Abstract
We report the discovery of NGTS-4b, a sub-Neptune-sized planet
transiting a 13th magnitude K-dwarf in a 1.34 d orbit. NGTS-4b has a
mass M = 20.6 ± 3.0 M⊕ and radius R = 3.18
± 0.26 R⊕, which places it well within the
so-called `Neptunian Desert'. The mean density of the planet (3.45
± 0.95 g cm-3) is consistent with a composition of 100
per cent H2O or a rocky core with a volatile envelope.
NGTS-4b is likely to suffer significant mass loss due to relatively
strong EUV/X-ray irradiation. Its survival in the Neptunian desert may
be due to an unusually high-core mass, or it may have avoided the most
intense X-ray irradiation by migrating after the initial activity of its
host star had subsided. With a transit depth of 0.13 ± 0.02 per
cent, NGTS-4b represents the shallowest transiting system ever
discovered from the ground, and is the smallest planet discovered in a
wide-field ground-based photometric survey.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5094-5103 |
| Journal | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
| Volume | 486 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 01 Jul 2019 |
Keywords
- techniques: photometric
- planets and satellites: detection
- stars: individual: NGTS-4- planetary systems
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