ExoEcho: Exoplanet Ephemerides Change Observations. III. A JWST Survey for Transit Timing Variations of 37 Exoplanets

Abstract

Transit timing variations (TTVs) provide a powerful probe of planetary dynamics and orbital evolution. We extend the ExoEcho project by incorporating James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) transit observations and analyze 84 light curves of 37 exoplanets, including 20 hot Jupiters, 11 Neptune-like planets, and 6 super-Earths. We derive updated transit ephemerides and conduct a systematic search for long-term and periodic TTV signals. We identify two strong TTV candidates, including HATS-6~b and HAT-P-18~b. The hot Jupiter HATS-6~b exhibits a long-term trend with $\dot{P}=230.5\pm 46.8\mathrm{ms}\mathrm{y}{\mathrm{r}}^{-1}$, potentially driven by tidal interactions with its host star. In addition, the Neptune-like planet HAT-P-18~b shows periodic TTV signal with amplitude of $92.9\pm 13.7$~s. We also show that the previously claimed positive period derivative in WASP-121~b is inconsistent with our new transit timing data. Although continued monitoring is required to confirm these findings, our results demonstrate the potential of JWST for high-precision transit timing and extend TTV studies beyond the traditional hot-Jupiter population to lower-mass exoplanets.

arXiv commentPublished in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (ApJS)

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