CO Detected in CI Tau b: Hot Start Implied by Planet Mass and MK

We acquired high-resolution infrared spectra of CI Tau, the host star of one of the few young planet candidates amenable to direct spectroscopic detection.

We confirm the planet’s existence with a direct detection of CO in the planet’s atmosphere. We also calculate a mass of 11.6 M_J based on the amplitude of its radial velocity variations.

We estimate its flux contrast with its host star to get an absolute magnitude estimate for the planet of 8.17 in the K-band. This magnitude implies the planet formed via a “hot start” formation mechanism.

This makes CI Tau b the youngest confirmed exoplanet as well as the first exoplanet around a T Tauri star with a directly determined, model-independent dynamical mass.

CO Detected in CI Tau b: Hot Start Implied by Planet Mass and MK, The Astrophysical Journal (open access)

Astrobiology, Astrochemistry,