Lines of research: Exoplanetary Systems & Solar System (SEYSS)

Exoplanetary Systems & Solar System (SEYSS)

The area of planetary and solar systems involves several research groups working on Exoplanets, Solar System and Cultural Astronomy. Our main objectives are:

  • The detection and characterization of giant and rocky planets around nearby stars using the most advanced instruments (CARMENES, ESPRESSO, HARPS Norte y Sur, SONG, LCO, MUSCAT2) and space missions (CoRoT, Kepler K2, CHEOPS, TESS and PLATO). The group is particularly interested in the study of terrestrial planets in the habitable zone of their host stars where water can be in liquid form.
  • The characterization of the atmospheres of planets to know their structure and composition, both by transits and direct imaging, using ground-based telescopes such as GTC and space missions such as CHEOPS.
  • Investigate the formation of exoplanet systems by studying the chemical composition of planet host stars, and the dynamical evolution of exoplanets at their early stages of formation.
  • Study the physical properties of different families of minor bodies of the Solar System (asteroids, comets, trans-neptunian objects, etc.) to understand the origin and evolution of Solar System with GTC and space missions such as OSIRIS-REx.
  • The study of ancient cosmologies through cultural astronomy and the defense of cultural heritage through the astronomy.
  • Publication
    The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Mapping stellar activity indicators across the M dwarf domain
    Context. Stellar activity poses one of the main obstacles for the detection and characterisation of small exoplanets around cool stars, as it can induce radial...
  • Publication
    The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Measuring precise radial velocities in the near infrared: The example of the super-Earth CD Cet b
    The high-resolution, dual channel, visible and near-infrared spectrograph CARMENES offers exciting opportunities for stellar and exoplanetary research on M...
  • Publication
    The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Nine new double-line spectroscopic binary stars
    Context. The CARMENES spectrograph is surveying ˜300 M dwarf stars in search for exoplanets. Among the target stars, spectroscopic binary systems have been...
  • Publication
    The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. No evidence for a super-Earth in a 2-day orbit around GJ 1151
    Context. The interaction between Earth-like exoplanets and the magnetic field of low-mass host stars are considered to produce weak emission signals at radio...
  • Publication
    The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Not-so-fine hyperfine-split vanadium lines in cool star spectra
    Context. M-dwarf spectra are complex and notoriously difficult to model, posing challenges to understanding their photospheric properties and compositions in...
  • Publication
    The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Period search in Hα, Na I D, and Ca II IRT lines
    We use spectra from CARMENES, the Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exo-earths with Near-infrared and optical Echelle Spectrographs, to search...
  • Publication
    The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Photospheric parameters of target stars from high-resolution spectroscopy
    Context. The new CARMENES instrument comprises two high-resolution and high-stability spectrographs that are used to search for habitable planets around M...
  • Publication
    The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Photospheric parameters of target stars from high-resolution spectroscopy. II. Simultaneous multiwavelength range modeling of activity insensitive lines
    We present precise photospheric parameters of 282 M dwarfs determined from fitting the most recent version of PHOENIX models to high-resolution CARMENES spectra...
  • Publication
    The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Planet occurrence rates from a subsample of 71 stars
    Context. The CARMENES exoplanet survey of M dwarfs has obtained more than 18 000 spectra of 329 nearby M dwarfs over the past five years as part of its...