Searching for hot water world candidates with CHEOPS: II. A low-density super-Earth orbiting the K dwarf TOI-2211

arXiv:2610.08922 · astro-ph.EP · Submitted 2026-10-06 · Read on arXiv

astro-ph.EP

Submitted: 2026-10-06

Updated: 2026-10-06

Comments: 19 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The gist: Small exoplanets on close-in orbits are exposed to high levels of stellar irradiation, which can effectively remove low-mass primordial H/He envelopes through atmospheric escape.

Abstract

Small exoplanets on close-in orbits are exposed to high levels of stellar irradiation, which can effectively remove low-mass primordial H/He envelopes through atmospheric escape. Under these conditions, planets whose masses and radii are incompatible with both bare rocky interiors and extended H-dominated atmospheres are therefore expected to host high mean molecular weight atmospheres, making them promising candidates for volatile-rich hot water worlds. We present the first detailed characterisation of the low-density super-Earth TOI-2211 b (P 3.09 d), a recently validated transiting planet orbiting a K type star (G mag: 9.1). Combining TESS and CHEOPS photometry with radial velocity measurements from HARPS, ESPRESSO, and KPF, we precisely constrain the planet's radius and mass to 1.457 plus or minus 0.047 R and 2.69 plus or minus 0.56 M. We also identify an outer, non-transiting planetary candidate (P 15.6 d, Msin(i) = 8.53 plus or minus 1.04 M) in the radial velocity data. We investigate the internal structure of the transiting planet and assess the stability of the inferred volatile envelopes through a detailed evaporation analysis, thereby identifying TOI-2211 b as a promising hot water world candidate. TOI-2211 b therefore joins the small but growing sample of these close-in low-density super-Earths, which represent particularly interesting targets for testing current planet formation and evolution theories. Additionally, we investigate the full architecture of the planetary system using a generative model of planet formation and evolution, with the resulting posterior distributions showing a clear over-density consistent with the observed orbital period and minimal mass of the non-transiting planetary candidate identified in the radial velocity data.

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