WASP-14b: 7.3 MJ transiting planet in an eccentric orbit

We report the discovery of a 7.3 M_J exoplanet WASP-14b, one of the most massive transiting exoplanets observed to date. The planet orbits the 10th-magnitude F5V star USNO-B111118-0262485 with a period of 2.243752 d and orbital eccentricity e = 0.09. A simultaneous fit of the transit light curve and radial velocity measurements yields a planetary mass of 7.3 +/- 0.5 M_J and a radius of 1.28 +/- 0.08 R_J. This leads to a mean density of about 4.6 gcm^-3 making it the densest transiting exoplanets yet found at an orbital period less than 3 d. We estimate this system to be at a distance of 160 +/- 20 pc. Spectral analysis of the host star reveals a temperature of 6475 +/- 100 K, logg = 4.07 cms^-2 and v sini = 4.9 +/- 1.0 kms^-1, and also a high lithium abundance, logN(Li) = 2.84 +/- 0.05. The stellar density, effective temperature and rotation rate suggest an age for the system of about 0.5-1.0 Gyr.