Xianyu Wang

Dr. Xianyu Wang

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

10Years (2017-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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19 August 2022 in The Astronomical Journal
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
MRMalena Rice
Malena Rice
SWSonghu Wang
Songhu Wang
Xianyu WangXianyu Wang
Xianyu Wang
GSGuđmundur Stefánsson
Guđmundur Stefánsson
HIHoward Isaacson
Howard Isaacson
RHRae Holcomb
Rae Holcomb
The distribution of spin–orbit angles for systems with wide-separation, tidally detached exoplanets offers a unique constraint on the prevalence of dynamically violent planetary evolution histories. Tidally detached planets provide a relatively unbiased view of the primordial stellar obliquity distribution, as they cannot tidally realign within the system lifetime. We present the third result from our Stellar Obliquities in Long-period Exoplanet Systems (SOLES) survey: a measurement of the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect across two transits of the tidally detached warm Jupiter TOI-1478 b with the WIYN/NEID and Keck/HIRES spectrographs, revealing a sky-projected spin–orbit angle λ = 6.2 − 5.5 + 5.9 ° . Combining this new measurement with the full set of archival obliquity measurements, including two previous constraints from the SOLES survey, we demonstrate that, in single-star systems, tidally detached warm Jupiters are preferentially more aligned than closer-orbiting hot Jupiters. This finding has two key implications: (1) planets in single-star systems tend to form within aligned protoplanetary disks, and (2) warm Jupiters form more quiescently than hot Jupiters, which, in single-star systems, are likely perturbed into a misaligned state through planet–planet interactions in the post-disk-dispersal phase. We also find that lower-mass Saturns span a wide range of spin–orbit angles, suggesting a prevalence of planet–planet scattering and/or secular mechanisms in these systems.

5 January 2023 in The Astronomical Journal
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
FDFei Dai
Fei Dai
KMKento Masuda
Kento Masuda
CBCorey Beard
Corey Beard
PRPaul Robertson
Paul Robertson
MGMax Goldberg
Max Goldberg
JWJoshua N. Winn
Joshua N. Winn
Convergent disk migration has long been suspected to be responsible for forming planetary systems with a chain of mean-motion resonances (MMRs). Dynamical evolution over time could disrupt the delicate resonant configuration. We present TOI-1136, a 700 ± 150 Myr old G star hosting at least six transiting planets between ∼2 and 5 R ⊕. The orbital period ratios deviate from exact commensurability by only 10−4, smaller than the ∼10−2 deviations seen in typical Kepler near-resonant systems. A transit-timing analysis measured the masses of the planets (3–8M ⊕) and demonstrated that the planets in TOI-1136 are in true resonances with librating resonant angles. Based on a Rossiter–McLaughlin measurement of planet d, the star’s rotation appears to be aligned with the planetary orbital planes. The well-aligned planetary system and the lack of a detected binary companion together suggest that TOI-1136's resonant chain formed in an isolated, quiescent disk with no stellar flyby, disk warp, or significant axial asymmetry. With period ratios near 3:2, 2:1, 3:2, 7:5, and 3:2, TOI-1136 is the first known resonant chain involving a second-order MMR (7:5) between two first-order MMRs. The formation of the delicate 7:5 resonance places strong constraints on the system’s migration history. Short-scale (starting from ∼0.1 au) Type-I migration with an inner disk edge is most consistent with the formation of TOI-1136. A low disk surface density (Σ1 au ≲ 103g cm−2; lower than the minimum-mass solar nebula) and the resultant slower migration rate likely facilitated the formation of the 7:5 second-order MMR.

14 January 2019 in The Astronomical Journal
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
SWSonghu Wang
Songhu Wang
MJMatias Jones
Matias Jones
ASAvi Shporer
Avi Shporer
BFBenjamin J. Fulton
Benjamin J. Fulton
LPLeonardo A. Paredes
Leonardo A. Paredes
GLGregory Laughlin
Gregory Laughlin
We report the first confirmation of a hot Jupiter discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission: HD 202772A b. The transit signal was detected in the data from TESS Sector 1, and was confirmed to be of planetary origin through radial velocity (RV) measurements. HD 202772A b is orbiting a mildly evolved star with a period of 3.3 days. With an apparent magnitude of V = 8.3, the star is among the brightest and most massive known to host a hot Jupiter. Based on the 27 days of TESS photometry and RV data from the CHIRON, HARPS, and Tillinghast Reflector Echelle Spectrograph, the planet has a mass of and radius of , making it an inflated gas giant. HD 202772A b is a rare example of a transiting hot Jupiter around a quickly evolving star. It is also one of the most strongly irradiated hot Jupiters currently known.

1 February 2022 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
Xianyu WangXianyu Wang
Xianyu Wang
MRMalena Rice
Malena Rice
SWSonghu Wang
Songhu Wang
BPBonan Pu
Bonan Pu
GSGudmundur Stefánsson
Gudmundur Stefánsson
GLGregory Laughlin
Gregory Laughlin
We present spectroscopic measurements of the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect for WASP-148b, the only known hot Jupiter with a nearby warm-Jupiter companion, from the WIYN/NEID and Keck/HIRES instruments. This is one of the first scientific results reported from the newly commissioned NEID spectrograph, as well as the second obliquity constraint for a hot Jupiter system with a close-in companion, after WASP-47. WASP-148b is consistent with being in alignment with the sky-projected spin axis of the host star, with λ = − 8 .° 2 − 9 .° 7 + 8 .° 7 . The low obliquity observed in the WASP-148 system is consistent with the orderly-alignment configuration of most compact multi-planet systems around cool stars with obliquity constraints, including our solar system, and may point to an early history for these well-organized systems in which migration and accretion occurred in isolation, with relatively little disturbance. By contrast, previous results have indicated that high-mass and hot stars appear to more commonly host a wide range of misaligned planets: not only single hot Jupiters, but also compact systems with multiple super-Earths. We suggest that, to account for the high rate of spin–orbit misalignments in both compact multi-planet and isolated-hot-Jupiter systems orbiting high-mass and hot stars, spin–orbit misalignments may be caused by distant giant planet perturbers, which are most common around these stellar types.

8 July 2021 in The Astronomical Journal
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
SWSonghu Wang
Songhu Wang
JWJoshua N. Winn
Joshua N. Winn
BABrett C. Addison
Brett C. Addison
FDFei Dai
Fei Dai
MRMalena Rice
Malena Rice
GLGregory Laughlin
Gregory Laughlin
Measuring the obliquity distribution of stars hosting warm Jupiters may help us to understand the formation of close-orbiting gas giants. Few such measurements have been performed due to practical difficulties in scheduling observations of the relatively infrequent and long-duration transits of warm Jupiters. Here, we report a measurement of the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect for K2-232 b, a warm Jupiter on an 11.17 day orbit with an eccentricity of 0.26. The data were obtained with the Automated Planet Finder during two separate transits. The planet’s orbit appears to be well aligned with the spin axis of the host star, with a projected spin–orbit angle of λ = −11.°1 ± 6.°6. Combined with the other available data, we find that high obliquities are almost exclusively associated with planets that either have an orbital separation greater than 10 stellar radii or orbit stars with effective temperatures hotter than 6000 K. This pattern suggests that the obliquities of the closest-orbiting giant planets around cooler stars have been damped by tidal effects.

1 September 2024 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
Xianyu WangXianyu Wang
Xianyu Wang
MRMalena Rice
Malena Rice
SWSonghu Wang
Songhu Wang
SKShubham Kanodia
Shubham Kanodia
FDFei Dai
Fei Dai
JJJon M. Jenkins
Jon M. Jenkins
The stellar obliquity distribution of warm-Jupiter systems is crucial for constraining the dynamical history of Jovian exoplanets, as the warm Jupiters’ tidal detachment likely preserves their primordial obliquity. However, the sample size of warm-Jupiter systems with measured stellar obliquities has historically been limited compared to that of hot Jupiters, particularly in hot-star systems. In this work, we present newly obtained sky-projected stellar obliquity measurements for the warm-Jupiter systems TOI-559, TOI-2025, TOI-2031, TOI-2485, TOI-2524, and TOI-3972, derived from the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect, and show that all six systems display alignment with a median measurement uncertainty of 13°. Combining these new measurements with the set of previously reported stellar obliquity measurements, our analysis reveals that single-star warm-Jupiter systems tend to be aligned, even around hot stellar hosts. This alignment exhibits a 3.4σ deviation from the T eff–λ dependency observed in hot-Jupiter systems, where planets around cool stars tend to be aligned, while those orbiting hot stars show considerable misalignment. The current distribution of spin–orbit measurements for Jovian exoplanets indicates that misalignments are neither universal nor primordial phenomena affecting all types of planets. The absence of misalignments in single-star warm-Jupiter systems further implies that many hot Jupiters, by contrast, have experienced a dynamically violent history.