A Transiting, Temperate Mini-Neptune Orbiting the M Dwarf TOI-1759 Unveiled by TESS

We report the discovery and characterization of TOI-1759 b, a temperate (400 K) sub-Neptune-sized exoplanet orbiting the M dwarf TOI-1759 (TIC 408636441). TOI-1759 b was observed by TESS to transit in Sectors 16, 17, and 24, with only one transit observed per sector, creating an ambiguity regarding the orbital period of the planet candidate. Ground-based photometric observations, combined with radial-velocity measurements obtained with the CARMENES spectrograph, confirm an actual period of 18.85019 +/- 0.00014 days. A joint analysis of all available photometry and radial velocities reveals a radius of 3.17 +/- 0.10 R-circle plus and a mass of 10.8 +/- 1.5 M-circle plus. Combining this with the stellar properties derived for TOI-1759 (R-star = 0.597 +/- 0.015 R-circle dot; M-star = 0.606 +/- 0.020 M-circle dot; T (eff) = 4065 +/- 51 K), we compute a transmission spectroscopic metric (TSM) value of over 80 for the planet, making it a good target for transmission spectroscopy studies. TOI-1759 b is among the top five temperate, small exoplanets (T-eq < 500 K, R-p < 4 R-circle plus) with the highest TSM discovered to date. Two additional signals with periods of 80 days and >200 days seem to be present in our radial velocities. While our data suggest both could arise from stellar activity, the later signal's source and periodicity are hard to pinpoint given the similar to 200 days baseline of our radial-velocity campaign with CARMENES. Longer baseline radial-velocity campaigns should be performed in order to unveil the true nature of this long-period signal.

Automated summary

We report the discovery and characterization of TOI-1759 b, a sub-Neptune-sized exoplanet with a moderate temperature orbiting the M dwarf TOI-1759. The actual period, radius, and mass of TOI-1759 b were determined through joint analysis of photometry and radial velocity measurements. This planet shows potential for transmission spectroscopy studies and is among the top exoplanets with the highest transmission spectroscopic metric (TSM) value. Additionally, two additional signals in the radial velocities indicate possible stellar activity and further investigation is needed to determine their nature.