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
    CHEOPS observations of the HD 108236 planetary system: a fifth planet, improved ephemerides, and planetary radii
    Context. The detection of a super-Earth and three mini-Neptunes transiting the bright (V = 9.2 mag) star HD 108236 (also known as TOI-1233) was recently...
  • Publication
    CHEOPS precision phase curve of the Super-Earth 55 Cancri e
    Context. 55 Cnc e is a transiting super-Earth (radius 1.88 R ⊕ and mass 8 M ⊕) orbiting a G8V host star on a 17-h orbit. Spitzer observations of the planet's...
  • News
    CHEOPS unexpectedly detects a unique exoplanet
    The exoplanet satellite hunter CHEOPS of the European Space Agency (ESA), in which the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) is participating along with...
  • Conference
    China-Spain collaboration on astronomical high-resolution spectroscopy
    Conference organized by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) , in collaboration with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) and the National Astronomical...
  • Publication
    Circumstellar effects on the Rb abundances in O-rich AGB stars
    For the first time we explore the circumstellar effects on the Rb (and Zr) abundance determination in O-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars by considering...
  • Publication
    Clear Evidence for the Presence of Second-generation Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars in Metal-poor Galactic Globular Clusters
    Galactic globular clusters (GCs) are known to host multiple stellar populations: a first generation (FG) with a chemical pattern typical of halo field stars and...
  • Publication
    Close Binary Companions to APOGEE DR16 Stars: 20,000 Binary-star Systems Across the Color-Magnitude Diagram
    Many problems in contemporary astrophysics—from understanding the formation of black holes to untangling the chemical evolution of galaxies—rely on knowledge...
  • Publication
    CNO Abundances of Hydrogen-Deficient Carbon and R Coronae Borealis Stars: A View of the Nucleosynthesis in a White Dwarf Merger
    We present high-resolution (R ~ 50, 000) observations of near-IR transitions of CO and CN of the five known hydrogen-deficient carbon (HdC) stars and four R...
  • News
    Collision of C-type Ryugu’s parent body with a rocky object
    Hayabusa2’s optical navigation camera (ONC) found many anomalously bright boulders on the dark surface of the carbonaceous (or C-type) asteroid Ryugu...