Transiting Jupiters around M Dwarfs Have Similar Masses to FGK Warm Jupiters

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the bulk properties (mass and radius) of transiting giant planets (≳8R ⊕) orbiting FGKM stars. Our findings suggest that the average mass of M-dwarf Jupiters is lower than that of their solar-type counterparts, primarily due to the scarcity of super-Jupiters (≳2 M J) around M dwarfs. However, when super-Jupiters are excluded from the analysis, we observe a striking similarity in the average masses of M-dwarf and FGK warm-Jupiters. We propose that these trends can be explained by a minimum disk dust mass threshold required for Jovian formation through core accretion, which is likely to be satisfied more often around higher-mass stars. This simplistic explanation suggests that the disk mass has more of an influence on giant planet formation than other factors, such as the host star mass, formation location, metallicity, radiation environment, etc., and also accounts for the lower occurrence of giant planets around M-dwarf stars. Additionally, we explore the possibility of an abrupt transition in the ratio of super-Jupiters to Jupiters around F-type stars at the Kraft break, which could be a product of vsini-related detection biases, but requires additional data from an unbiased sample with published nondetections to confirm. Overall, our results provide valuable insights into the formation and evolution of giant exoplanets across a diverse range of stellar environments.