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
    Lightcurve analysis of near-Earth objects from the IMPACTON project: Evidence of binary systems and cohesion strength
    Rotations of asteroids have been set and altered by several processes since their formation. In the case of the near-Earth objects (NEOs), the rotational states...
  • Publication
    Lightcurve, Color and Phase Function Photometry of the OSIRIS-REx Target Asteroid (101955) Bennu
    The NASA OSIRIS-REx mission will retrieve a sample of the carbonaceous near-Earth Asteroid (101955) Bennu and return it to Earth in 2023. Photometry in the...
  • Publication
    Lightcurves of 6 Jupiter Trojan asteroids
    From the point of view of the intrinsic rotation, the Jupiter Trojans are not as well characterized as the main belt asteroids, primarily because the available...
  • Publication
    Limits on the Spin-Orbit Angle and Atmospheric Escape for the 22 Myr Old Planet AU Mic b
    We obtained spectra of the pre-main-sequence star AU Microscopii during a transit of its Neptune-sized planet to investigate its orbit and atmosphere. We used...
  • Publication
    Limits to the presence of transiting circumbinary planets in CoRoT Data
    Aims: During its flight phase, from 2007-2012, the CoRoT mission delivered light curves for over 2000 eclipsing binaries. Data from the Kepler mission have...
  • Publication
    Linear polarization of rapidly rotating ultracool dwarfs
    Aims: We aim to study the near-infrared linear polarization signal of rapidly rotating ultracool dwarfs with spectral types ranging from M7 through T2 and...
  • Publication
    Links between the dynamical evolution and the surface color of the Centaurs
    Context. The Centaurs are a transitional population of minor bodies of the solar system and the evolutionary link between the trans-Neptunian objects and the...
  • Publication
    Lithium in the Hyades L5 brown dwarf 2MASS J04183483+2131275
    Aims: From the luminosity, effective temperature and age of the Hyades brown dwarf 2MASS J04183483+2131275 (2M0418), substellar evolutionary models predict a...
  • Publication
    Liverpool telescope 2: a new robotic facility for rapid transient follow-up
    The Liverpool Telescope is one of the world's premier facilities for time domain astronomy. The time domain landscape is set to radically change in the coming...