The Short-Period Planetary Population of A Stars with TESS

TESS’ all-sky survey enables studies of the demographics of exoplanets around stars too rare to have been observed in significant numbers by previous missions, or which were simply ignored by earlier observations. One such class is main sequence A stars, which are relatively rare and were mostly avoided by Kepler. Measuring the occurrence rate of short-period planets around these stars will inform our knowledge of planet formation and migration. Protoplanetary disks around A stars are more massive, shorter-lived, and have larger dust sublimation radii than those around FGKM stars. By comparing the short-period planetary population of A-type stars to those around FGKM stars, we can better understand the effects of these protoplanetary disk properties upon planet formation and migration. I will present updated results on the planetary occurrence rate for A stars from TESS, utilizing a targeted survey of a sample of low-contamination A stars to search for hot and warm Neptunes. Initial results suggest a much lower occurrence rate than for lower-mass stars. I will highlight the particular challenges of confirming or validating these planets, including the rapid rotation and high stellar multiplicity of these stars. Finally, I will discuss the consequences of these results for planet formation theory.