Hidden Companions of the Early Milky Way I. New alpha-Enhanced Exoplanet Hosts

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ferreira, Thiago, Galarza, Jhon Yana, Reggiani, Henrique, Boley, Kiersten M., Winnick, Isabelle, Simon, Joshua D., Teske, Johanna K., Martioli, Eder, Jofre, Emiliano, Loaiza-Tacuri, Veronica, Gaibor, Yadira, Shectman, Stephen A., Butler, R. Paul, Crane, Jeffrey D., Thompson, Ian B., Bieryla, Allyson, Latham, David W., Ziegler, Carl
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Ferreira, Thiago
Galarza, Jhon Yana
Reggiani, Henrique
Boley, Kiersten M.
Winnick, Isabelle
Simon, Joshua D.
Teske, Johanna K.
Martioli, Eder
Jofre, Emiliano
Loaiza-Tacuri, Veronica
Gaibor, Yadira
Shectman, Stephen A.
Butler, R. Paul
Crane, Jeffrey D.
Thompson, Ian B.
Bieryla, Allyson
Latham, David W.
Ziegler, Carl
author_facet Ferreira, Thiago
Galarza, Jhon Yana
Reggiani, Henrique
Boley, Kiersten M.
Winnick, Isabelle
Simon, Joshua D.
Teske, Johanna K.
Martioli, Eder
Jofre, Emiliano
Loaiza-Tacuri, Veronica
Gaibor, Yadira
Shectman, Stephen A.
Butler, R. Paul
Crane, Jeffrey D.
Thompson, Ian B.
Bieryla, Allyson
Latham, David W.
Ziegler, Carl
contents Planet formation in the chemically ancient, dynamically heated Galactic thick disc remains poorly constrained, owing to the expectation that its low solid reservoirs, short disc lifetimes, and harsh irradiation environments inhibit efficient assembly of planetary bodies. However, an increasing number of confirmed thick disc planet hosts now challenge this view, indicating that planetary formation and survival in the early Milky Way may have been more resilient -- and more diverse -- than standard disc-evolution models suggest. Here we present a homogeneous characterisation of 38 exoplanetary systems orbiting bona fide thick disc stars, combining new detections with a systematic reassessment of archival systems. High-precision radial velocities and space-based transit photometry, combined with uniform high-resolution spectroscopy, yield self-consistent stellar and planetary parameters, and thick disc membership is secured via joint chemical and kinematic criteria. Among these systems, we identify two remarkably low-density, inflated planets -- TOI-1927 b and TOI-2643 b -- representing the first puffy planets known to orbit thick disc stars, and an outcome that is highly unexpected in metal-poor environments, thereby challenging current models of atmospheric retention and thermal inflation at low metallicity. This consolidated sample establishes a new empirical baseline for understanding how planetary architectures emerge under the depleted, short-lived discs characteristic of the early Milky Way.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_17072
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Hidden Companions of the Early Milky Way I. New alpha-Enhanced Exoplanet Hosts
Ferreira, Thiago
Galarza, Jhon Yana
Reggiani, Henrique
Boley, Kiersten M.
Winnick, Isabelle
Simon, Joshua D.
Teske, Johanna K.
Martioli, Eder
Jofre, Emiliano
Loaiza-Tacuri, Veronica
Gaibor, Yadira
Shectman, Stephen A.
Butler, R. Paul
Crane, Jeffrey D.
Thompson, Ian B.
Bieryla, Allyson
Latham, David W.
Ziegler, Carl
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Planet formation in the chemically ancient, dynamically heated Galactic thick disc remains poorly constrained, owing to the expectation that its low solid reservoirs, short disc lifetimes, and harsh irradiation environments inhibit efficient assembly of planetary bodies. However, an increasing number of confirmed thick disc planet hosts now challenge this view, indicating that planetary formation and survival in the early Milky Way may have been more resilient -- and more diverse -- than standard disc-evolution models suggest. Here we present a homogeneous characterisation of 38 exoplanetary systems orbiting bona fide thick disc stars, combining new detections with a systematic reassessment of archival systems. High-precision radial velocities and space-based transit photometry, combined with uniform high-resolution spectroscopy, yield self-consistent stellar and planetary parameters, and thick disc membership is secured via joint chemical and kinematic criteria. Among these systems, we identify two remarkably low-density, inflated planets -- TOI-1927 b and TOI-2643 b -- representing the first puffy planets known to orbit thick disc stars, and an outcome that is highly unexpected in metal-poor environments, thereby challenging current models of atmospheric retention and thermal inflation at low metallicity. This consolidated sample establishes a new empirical baseline for understanding how planetary architectures emerge under the depleted, short-lived discs characteristic of the early Milky Way.
title Hidden Companions of the Early Milky Way I. New alpha-Enhanced Exoplanet Hosts
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.17072