Planetary Companions to Evolved Intermediate-Mass Stars: 14 Andromedae, 81 Ceti, 6 Lyncis, and HD167042

We report on the detection of four extrasolar planets orbiting evolved intermediate-mass stars from a precise Doppler survey of G-K giants at Okayama Astrophysical Observatory. All of the host stars are considered to be formerly early F-type or A-type dwarfs when they were on the main sequence. 14 And (K0 III) is a clump giant with a mass of 2.2 M_odot and has a planet of minimum mass m₂ sin i = 4.8 M_J in a nearly circular orbit with a 186d period. This is one of the innermost planets around evolved intermediate-mass stars, and such planets have only been discovered in clump giants. 81 Cet (G5 III) is a clump giant with 2.4 M_odot hosting a planet of m₂ sin i = 5.3 M_J in a 953d orbit with an eccentricity of e = 0.21. 6 Lyn (K0 IV) is a less-evolved subgiant with 1.7 M_odot, and has a planet of m₂ sin i = 2.4 M_J in a 899d orbit with e = 0.13. HD167042 (K1 IV) is also a less-evolved star with 1.5 M_odot hosting a planet of m₂ sin i = 1.6 M_J in a 418d orbit with e = 0.10. This planet was independently announced by Johnson et al. (2008, ApJ, 675, 784). All of the host stars have solar or sub-solar metallicity, which supports the lack of a metal-rich tendency in planet-harboring giants in contrast to the case of dwarfs.