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
    CARMENES input catalogue of M dwarfs. II. High-resolution imaging with FastCam
    Aims: We search for low-mass companions of M dwarfs and characterize their multiplicity fraction with the purpose of helping in the selection of the most...
  • Publication
    CARMENES input catalogue of M dwarfs. IV. New rotation periods from photometric time series
    Aims: The main goal of this work is to measure rotation periods of the M-type dwarf stars being observed by the CARMENES exoplanet survey to help distinguish...
  • News
    CARMENES project boosts the number of known planets in the solar neighbourhood
    20,000 observations from the Calar Alto telescope in Spain are made public, and have led to the discovery of 59 planets, some of them potentially habitable. The...
  • Publication
    CARMENES: high-resolution spectra and precise radial velocities in the red and infrared
    The design and construction of CARMENES has been presented at previous SPIE conferences. It is a next-generation radial-velocity instrument at the 3.5m...
  • Publication
    CASTAway: An asteroid main belt tour and survey
    CASTAway is a mission concept to explore our Solar System's main asteroid belt. Asteroids and comets provide a window into the formation and evolution of our...
  • Publication
    Catalog of Planetary Nebulae Detected by GALEX and Corollary Optical Surveys
    Planetary nebulae (PNs) consist of an ionized envelope surrounding a hot central star (CSPN) that emits mostly at ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths. UV observations...
  • Grant
    Catalogue of open clusters with physical parameters from the Gaia mission
    Open clusters are groups of stars, from a few hundreds to several thousands of stars, which have formed from the same molecular cloud. They represent very...
  • Publication
    Characterisation of the new target of the NASA Lucy mission: Asteroid 152830 Dinkinesh (1999 VD57)
    Context. The NASA Lucy mission is designed to collect data that will be used to study the very interesting population of Jupiter Trojans, which are considered...
  • Publication
    Characterisation of the upper atmospheres of HAT-P-32 b, WASP-69 b, GJ 1214 b, and WASP-76 b through their He I triplet absorption
    Characterisation of atmospheres undergoing photo-evaporation is key to understanding the formation, evolution, and diversity of planets. However, only a few...