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
    A pristine record of outer Solar System materials from asteroid Ryugu's returned sample
    Volatile and organic-rich C-type asteroids may have been one of the main sources of Earth's water. Our best insight into their chemistry is currently provided...
  • Publication
    A puffy polar planet. The low density, hot Jupiter TOI-640 b is on a polar orbit
    TOI-640 b is a hot, puffy Jupiter with a mass of 0.57 ± 0.02 M J and radius of 1.72 ± 0.05 R J, orbiting a slightly evolved F-type star with a separation of 6...
  • Publication
    A quarter century of spectroscopic monitoring of the nearby M dwarf Gl 514. A super-Earth on an eccentric orbit moving in and out of the habitable zone
    Context. Statistical analyses based on Kepler data show that most of the early-type M dwarfs host multi-planet systems consisting of Earth- to sub-Neptune-sized...
  • Publication
    A Radial Velocity Study of the Planetary System of π Mensae: Improved Planet Parameters for π Mensae c and a Third Planet on a 125 Day Orbit
    π Men hosts a transiting planet detected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite space mission and an outer planet in a 5.7 yr orbit discovered by radial...
  • Publication
    A resonant sextuplet of sub-Neptunes transiting the bright star HD 110067
    Planets with radii between that of the Earth and Neptune (hereafter referred to as `sub-Neptunes') are found in close-in orbits around more than half of all Sun...
  • Publication
    A Reverse Shock in GRB 181201A
    We present comprehensive multiwavelength radio to X-ray observations of GRB 181201A spanning from ≈150 s to ≈163 days after the burst, comprising the first...
  • Publication
    A review of planetary systems around HD 99492, HD 147379, and HD 190007 with HARPS-N
    Context. The Rocky Planet Search (RPS) program is dedicated to a blind radial velocity (RV) search of planets around bright stars in the northern hemisphere...
  • Publication
    A search for diffuse bands in fullerene planetary nebulae: evidence of diffuse circumstellar bands
    Large fullerenes and fullerene-based molecules have been proposed as carriers of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). The recent detection of the most common...
  • Publication
    A search for diffuse bands in the circumstellar envelopes of post-AGB stars
    In this work we present the results of a systematic search for diffuse bands (DBs, hereafter) in the circumstellar envelopes of a carefully selected sample of...