Investigating the Origins of Hoptunes from Radial Velocity Data

Hoptunes are extrasolar planets that are similar in size to the Neptune in our solar system but are much closer to their host star, completing an orbit in 10 days or less. Their origin is not fully understood. A potential massive third body at a distance can lead to the migration of long-period planets to become much closer to the host star, and this high-eccentricity migration mechanism is one of the leading models to explain the origin of hot Jupiters. We investigate whether Hoptunes could share a similar origin by analyzing radial velocity data from multiple sources for a sample of 34 systems. We compare the distribution of the inferred linear trends in the radial velocity data with that of the hot Jupiters. Our comparisons suggest that Hoptune systems may share a similar dynamical origin as some hot Jupiters, e.g., through the gravitational effect of third bodies.