Brown dwarf, warm Jupiter, and hot super-Earth share coplanar orbits in TOI-201 system

Star system: TOI 201 | Distance from the Sun: 366 light years

Astronomers have discovered a remarkable planetary system around the young star TOI-201, featuring three very different companions: a hot super-Earth, a warm Jupiter, and a highly eccentric brown dwarf. Using long-term radial velocity and transit timing data, the team found that all three objects orbit in the same plane. The brown dwarf, with a mass about 16 times that of Jupiter and an 8-year orbit, is the longest-period transiting object ever characterized by radial velocities and the only known brown dwarf to be coplanar with inner planets.

The system's architecture suggests that the hot super-Earth formed in isolation close to the star, while the warm Jupiter and brown dwarf likely formed in the inner regions of the protoplanetary disc or migrated inward. The brown dwarf's high orbital eccentricity may be the result of interactions with the disc during its migration. This discovery provides new insights into how complex planetary systems with massive companions can form and evolve.

Key findings
- TOI-201 hosts a hot super-Earth, a warm Jupiter, and a very eccentric brown dwarf
- All three objects are coplanar, sharing the same orbital plane
- The brown dwarf is the longest-period transiting object characterized by RVs
- The system's architecture suggests diverse formation and migration histories
- Results offer clues to the formation and evolution of multi-planet systems with massive companions

Scientific study

A very eccentric brown dwarf coplanar to a warm Jupiter and a hot super Earth (external link)