of TRAPPIST-1 b are consistent with an airless planet, which is the most likely scenario. A second possibility is a thin CO2-poor residual atmosphere. However, our study shows that different atmospheric scenarios can result in a high eclipse depth at 15 microns. It may therefore be hazardous, in general, to conclude on the presence of an atmosphere from a single photometric point.
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Submitted 2 September, 2025;
originally announced September 2025.
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SpeCT: A state-of-the-art tool to calculate correlated-k tables and continua of CO$_2$-H$_2$O-N$_2$ gas mixtures
Authors:
G. Chaverot,
M. Turbet,
H. Tran,
J. -M. Hartmann,
A. Campargue,
D. Mondelain,
E. Bolmont
Abstract:
A key challenge in modeling (exo)planetary atmospheres lies in generating extensive opacity datasets that cover the wide variety of possible atmospheric composition, pressure, and temperature conditions. This critical step requires specific knowledge and can be considerably time-consuming. To circumvent this issue, most available codes approximate the total opacity by summing the contributions of…
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A key challenge in modeling (exo)planetary atmospheres lies in generating extensive opacity datasets that cover the wide variety of possible atmospheric composition, pressure, and temperature conditions. This critical step requires specific knowledge and can be considerably time-consuming. To circumvent this issue, most available codes approximate the total opacity by summing the contributions of individual molecular species during the radiative transfer calculation. This approach neglects inter-species interactions, which can be an issue for precisely estimating the climate of planets. To produce accurate opacity data, such as correlated-k tables, chi factor corrections of the far-wings of the line profile are required. We propose an update of the chi factors of CO$_2$ absorption lines that are relevant for terrestrial planets (pure CO$_2$, CO$_2$-N$_2$ and CO$_2$-H$_2$O). These new factors are already implemented in an original user-friendly open-source tool designed to calculate high resolution spectra, named SpeCT. The latter enables to produce correlated-k tables for mixtures made of H$_2$O, CO$_2$ and N$_2$, accounting for inter-species broadening. In order to facilitate future updates of these chi factors, we also provide a review of all the relevant laboratory measurements available in the literature for the considered mixtures. Finally, we provide in this work 8 different correlated-k tables and continua for pure CO$_2$, CO$_2$-N$_2$, CO$_2$-H$_2$O and CO$_2$-H$_2$O-N$_2$ mixtures based on the MT_CKD formalism (for H$_2$O), and calculated using SpeCT. These opacity data can be used to study various planets and atmospheric conditions, such as Earth's paleo-climates, Mars, Venus, Magma ocean exoplanets, telluric exoplanets.
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Submitted 25 August, 2025;
originally announced August 2025.
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Radial velocity homogeneous analysis of M dwarfs observed with HARPS. II. Detection limits and planetary occurrence statistics
Authors:
L. Mignon,
X. Delfosse,
N. Meunier,
G. Chaverot,
R. Burn,
X. Bonfils,
F. Bouchy,
N. Astudillo-Defru,
G. Lo Curto,
G. Gaisne,
S. Udry,
T. Forveille,
D. Segransan,
C. Lovis,
N. C. Santos,
M. Mayor
Abstract:
We re-determine planetary occurrences around M dwarfs using 20 years of observations from HARPS on 197 targets. The first aim of this study is to propose more precise occurrence rates using the large volume of the sample but also variations to previous calculations, particularly by considering multiplicity, which is now an integral part of planetary occurrence calculations. The second aim is to ex…
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We re-determine planetary occurrences around M dwarfs using 20 years of observations from HARPS on 197 targets. The first aim of this study is to propose more precise occurrence rates using the large volume of the sample but also variations to previous calculations, particularly by considering multiplicity, which is now an integral part of planetary occurrence calculations. The second aim is to exploit the extreme longevity of HARPS to determine occurrence rates in the unexplored domain of very long periods. This work relies entirely on the 197 radial velocity time series obtained and analysed in our previous study. By considering they are cleaned of any detectable signal, we convert them into detection limits. We use these 197 limits to produce a detectability map and combine it with confirmed planet detections to establish our occurrence rates. Finally, we also convert the detection limits from orbital period to insolation in order to construct an occurrence statistics for the temperate zone. We find a strong prevalence of low-mass planets around M dwarfs, with an occurrence rate of 120% for planets with a mass between 0.75 and 3 Me. In addition, we compute an occurrence rate of 45.3% +20-16% for temperate zone planets around M dwarfs. We obtain an occurrence rate of a few percent for giant planets with wide separations. In our sample these giant planets with wide separations are only detected around the most massive M dwarfs.
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Submitted 10 February, 2025;
originally announced February 2025.
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The Role of Atmospheric Composition in Defining the Habitable Zone Limits and Supporting E. coli Growth
Authors:
Asena Kuzucan,
Emeline Bolmont,
Guillaume Chaverot,
Jaqueline Quirino Ferreira,
Bastiaan Willem Ibelings,
Siddharth Bhatnagar,
Daniel Frank McGinnis
Abstract:
Studying exoplanet atmospheres is essential for assessing their potential to host liquid water and their capacity to support life (their habitability). Each atmosphere uniquely influences the likelihood of surface liquid water, defining the habitable zone (HZ), the region around a star where liquid water can exist. However, being within the HZ does not guarantee habitability, as life requires more…
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Studying exoplanet atmospheres is essential for assessing their potential to host liquid water and their capacity to support life (their habitability). Each atmosphere uniquely influences the likelihood of surface liquid water, defining the habitable zone (HZ), the region around a star where liquid water can exist. However, being within the HZ does not guarantee habitability, as life requires more than just liquid water. In this study, we adopted a two-pronged approach. First, we estimated the surface conditions of planets near the HZ's inner edge under various atmospheric compositions. By utilizing a 3D climate model, we refined the inner boundaries of the HZ for planets with atmospheres dominated by H2 and CO2 for the first time. Second, we investigated microbial survival in these environments, conducting laboratory experiments on the growth and survival of E. coli K-12, focusing on the impact of different gas compositions. This innovative combination of climate modeling and biological experiments bridges theoretical climate predictions with biological outcomes. Our findings indicate that atmospheric composition significantly affects bacterial growth patterns, highlighting the importance of considering diverse atmospheres in evaluating exoplanet habitability and advancing the search for life beyond Earth.
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Submitted 9 January, 2025;
originally announced January 2025.
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Resilience of Snowball Earth to Stochastic Events
Authors:
Guillaume Chaverot,
Andrea Zorzi,
Xuesong Ding,
Jonathan Itcovitz,
Bowen Fan,
Siddharth Bhatnagar,
Aoshuang Ji,
Robert J. Graham,
Tushar Mittal
Abstract:
Earth went through at least two periods of global glaciation (i.e., ``Snowball Earth'' states) during the Neoproterozoic, the shortest of which (the Marinoan) may not have lasted sufficiently long for its termination to be explained by the gradual volcanic build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Large asteroid impacts and supervolcanic eruptions have been suggested as stochastic geological…
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Earth went through at least two periods of global glaciation (i.e., ``Snowball Earth'' states) during the Neoproterozoic, the shortest of which (the Marinoan) may not have lasted sufficiently long for its termination to be explained by the gradual volcanic build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Large asteroid impacts and supervolcanic eruptions have been suggested as stochastic geological events that could cause a sudden end to global glaciation via a runaway melting process. Here, we employ an energy balance climate model to simulate the evolution of Snowball Earth's surface temperature after such events. We find that even a large impactor (diameters of $d \sim 100\,\mathrm{km}$) and the supervolcanic Toba eruption ($74\,\mathrm{kyr}$ ago), are insufficient to terminate a Snowball state unless background CO$_2$ has already been driven to high levels by long-term outgassing. We suggest, according to our modeling framework, that Earth's Snowball states would have been resilient to termination by stochastic events.
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Submitted 15 July, 2024;
originally announced July 2024.
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Discovery of a cold giant planet and mass measurement of a hot super-Earth in the multi-planetary system WASP-132
Authors:
N. Grieves,
F. Bouchy,
D. J. Armstrong,
B. Akinsanmi,
A. Psaridi,
S. Ulmer-Moll,
Y. G. C. Frensch,
R. Helled,
S. Muller,
H. Knierim,
N. C. Santos,
V. Adibekyan,
L. Parc,
M. Lendl,
M. P. Battley,
N. Unger,
G. Chaverot,
D. Bayliss,
X. Dumusque,
F. Hawthorn,
P. Figueira,
M. A. F. Keniger,
J. Lillo-Box,
L. D. Nielsen,
A. Osborn
, et al. (3 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
Hot Jupiters generally do not have nearby planet companions, as they may have cleared out other planets during their inward migration from more distant orbits. This gives evidence that hot Jupiters more often migrate inward via high-eccentricity migration due to dynamical interactions between planets rather than more dynamically cool migration mechanisms through the protoplanetary disk. Here we fu…
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Hot Jupiters generally do not have nearby planet companions, as they may have cleared out other planets during their inward migration from more distant orbits. This gives evidence that hot Jupiters more often migrate inward via high-eccentricity migration due to dynamical interactions between planets rather than more dynamically cool migration mechanisms through the protoplanetary disk. Here we further refine the unique system of WASP-132 by characterizing the mass of the recently validated 1.0-day period super-Earth WASP-132c (TOI-822.02), interior to the 7.1-day period hot Jupiter WASP-132b. Additionally, we announce the discovery of a giant planet at a 5-year period (2.7 AU). We also detected a long-term trend in the radial velocity data indicative of another outer companion. Using over nine years of CORALIE radial velocities (RVs) and over two months of highly sampled HARPS RVs, we determined the masses of the planets from smallest to largest orbital period to be M$_{\rm{c}}$ = $6.26^{+1.84}_{-1.83}$ $M_{\oplus}$, M$_{\rm{b}}$ = $0.428^{+0.015}_{-0.015}$ $M_{\rm{Jup}}$, and M$_{\rm{d}}\sin{i}$ = $5.16^{+0.52}_{-0.52}$ $M_{\rm{Jup}}$, respectively. Using TESS and CHEOPS photometry data, we measured the radii of the two inner transiting planets to be R$_{\rm{c}}$ = $1.841^{+0.094}_{-0.093}$ $R_{\oplus}$ and R$_{\rm{b}}$ = $0.901^{+0.038}_{-0.038}$ $R_{\rm{Jup}}$. We find a bulk density of $ρ_{\rm{c}}$ = $5.47^{+1.96}_{-1.71}$ g cm$^{-3}$ for WASP-132 c, which is slightly above the Earth-like composition line on the mass-radius diagram. WASP-132 is a unique multi-planetary system in that both an inner rocky planet and an outer giant planet are in a system with a hot Jupiter. This suggests it migrated via a rarer dynamically cool mechanism and helps to further our understanding of how hot Jupiter systems form and evolve.
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Submitted 22 February, 2025; v1 submitted 22 June, 2024;
originally announced June 2024.
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The CUISINES Framework for Conducting Exoplanet Model Intercomparison Projects, Version 1.0
Authors:
Linda E. Sohl,
Thomas J. Fauchez,
Shawn Domagal-Goldman,
Duncan A. Christie,
Russell Deitrick,
Jacob Haqq-Misra,
C. E. Harman,
Nicolas Iro,
Nathan J. Mayne,
Kostas Tsigaridis,
Geronimo L. Villanueva,
Amber V. Young,
Guillaume Chaverot
Abstract:
As JWST begins to return observations, it is more important than ever that exoplanet climate models can consistently and correctly predict the observability of exoplanets, retrieval of their data, and interpretation of planetary environments from that data. Model intercomparisons play a crucial role in this context, especially now when few data are available to validate model predictions. The CUIS…
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As JWST begins to return observations, it is more important than ever that exoplanet climate models can consistently and correctly predict the observability of exoplanets, retrieval of their data, and interpretation of planetary environments from that data. Model intercomparisons play a crucial role in this context, especially now when few data are available to validate model predictions. The CUISINES Working Group of NASA's Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) supports a systematic approach to evaluating the performance of exoplanet models, and provides here a framework for conducting community-organized exoplanet Model Intercomparison Projects (exoMIPs). The CUISINES framework adapts Earth climate community practices specifically for the needs of exoplanet researchers, encompassing a range of model types, planetary targets, and parameter space studies. It is intended to help researchers to work collectively, equitably, and openly toward common goals. The CUISINES framework rests on five principles: 1) Define in advance what research question(s) the exoMIP is intended to address. 2) Create an experimental design that maximizes community participation, and advertise it widely. 3) Plan a project timeline that allows all exoMIP members to participate fully. 4) Generate data products from model output for direct comparison to observations. 5) Create a data management plan that is workable in the present and scalable for the future. Within the first years of its existence, CUISINES is already providing logistical support to 10 exoMIPs, and will continue to host annual workshops for further community feedback and presentation of new exoMIP ideas.
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Submitted 13 June, 2024;
originally announced June 2024.
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A cool runaway greenhouse without surface magma ocean
Authors:
Franck Selsis,
Jérémy Leconte,
Martin Turbet,
Guillaume Chaverot,
Émeline Bolmont
Abstract:
Water vapour atmospheres with content equivalent to the Earth's oceans, resulting from impacts or a high insolation, were found to yield a surface magma ocean. This was, however, a consequence of assuming a fully convective structure. Here we report, using a consistent climate model, that pure steam atmospheres are commonly shaped by radiative layers, making their thermal structure strongly depend…
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Water vapour atmospheres with content equivalent to the Earth's oceans, resulting from impacts or a high insolation, were found to yield a surface magma ocean. This was, however, a consequence of assuming a fully convective structure. Here we report, using a consistent climate model, that pure steam atmospheres are commonly shaped by radiative layers, making their thermal structure strongly dependent on the stellar spectrum and internal heat flow. The surface is cooler when an adiabatic profile is not imposed: melting Earth's crust requires an insolation several times higher than today, which will not happen during the main-sequence of the Sun. Venus' surface can solidify before the steam atmosphere escapes, which is opposite to previous works. Around the reddest stars ($T_{eff}<$3000K), surface magma oceans cannot form by stellar forcing alone, whatever the water content. These findings affect observable signatures of steam atmospheres and exoplanet mass-radius relationships, drastically changing current constraints on the water content of Trappist-1 planets. Unlike adiabatic structures, radiative-convective profiles are sensitive to opacities. New measurements of poorly constrained high-pressure opacities, in particular far from the H$_2$O absorption bands, are thus necessary to refine models of steam atmospheres, which are important stages in terrestrial planet evolution.
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Submitted 21 November, 2023; v1 submitted 14 November, 2023;
originally announced November 2023.
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First exploration of the runaway greenhouse transition with a GCM
Authors:
G. Chaverot,
E. Bolmont,
M. Turbet
Abstract:
Even if their detection is for now challenging, observation of small terrestrial planets will be easier in a near future thanks to continuous improvements of detection and characterisation instruments. In this quest, climate modeling is a key step to understand their characteristics, atmospheric composition and possible history. If a surface water reservoir is present on such a terrestrial planet,…
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Even if their detection is for now challenging, observation of small terrestrial planets will be easier in a near future thanks to continuous improvements of detection and characterisation instruments. In this quest, climate modeling is a key step to understand their characteristics, atmospheric composition and possible history. If a surface water reservoir is present on such a terrestrial planet, an increase in insolation may lead to a dramatic positive feedback induced by water evaporation: the runaway greenhouse. The resulting rise of global surface temperature leads to the evaporation of the entire water reservoir, separating two very different population of planets: 1) temperate planets with a surface water ocean and 2) hot planets with a puffed atmosphere dominated by water vapor. In this work we use a 3D General Circulation Model (GCM), the Generic-PCM, to study the runaway greenhouse transition, linking temperate and post-runaway states. Our simulations are made of two steps. First, assuming initially a liquid surface ocean, an evaporation phase which enriches the atmosphere in water vapor. Second, when the ocean is considered entirely evaporated, a dry transition phase for which the surface temperature increases dramatically. Finally, it converges on a hot and stable post-runaway state. By describing in detail the evolution of the climate during these two steps, we show a rapid transition of the cloud coverage and of the wind circulation from the troposphere to the stratosphere. By comparing our result to previous studies using 1D models, we discuss the effect of intrinsically 3D processes such as the global dynamics and the clouds, keys to understand the runaway greenhouse. We also explore the potential reversibility of the runaway greenhouse, limited by its radiative unbalance.
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Submitted 11 September, 2023;
originally announced September 2023.
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Water Condensation Zones around Main Sequence Stars
Authors:
Martin Turbet,
Thomas J. Fauchez,
Jeremy Leconte,
Emeline Bolmont,
Guillaume Chaverot,
Francois Forget,
Ehouarn Millour,
Franck Selsis,
Benjamin Charnay,
Elsa Ducrot,
Michaël Gillon,
Alice Maurel,
Geronimo L. Villanueva
Abstract:
Understanding the set of conditions that allow rocky planets to have liquid water on their surface -- in the form of lakes, seas or oceans -- is a major scientific step to determine the fraction of planets potentially suitable for the emergence and development of life as we know it on Earth. This effort is also necessary to define and refine the so-called "Habitable Zone" (HZ) in order to guide th…
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Understanding the set of conditions that allow rocky planets to have liquid water on their surface -- in the form of lakes, seas or oceans -- is a major scientific step to determine the fraction of planets potentially suitable for the emergence and development of life as we know it on Earth. This effort is also necessary to define and refine the so-called "Habitable Zone" (HZ) in order to guide the search for exoplanets likely to harbor remotely detectable life forms. Until now, most numerical climate studies on this topic have focused on the conditions necessary to maintain oceans, but not to form them in the first place. Here we use the three-dimensional Generic Planetary Climate Model (PCM), historically known as the LMD Generic Global Climate Model (GCM), to simulate water-dominated planetary atmospheres around different types of Main-Sequence stars. The simulations are designed to reproduce the conditions of early ocean formation on rocky planets due to the condensation of the primordial water reservoir at the end of the magma ocean phase. We show that the incoming stellar radiation (ISR) required to form oceans by condensation is always drastically lower than that required to vaporize oceans. We introduce a Water Condensation Limit, which lies at significantly lower ISR than the inner edge of the HZ calculated with three-dimensional numerical climate simulations. This difference is due to a behavior change of water clouds, from low-altitude dayside convective clouds to high-altitude nightside stratospheric clouds. Finally, we calculated transit spectra, emission spectra and thermal phase curves of TRAPPIST-1b, c and d with H2O-rich atmospheres, and compared them to CO2 atmospheres and bare rock simulations. We show using these observables that JWST has the capability to probe steam atmospheres on low-mass planets, and could possibly test the existence of nightside water clouds.
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Submitted 29 August, 2023;
originally announced August 2023.
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Three long period transiting giant planets from TESS
Authors:
Rafael Brahm,
Solène Ulmer-Moll,
Melissa J. Hobson,
Andrés Jordán,
Thomas Henning,
Trifon Trifonov,
Matías I. Jones,
Martin Schlecker,
Nestor Espinoza,
Felipe I. Rojas,
Pascal Torres,
Paula Sarkis,
Marcelo Tala,
Jan Eberhardt,
Diana Kossakowski,
Diego J. Muñoz,
Joel D. Hartman,
Gavin Boyle,
Vincent Suc,
François Bouchy,
Adrien Deline,
Guillaume Chaverot,
Nolan Grieves,
Monika Lendl,
Olga Suarez
, et al. (30 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
We report the discovery and orbital characterization of three new transiting warm giant planets. These systems were initially identified as presenting single transit events in the light curves generated from the full frame images of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Follow-up radial velocity measurements and additional light curves were used to determine the orbital periods and con…
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We report the discovery and orbital characterization of three new transiting warm giant planets. These systems were initially identified as presenting single transit events in the light curves generated from the full frame images of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Follow-up radial velocity measurements and additional light curves were used to determine the orbital periods and confirm the planetary nature of the candidates. The planets orbit slightly metal-rich late F- and early G-type stars. We find that TOI 4406b has a mass of $M_P$= 0.30 $\pm$ 0.04 $M_J$ , a radius of $R_P$= 1.00 $\pm$ 0.02 $R_J$ , and a low eccentricity orbit (e=0.15 $\pm$ 0.05) with a period of P= 30.08364 $\pm$ 0.00005 d . TOI 2338b has a mass of $M_P$= 5.98 $\pm$ 0.20 $M_J$ , a radius of $R_P$= 1.00 $\pm$ 0.01 $R_J$ , and a highly eccentric orbit (e= 0.676 $\pm$ 0.002 ) with a period of P= 22.65398 $\pm$ 0.00002 d . Finally, TOI 2589b has a mass of $M_P$= 3.50 $\pm$ 0.10 $M_J$ , a radius of $R_P$= 1.08 $\pm$ 0.03 $R_J$ , and an eccentric orbit (e = 0.522 $\pm$ 0.006 ) with a period of P= 61.6277 $\pm$ 0.0002 d . TOI 4406b and TOI 2338b are enriched in metals compared to their host stars, while the structure of TOI 2589b is consistent with having similar metal enrichment to its host star.
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Submitted 4 April, 2023;
originally announced April 2023.
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The CORALIE survey for southern extrasolar planets XIX. Brown dwarfs and stellar companions unveiled by radial velocity and astrometry
Authors:
D. Barbato,
D. Ségransan,
S. Udry,
N. Unger,
F. Bouchy,
C. Lovis,
M. Mayor,
F. Pepe,
D. Queloz,
N. C. Santos,
J. B. Delisle,
P. Figueira,
M. Marmier,
E. C. Matthews,
G. Lo Curto,
J. Venturini,
G. Chaverot,
M. Cretignier,
J. F. Otegi,
M. Stalport
Abstract:
A historical planet-search on a sample of 1647 nearby southern main sequence stars has been ongoing since 1998 with the CORALIE spectrograph at La Silla Observatory, with a backup subprogram dedicated to the monitoring of binary stars. We review 25 years of CORALIE measurements and search for Doppler signals consistent with stellar or brown dwarf companions to produce an updated catalog of both kn…
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A historical planet-search on a sample of 1647 nearby southern main sequence stars has been ongoing since 1998 with the CORALIE spectrograph at La Silla Observatory, with a backup subprogram dedicated to the monitoring of binary stars. We review 25 years of CORALIE measurements and search for Doppler signals consistent with stellar or brown dwarf companions to produce an updated catalog of both known and previously unpublished binary stars in the planet-search sample, assessing the binarity fraction of the stellar population and providing perspective for more precise planet-search in the binary sample. We perform new analysis on the CORALIE planet-search sample radial velocity measurements, searching for stellar companions and obtaining orbital solutions for both known and new binary systems. We perform simultaneous radial velocity and proper motion anomaly fits on the subset of these systems for which Hipparcos and Gaia astrometry measurements are available, obtaining accurate estimates of true mass for the companions. We find 218 stars in the CORALIE sample to have at least one stellar companion, 130 of which are not yet published in the literature and for which we present orbital solutions. The use of proper motion anomaly allow us to derive true masses for the stellar companions in 132 systems, which we additionally use to estimate stability regions for possible planetary companions on circumprimary or circumbinary orbits. Finally, we produce detection limit maps for each star in the sample and obtain occurrence rates of $0.43^{+0.23}_{-0.11}\%$ and $12.69^{+0.87}_{-0.77}\%$ for brown dwarf and stellar companions respectively in the CORALIE sample.
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Submitted 29 March, 2023;
originally announced March 2023.
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Transmission spectroscopy of the ultra-hot Jupiter MASCARA-4 b: Disentangling the hydrostatic and exospheric regimes of ultra-hot Jupiters
Authors:
Yapeng Zhang,
Ignas A. G. Snellen,
Aurélien Wyttenbach,
Louise D. Nielsen,
Monika Lendl,
Núria Casasayas-Barris,
Guillaume Chaverot,
Aurora Y. Kesseli,
Christophe Lovis,
Francesco A. Pepe,
Angelica Psaridi,
Julia V. Seidel,
Stéphane Udry,
Solène Ulmer-Moll
Abstract:
Ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs), rendering the hottest planetary atmospheres, offer great opportunities of detailed characterisation with high-resolution spectroscopy. MASCARA-4 b is a recently discovered close-in gas giant belonging to this category. In order to refine system and planet parameters, we carried out radial velocity measurements and transit photometry with the CORALIE spectrograph and Eule…
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Ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs), rendering the hottest planetary atmospheres, offer great opportunities of detailed characterisation with high-resolution spectroscopy. MASCARA-4 b is a recently discovered close-in gas giant belonging to this category. In order to refine system and planet parameters, we carried out radial velocity measurements and transit photometry with the CORALIE spectrograph and EulerCam at the Swiss 1.2m Euler telescope. We observed two transits of MASCARA-4 b with the high-resolution spectrograph ESPRESSO at ESO's Very Large Telescope. We searched for atomic, ionic, and molecular species via individual absorption lines and cross-correlation techniques. These results are compared to literature studies on UHJs characterised to date. With CORALIE and EulerCam observations, we updated the mass of MASCARA-4 b (1.675 +/- 0.241 Jupiter masses) as well as other system and planet parameters. In the transmission spectrum derived from ESPRESSO observations, we resolve excess absorption by H$α$, H$β$, Na D1 & D2, Ca+ H & K, and a few strong individual lines of Mg, Fe and Fe+. We also present the cross-correlation detection of Mg, Ca, Cr, Fe and Fe+. The absorption strength of Fe+ significantly exceeds the prediction from a hydrostatic atmospheric model, as commonly observed in other UHJs. We attribute this to the presence of Fe+ in the exosphere due to hydrodynamic outflows. This is further supported by the positive correlation of absorption strengths of Fe+ with the H$α$ line. Comparing transmission signatures of various species in the UHJ population allows us to disentangle the hydrostatic regime (as traced via the absorption by Mg and Fe) from the exospheres (as probed by H$α$ and Fe+) of the strongly irradiated atmospheres.
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Submitted 24 August, 2022;
originally announced August 2022.
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Two long-period transiting exoplanets on eccentric orbits: NGTS-20 b (TOI-5152 b) and TOI-5153 b
Authors:
S. Ulmer-Moll,
M. Lendl,
S. Gill,
S. Villanueva,
M. J. Hobson,
F. Bouchy,
R. Brahm,
D. Dragomir,
N. Grieves,
C. Mordasini,
D. R. Anderson,
J. S. Acton,
D. Bayliss,
A. Bieryla,
M. R. Burleigh,
S. L. Casewell,
G. Chaverot,
P. Eigmüller,
D. Feliz,
S. Gaudi,
E. Gillen,
M. R. Goad,
A. F. Gupta,
M. N. Günther,
B. A. Henderson
, et al. (28 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
Long-period transiting planets provide the opportunity to better understand the formation and evolution of planetary systems. Their atmospheric properties remain largely unaltered by tidal or radiative effects of the host star, and their orbital arrangement reflects a different, and less extreme, migrational history compared to close-in objects. The sample of long-period exoplanets with well deter…
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Long-period transiting planets provide the opportunity to better understand the formation and evolution of planetary systems. Their atmospheric properties remain largely unaltered by tidal or radiative effects of the host star, and their orbital arrangement reflects a different, and less extreme, migrational history compared to close-in objects. The sample of long-period exoplanets with well determined masses and radii is still limited, but a growing number of long-period objects reveal themselves in the TESS data. Our goal is to vet and confirm single transit planet candidates detected in the TESS space-based photometric data through spectroscopic and photometric follow up observations with ground-based instruments. We use the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) to photometrically monitor the candidates in order to observe additional transits. We report the discovery of two massive, warm Jupiter-size planets, one orbiting the F8-type star TOI-5153 and the other orbiting the G1-type star NGTS-20 (=TOI-5152). From our spectroscopic analysis, both stars are metal-rich with a metallicity of 0.12 and 0.15, respectively. Follow-up radial velocity observations were carried out with CORALIE, CHIRON, FEROS, and HARPS. TOI-5153 hosts a 20.33 day period planet with a planetary mass of 3.26 (+-0.18) Mj, a radius of 1.06 (+-0.04) Rj , and an orbital eccentricity of 0.091 (+-0.026). NGTS-20 b is a 2.98 (+-0.16) Mj planet with a radius of 1.07 (+-0.04) Rj on an eccentric (0.432 +- 0.023) orbit with an orbital period of 54.19 days. Both planets are metal-enriched and their heavy element content is in line with the previously reported mass-metallicity relation for gas giants. Both warm Jupiters orbit moderately bright host stars making these objects valuable targets for follow-up studies of the planetary atmosphere and measurement of the spin-orbit angle of the system.
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Submitted 8 July, 2022;
originally announced July 2022.
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How does the background atmosphere affect the onset of the runaway greenhouse ?
Authors:
G. Chaverot,
M. Turbet,
E. Bolmont,
J. Leconte
Abstract:
As the insolation of an Earth-like (exo)planet with a large amount of water increases, its surface and atmospheric temperatures also increase, eventually leading to a catastrophic runaway greenhouse transition. While some studies have shown that the onset of the runaway greenhouse may be delayed due to an overshoot of the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) -- compared to the Simpson-Nakajima thresh…
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As the insolation of an Earth-like (exo)planet with a large amount of water increases, its surface and atmospheric temperatures also increase, eventually leading to a catastrophic runaway greenhouse transition. While some studies have shown that the onset of the runaway greenhouse may be delayed due to an overshoot of the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) -- compared to the Simpson-Nakajima threshold -- by radiatively inactive gases, there is still no consensus on whether this is occurring and why. Here, we used a suite of 1D radiative-convective models to study the runaway greenhouse transition, with particular emphasis on taking into account the radical change in the amount of water vapour (from trace gas to dominant gas). The aim of this work is twofold: first, to determine the most important physical processes and parametrisations affecting the OLR; and second, to propose reference OLR curves for N$_2$+H$_2$O atmospheres. Through multiple sensitivity tests, we list and select the main important physical processes and parametrisations that need to be accounted for in 1D radiative-convective models to compute an accurate estimate of the OLR for N$_2$+H$_2$O atmospheres. The reference OLR curve is computed with a 1D model built according to the sensitivity tests. These tests also allow us to interpret the diversity of results already published in the literature. Moreover, we provide a correlated-k table able to reproduce line-by-line calculations with high accuracy. We find that the transition between an N$_2$-dominated atmosphere and an H$_2$O-dominated atmosphere induces an overshoot of the OLR compared to the (pure H$_2$O) Simpson-Nakajima asymptotic limit. This overshoot is first due to a transition between foreign and self-broadening of the water absorption lines, and second to a transition between dry and moist adiabatic lapse rates.
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Submitted 15 November, 2021;
originally announced November 2021.
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Day-night cloud asymmetry prevents early oceans on Venus but not on Earth
Authors:
Martin Turbet,
Emeline Bolmont,
Guillaume Chaverot,
David Ehrenreich,
Jeremy Leconte,
Emmanuel Marcq
Abstract:
Earth has had oceans for nearly four billion years and Mars had lakes and rivers 3.5-3.8 billion years ago. However, it is still unknown whether water has ever condensed on the surface of Venus because the planet - now completely dry - has undergone global resurfacing events that obscure most of its history. The conditions required for water to have initially condensed on the surface of Solar Syst…
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Earth has had oceans for nearly four billion years and Mars had lakes and rivers 3.5-3.8 billion years ago. However, it is still unknown whether water has ever condensed on the surface of Venus because the planet - now completely dry - has undergone global resurfacing events that obscure most of its history. The conditions required for water to have initially condensed on the surface of Solar System terrestrial planets are highly uncertain, as they have so far only been studied with one-dimensional numerical climate models that cannot account for the effects of atmospheric circulation and clouds, which are key climate stabilizers. Here we show using three-dimensional global climate model simulations of early Venus and Earth that water clouds - which preferentially form on the nightside, owing to the strong subsolar water vapour absorption - have a strong net warming effect that inhibits surface water condensation even at modest insolations (down to 325 W/m2, that is, 0.95 times the Earth solar constant). This shows that water never condensed and that, consequently, oceans never formed on the surface of Venus. Furthermore, this shows that the formation of Earth's oceans required much lower insolation than today, which was made possible by the faint young Sun. This also implies the existence of another stability state for present-day Earth: the 'Steam Earth', with all the water from the oceans evaporated into the atmosphere.
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Submitted 17 October, 2021;
originally announced October 2021.
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TRAPPIST Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI) workshop report
Authors:
Thomas J. Fauchez,
Martin Turbet,
Denis E. Sergeev,
Nathan J. Mayne,
Aymeric Spiga,
Linda Sohl,
Prabal Saxena,
Russell Deitrick,
Gabriella Gilli,
Shawn D. Domagal-Goldman,
Francois Forget,
Richard Consentino,
Rory Barnes,
Jacob Haqq-Misra,
Michael J. Way,
Eric T. Wolf,
Stephanie Olson,
Jaime S. Crouse,
Estelle Janin,
Emeline Bolmont,
Jeremy Leconte,
Guillaume Chaverot,
Yassin Jaziri,
Kostantinos Tsigaridis,
Jun Yang
, et al. (9 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
The era of atmospheric characterization of terrestrial exoplanets is just around the corner. Modeling prior to observations is crucial in order to predict the observational challenges and to prepare for the data interpretation. This paper presents the report of the TRAPPIST Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI) workshop (14-16 September 2020). A review of the climate models and parameterizat…
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The era of atmospheric characterization of terrestrial exoplanets is just around the corner. Modeling prior to observations is crucial in order to predict the observational challenges and to prepare for the data interpretation. This paper presents the report of the TRAPPIST Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI) workshop (14-16 September 2020). A review of the climate models and parameterizations of the atmospheric processes on terrestrial exoplanets, model advancements and limitations, as well as direction for future model development was discussed. We hope that this report will be used as a roadmap for future numerical simulations of exoplanet atmospheres and maintaining strong connections to the astronomical community.
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Submitted 2 April, 2021;
originally announced April 2021.
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TESS Delivers Five New Hot Giant Planets Orbiting Bright Stars from the Full Frame Images
Authors:
Joseph E. Rodriguez,
Samuel N. Quinn,
George Zhou,
Andrew Vanderburg,
Louise D. Nielsen,
Robert A. Wittenmyer,
Rafael Brahm,
Phillip A. Reed,
Chelsea X. Huang,
Sydney Vach,
David R. Ciardi,
Ryan J. Oelkers,
Keivan G. Stassun,
Coel Hellier,
B. Scott Gaudi,
Jason D. Eastman,
Karen A. Collins,
Allyson Bieryla,
Sam Christian,
David W. Latham,
Ilaria Carleo,
Duncan J. Wright,
Elisabeth Matthews,
Erica J. Gonzales,
Carl Ziegler
, et al. (93 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
We present the discovery and characterization of five hot and warm Jupiters -- TOI-628 b (TIC 281408474; HD 288842), TOI-640 b (TIC 147977348), TOI-1333 b (TIC 395171208, BD+47 3521A), TOI-1478 b (TIC 409794137), and TOI-1601 b (TIC 139375960) -- based on data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The five planets were identified from the full frame images and were confirmed th…
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We present the discovery and characterization of five hot and warm Jupiters -- TOI-628 b (TIC 281408474; HD 288842), TOI-640 b (TIC 147977348), TOI-1333 b (TIC 395171208, BD+47 3521A), TOI-1478 b (TIC 409794137), and TOI-1601 b (TIC 139375960) -- based on data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The five planets were identified from the full frame images and were confirmed through a series of photometric and spectroscopic follow-up observations by the $TESS$ Follow-up Observing Program (TFOP) Working Group. The planets are all Jovian size (R$_{\rm P}$ = 1.01-1.77 R$_{\rm J}$) and have masses that range from 0.85 to 6.33 M$_{\rm J}$. The host stars of these systems have F and G spectral types (5595 $\le$ T$_{\rm eff}$ $\le$ 6460 K) and are all relatively bright (9 $<V<$ 10.8, 8.2 $<K<$ 9.3) making them well-suited for future detailed characterization efforts. Three of the systems in our sample (TOI-640 b, TOI-1333 b, and TOI-1601 b) orbit subgiant host stars (log g$_*$ $<$4.1). TOI-640 b is one of only three known hot Jupiters to have a highly inflated radius (R$_{\rm P}$ > 1.7R$_{\rm J}$, possibly a result of its host star's evolution) and resides on an orbit with a period longer than 5 days. TOI-628 b is the most massive hot Jupiter discovered to date by $TESS$ with a measured mass of $6.31^{+0.28}_{-0.30}$ M$_{\rm J}$ and a statistically significant, non-zero orbital eccentricity of e = $0.074^{+0.021}_{-0.022}$. This planet would not have had enough time to circularize through tidal forces from our analysis, suggesting that it might be remnant eccentricity from its migration. The longest period planet in this sample, TOI-1478 b (P = 10.18 days), is a warm Jupiter in a circular orbit around a near-Solar analogue. NASA's $TESS$ mission is continuing to increase the sample of well-characterized hot and warm Jupiters, complementing its primary mission goals.
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Submitted 9 February, 2021; v1 submitted 5 January, 2021;
originally announced January 2021.