Kavli Affiliate: Avi Shporer
| First 5 Authors: Noah Vowell, Joseph E. Rodriguez, David W. Latham, Samuel N. Quinn, Jack Schulte
| Summary:
We present the discovery of 11 new transiting brown dwarfs and low-mass
M-dwarfs from NASA’s TESS mission: TOI-2844, TOI-3122, TOI-3577, TOI-3755,
TOI-4462, TOI-4635, TOI-4737, TOI-4759, TOI-5240, TOI-5467, and TOI-5882. They
consist of 5 brown dwarf companions and 6 very low mass stellar companions
ranging in mass from $25 M_{rm J}$ to $128 M_{rm J}$. We used a combination
of photometric time-series, spectroscopic, and high resolution imaging
follow-up as a part of the TESS Follow-up Observing Program (TFOP) in order to
characterize each system. With over 50 transiting brown dwarfs confirmed, we
now have a large enough sample to directly test different formation and
evolutionary scenarios. We provide a renewed perspective on the transiting
brown dwarf desert and its role in differentiating between planetary and
stellar formation mechanisms. Our analysis of the eccentricity distribution for
the transiting brown dwarf sample does not support previous claims of a
transition between planetary and stellar formation at $sim42$ $M_{rm J}$. We
also contribute a first look into the metallicity distribution of transiting
companions in the range $7 – 150$ $M_{rm J}$, showing that this too does not
support a $sim42$ $M_{rm J}$ transition. Finally, we also detect a
significant lithium absorption feature in one of the brown dwarf hosts
(TOI-5882) but determine that the host star is likely old based on rotation,
kinematic, and photometric measurements. We therefore claim that TOI-5882 may
be a candidate for planetary engulfment.
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