{ "abstract": "High-resolution imaging is widely used to constrain false positive scenarios in exoplanet validation, but it is a finite follow-up resource that reaches only a subset of candidates, and its population-level impact on validation outcomes has not been quantified through controlled removal experiments. Using an automated pipeline built on TRICERATOPS , we compute the false positive probability (FPP) of 443 TESS planet candidates. For the 264 planet candidates with high-resolution imaging observations, we compute FPP with and without the corresponding contrast curves, allowing us to quantify the impact of the additional data. We find that 72% of 68 contrast-curve-bearing validated planets would fail validation without their adopted contrast curves. The fraction requiring imaging decreases with increasing planet size, from 100% below 1.7 R ⊕ to 33% above 4 R ⊕ : within our sample and TRICERATOPS -based analysis, the availability of high-resolution imaging directly limits the yield of small-planet validation and the supply of validated targets for atmospheric characterization. Our analysis statistically validates 64 new TESS planets with sizes spanning 0.94 to 7.83 R ⊕ across hosts of spectral types: M through F. Four of these are highly amenable to JWST observations based on the transmission and emission spectroscopy metrics, and each achieves validation only with its imaging constraint.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Holaxis", "California Institute of Technology", "Caltech/IPAC", "University of Kansas", "Bay Area Environmental Research Institute", "NASA Ames Research Center", "The University of Texas at Austin", "U.S. Naval Observatory", "NASA Goddard Space Flight Center", "Austin College", "Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)", "Université de Liège", "Massachusetts Institute of Technology", "Ankara University", "INAF—Brera Astronomical Observatory", "The University of Tokyo", "Cadi Ayyad University", "University of Rome “Tor Vergata,”", "INAF–Turin Astrophysical Observatory", "Gabriel Murawski Private Observatory", "American Association of Variable Star Observers", "Astrobiology Center", "Società Astronomica Lunae", "Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian", "Kotizarovci Observatory", "Hazelwood Observatory", "Chinese Academy of Sciences", "Union College" ], "article_type": null, "arxiv": null, "author_total": 41, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Michael Collier", "orcid": "0009-0005-8024-2206" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Steven Giacalone", "orcid": "0000-0002-8965-3969" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Brian Derfer", "orcid": "0009-0008-5186-5326" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "David R. Ciardi", "orcid": "0000-0002-5741-3047" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Catherine A. Clark", "orcid": "0000-0002-2361-5812" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Ian J. M. Crossfield", "orcid": "0000-0002-1835-1891" }, { "affs": [ 4, 5 ], "name": "Sarah Deveny", "orcid": "0009-0002-9833-0667" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Sergio B. Fajardo-Acosta", "orcid": "0000-0001-9309-0102" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Elise Furlan", "orcid": "0000-0001-9800-6248" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Emily A. Gilbert", "orcid": "0000-0002-0388-8004" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Steve B. Howell", "orcid": "0000-0002-2532-2853" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Adam L. Kraus", "orcid": "0000-0001-9811-568X" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Rachel A. Matson", "orcid": "0000-0001-7233-7508" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Joshua E. Schlieder", "orcid": "0000-0001-5347-7062" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Julian C. van Eyken", "orcid": "0000-0003-2192-5371" }, { "affs": [ 9 ], "name": "David Baker", "orcid": "0000-0002-2970-0532" }, { "affs": [ 10, 11, 12 ], "name": "Khalid Barkaoui", "orcid": "0000-0003-1464-9276" }, { "affs": [ 13 ], "name": "Özgür Baştürk", "orcid": "0000-0002-4746-0181" }, { "affs": [ 14 ], "name": "Mario Basilicata", "orcid": "0009-0007-3012-1072" }, { "affs": [ 15 ], "name": "Izuru Fukuda", "orcid": "0000-0002-9436-2891" }, { "affs": [ 15, 10 ], "name": "Akihiko Fukui", "orcid": "0000-0002-4909-5763" }, { "affs": [ 11, 16 ], "name": "Mourad Ghachoui", "orcid": "0000-0003-3986-0297" }, { "affs": [ 11 ], "name": "Michaël Gillon", "orcid": "0000-0003-1462-7739" }, { "affs": [ 11 ], "name": "Emmanuel Jehin", "orcid": "0000-0001-8923-488X" }, { "affs": [ 15 ], "name": "Jerome de Leon", "orcid": "0000-0002-6424-3410" }, { "affs": [ 17, 18 ], "name": "Luigi Mancini", "orcid": "0000-0002-9428-8732" }, { "affs": [ 17, 18 ], "name": "Francesca Manni", "orcid": "0009-0003-1841-7381" }, { "affs": [ 19 ], "name": "Gabriel Murawski", "orcid": "0000-0001-7809-1457" }, { "affs": [ 20 ], "name": "Bob Massey", "orcid": "0000-0001-8879-7138" }, { "affs": [ 18 ], "name": "Luca Naponiello", "orcid": "0000-0001-9390-0988" }, { "affs": [ 15, 10, 21 ], "name": "Norio Narita", "orcid": "0000-0001-8511-2981" }, { "affs": [ 20 ], "name": "Justus Randolph", "orcid": "0000-0001-6733-5380" }, { "affs": [ 22 ], "name": "Roberto Zambelli", "orcid": "0009-0009-0994-1767" }, { "affs": [ 23 ], "name": "Richard P. Schwarz", "orcid": "0000-0001-8227-1020" }, { "affs": [ 11 ], "name": "Abderahmane Soubkiou", "orcid": "0000-0002-0345-2147" }, { "affs": [ 24 ], "name": "Gregor Srdoc" }, { "affs": [ 25 ], "name": "Chris Stockdale", "orcid": "0000-0003-2163-1437" }, { "affs": [ 15 ], "name": "Toshi Suganuma", "orcid": "0009-0007-2926-1924" }, { "affs": [ 26 ], "name": "Jiaqi Wang", "orcid": "0000-0001-8665-4598" }, { "affs": [ 27 ], "name": "Francis P. Wilkin", "orcid": "0000-0003-2127-8952" }, { "affs": [ 13, 11 ], "name": "Selçuk Yalçınkaya", "orcid": "0000-0002-5224-247X" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ffw2cem9ydasj.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.3847/1538-3881/aea4aa", "fulltext_url": null, "id": "ffw2cem9ydasj", "issns": [ "0004-6256", "1538-3881" ], "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/aea4aa", "language": null, "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "3103|Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies" ] ], "openalex": "W7204169530", "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/aea4aa/pdf", "pmcid": null, "pmid": null, "published": "2026-10-05", "publisher": "American Astronomical Society", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ffw2cem9ydasj.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:14Z", "native_id": "10.3847/1538-3881/aea4aa", "source": "crossref", "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/aea4aa" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "astronomy", "origin": "openalex:3103|Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies", "subfield": "stellar" } ], "title": "Assessing the Impact of High-resolution Imaging on Statistical Validation of TESS Planet Candidates", "title_text": "Assessing the Impact of High-resolution Imaging on Statistical Validation of TESS Planet Candidates", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:14Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ffw2cem9ydasj", "venue": "The Astronomical Journal", "versions": [] }