近日，欧洲南方天文台Matías I. Jones团队发现了一颗与温暖木星和炽热超级地球共面的遥远褐矮星。相关论文发表在2026年6月17日出版的《自然》杂志上。
在凌星行星系统中，行星大小可通过凌星观测精确测定，而凌星时间变化（TTVs）的存在，尤其是当与视向速度（RV）数据相结合时，可为行星质量和轨道离心率提供强有力的约束。这些测量结果共同为理解行星系统的结构、形成机制及动力学演化提供了关键见解。
研究组展示了对相对年轻的恒星（年龄约为10亿年）TOI-201的长期RV及凌星/TTV监测结果，揭示了一个特殊的多行星系统。该系统由一颗每5.8天凌星一次的炽热超级地球（SE）大小的行星、一颗轨道周期为53天的温暖木星（WJ），以及一颗轨道周期约为8年、离心率较高（e=0.62）的低质量褐矮星（BD）组成，后者的质量（MBD）约为16倍木星质量。该BD是迄今为止通过RV手段表征的轨道周期最长的凌星亚恒星天体，也是已知唯一与内侧行星共面的此类天体。
该系统的结构表明，这颗SE是在气态盘最内部区域孤立形成的。另一方面，外侧伴星的轨道构型表明这两个天体几乎是在原位形成的，其中WJ形成于致密的内部盘区。另一种可能是，这颗BD可能在更远处形成，随后向内迁移，并在与星盘相互作用的过程中增加了其轨道离心率。
附：英文原文
Title: A distant brown dwarf coplanar to a warm Jupiter and a hot super-Earth
Author: Jones, Matas I., Naponiello, Luca, Trifonov, Trifon, Brahm, Rafael, Pichierri, Gabriele, Acua-Aguirre, Lorena, De Rosa, Robert J., Tala Pinto, Marcelo, Bonomo, Aldo S., Mancini, Luigi, Sozzetti, Alessandro, Reinarz, Yared, Morbidelli, Alessandro, Espinoza, Nstor, Rosotti, Giovanni, Nielsen, Eric L., Stefanov, Stefan Y., Henning, Thomas, Jordn, Andrs, Eberhardt, Jan, Hatzes, Artie, Vanzi, Leonardo, Janik, Jan, Kabath, Petr
Issue&Volume: 2026-06-17
Abstract: In transiting planetary systems, in which planetary sizes are accurately determined from transit observations, the presence of transit-timing variations1 (TTVs), especially when combined with radial velocity (RV) data, provides powerful constraints on masses and orbital eccentricities. Together, these measurements offer crucial insights into system architecture, formation mechanisms and dynamical evolution. We present long-term RV and transit/TTV monitoring of the relatively young star (age approximately 1Gyr) TOI-201, revealing an exceptional multi-planet system composed of a hot super-Earth (SE) size planet transiting every 5.8days, a warm Jupiter (WJ) on a 53-day orbit and an eccentric (e=0.62) low-mass brown dwarf (BD) on an approximately 8-year orbit, with an estimated mass MBD of about 16 Jupiter masses. The BD is the longest-period transiting substellar object ever characterized by means of RVs and the only one known to be coplanar with inner planets. The architecture of this system suggests that the SE was formed isolated and in the innermost region of the gaseous disk. On the other hand, the orbital configuration of the outer companions suggests a nearly in situ formation of both objects, with the WJ forming in a dense inner disk. Alternatively, the BD might have formed farther out and migrated inward, while increasing its eccentricity owing to interactions with the disk.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10586-5
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10586-5
期刊信息
Nature：《自然》，创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：69.504
官方网址：http://www.nature.com/
投稿链接：http://www.nature.com/authors/submit_manuscript.html