Start year
2013
Organizational Unit
Organizing institutions
Grants related:
General
Description
The search for life in the universe has been driven by recent discoveries of planets around other stars (known as exoplanets), becoming one of the most active fields in modern astrophysics. The growing number of new exoplanets discovered in recent years and the recent advance on the study of their atmospheres are not only providing new valuable information about its physical properties, but also allowing to constrain the properties of the Solar system's planets within a more global context. The field is approaching to the important discovery of the first potentially habitable planets and encouraging more detailed studies of them. With the launching of upcoming related satellites like JWST, CHEOPS, TESS, ARIEL and PLATO, the exoplanets field faces a bright future.
It is for this reason that this field is aid of, and at the same time promotes, the development of increasingly sensitive and stable instrumentation for both, ground-based telescopes and space missions. Our group is particularly prepared for these two fronts. On the one hand, during the last years we have developed observational and reduction techniques of exoplanet transits data for the ORM telescopes, ours being one of the most productive groups in the exploitation of GTC. On the other hand, all ESA space missions (present and future) related to exoplanets have one or more components of the project as CoIs. Within the frame of this project, we intend that IAC researchers maintain an advantageous position regarding the operation of OSIRIS and CanariCam, first light
GTC's instruments, and participate in the construction, commissioning and operation of new instruments such as the high resolution optical spectrograph HORUS at GTC. The exploitation of the photometry and spectroscopy of transits with LIRIS at WHT is also one of our principal interests, especially in preparation for the installation in 2015 of EMIR on the GTC .
To summarize, the project "Exoplanets and Astrobiology" will focus on these four action lines:
1) The characterization of atmospheric and physical properties of exoplanets (GTC, WHT, ARIEL, HARPSN, CARMENES, ESPRESSO, etc. ..)
2) The search and confirmation of exoplanets by transits techniques (CoRoT, Kepler, K2, CHEOPS, XO, LCOGT, W FC, DISH, etc. ..)
3) The search and confirmation of exoplanet by radial velocity techniques (HARPSN, HORUS, LCOGT, SONG, CARMENES)
4) Astrobiology
Members
Principal investigator
Enric
Pallé Bago
Project staff
Hans Jörg
Deeg Deeg
Nicolas Cédric
Lodieu
Javier Andrés
Licandro Goldaracena
Víctor Javier
Sánchez Bejar
Juan Antonio
Belmonte Avilés
Roi
Alonso Sobrino
Grzegorz
Nowak
Patricia
Chinchilla Gallego
A. L. Cabrera Lavers
Felipe Andrés
Murgas Alcaino
Hannu
Parviainen
Collaborators
Dr.
Paulo Miles Paez
Dr.
Maria Rosa Zapatero Osorio
Dr.
M. Mas Hesse
Dr.
M. Deleuil
Dr.
D. Gandolfi
Dr.
M. Fridlund
Dr.
L. Doyle
Dr.
H. Rauer
Dr.
J. Cabrera
Dr.
Sz. Csizmadia
Dr.
D. Pollacco
Dr.
A. Hatzes
Dr.
T. Mazeh
Dr.
T. Boyajian
Dr.
B. Tingley
Dr.
D. Martin
Dr.
A Triaud
Dr.
D. Fabrycky
Antonio Cabrera Lavers
Results
- Detection of He in the atmosphere of an exoplanet from the ground, published in Science
- Detection of a super-earth around Barnard star, published in Nature
- Detection of the first TESS planets, with several papers of high relevance
- Discovery of Na and Halpha features in the spectrum of KELT-20b with TNG
- Publication of the Handbook of Exoplanets, the most extensive work of reference in the field of exoplanets. The Handbook was edited by members of our group, and includes contributions by about 300 experts worldwide, including 12 members of IAC.
Scientific activity
Related publications
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The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Spectroscopic orbits of nine M-dwarf multiple systems, including two triples, two brown dwarf candidates, and one close M-dwarf-white dwarf binaryContext. M dwarfs are ideal targets for the search of Earth-size planets in the habitable zone using the radial velocity method, and are attracting the attention of many ongoing surveys. One of the expected results of these surveys is that new multiple-star systems have also been found. This is the case also for the CARMENES survey, thanks to whichBaroch, D. et al.
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Warm terrestrial planet with half the mass of Venus transiting a nearby starIn recent years, the advent of a new generation of radial velocity instruments has allowed us to detect planets with increasingly lower mass and to break the one Earth-mass barrier. Here we report a new milestone in this context by announcing the detection of the lowest-mass planet measured so far using radial velocities: L 98-59 b, a rocky planetDemangeon, O. D. S. et al.
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92021 -
Masses and compositions of three small planets orbiting the nearby M dwarf L231-32 (TOI-270) and the M dwarf radius valleyWe report on precise Doppler measurements of L231-32 (TOI-270), a nearby M dwarf (d = 22 pc, M ⋆ = 0.39 M ⊙, R ⋆ = 0.38 R ⊙), which hosts three transiting planets that were recently discovered using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The three planets are 1.2, 2.4, and 2.1 times the size of Earth and have orbital periods ofVan Eylen, V. et al.
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Giant white-light flares on fully convective stars occur at high latitudesWhite-light flares are magnetically driven localized brightenings on the surfaces of stars. Their temporal, spectral, and statistical properties present a treasury of physical information about stellar magnetic fields. The spatial distributions of magnetic spots and associated flaring regions help constrain dynamo theories. Moreover, flares areIlin, Ekaterina et al.
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TIC 454140642: A Compact, Coplanar, Quadruple-lined Quadruple Star System Consisting of Two Eclipsing BinariesWe report the discovery of a compact, coplanar, quadruple-lined, eclipsing quadruple star system from Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite data, TIC 454140642, also known as TYC 0074-01254-1. The target was first detected in Sector 5 with a 30-minute cadence in full-frame images and then observed in Sector 32 with a 2-minute cadence. The lightKostov, Veselin B. et al.
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Wide companions to M and L subdwarfs with Gaia and the Virtual ObservatoryAims: The aim of the project is to identify wide common proper motion companions to a sample of spectroscopically confirmed M and L metal-poor dwarfs (also known as subdwarfs) to investigate the impact of metallicity on the binary fraction of low-mass metal-poor binaries and to improve the determination of their metallicity from the higher-massGonzález-Payo, J. et al.
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The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Mapping stellar activity indicators across the M dwarf domainContext. Stellar activity poses one of the main obstacles for the detection and characterisation of small exoplanets around cool stars, as it can induce radial velocity (RV) signals that can hide or mimic the presence of planetary companions. Several indicators of stellar activity are routinely used to identify activity-related signals in RVs, butLafarga, M. et al.
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Exploiting timing capabilities of the CHEOPS mission with warm-Jupiter planetsWe present 17 transit light curves of seven known warm-Jupiters observed with the CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS). The light curves have been collected as part of the CHEOPS Guaranteed Time Observation (GTO) program that searches for transit-timing variation (TTV) of warm-Jupiters induced by a possible external perturber to shed lightBorsato, L. et al.
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A search for transiting planets around hot subdwarfs. I. Methods and performance tests on light curves from Kepler, K2, TESS, and CHEOPSContext. Hot subdwarfs experienced strong mass loss on the red giant branch (RGB) and are now hot and small He-burning objects. These stars constitute excellent opportunities for addressing the question of the evolution of exoplanetary systems directly after the RGB phase of evolution. Aims: In this project we aim to perform a transit survey in allVan Grootel, V. et al.
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Transit detection of the long-period volatile-rich super-Earth ν<SUP>2</SUP> Lupi d with CHEOPSExoplanets transiting bright nearby stars are key objects for advancing our knowledge of planetary formation and evolution. The wealth of photons from the host star gives detailed access to the atmospheric, interior and orbital properties of the planetary companions. ν 2 Lupi (HD 136352) is a naked-eye (V = 5.78) Sun-like star that was discoveredDelrez, Laetitia et al.
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TOI-1634 b: An Ultra-short-period Keystone Planet Sitting inside the M-dwarf Radius ValleyStudies of close-in planets orbiting M dwarfs have suggested that the M-dwarf radius valley may be well explained by distinct formation timescales between enveloped terrestrials and rocky planets that form at late times in a gas-depleted environment. This scenario is at odds with the picture that close-in rocky planets form with a primordialCloutier, Ryan et al.
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Simultaneous photometric and CARMENES spectroscopic monitoring of fast-rotating M dwarf GJ 3270. Discovery of a post-flare corotating featureContext. Active M dwarfs frequently exhibit large flares, which can pose an existential threat to the habitability of any planet in orbit in addition to making said planets more difficult to detect. M dwarfs do not lose angular momentum as easily as earlier-type stars, which maintain the high levels of stellar activity for far longer. StudyingJohnson, E. N. et al.
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HiPERCAM: a quintuple-beam, high-speed optical imager on the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio CanariasHiPERCAM is a portable, quintuple-beam optical imager that saw first light on the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) in 2018. The instrument uses re-imaging optics and four dichroic beamsplitters to record $u_{\rm s}\, g_{\rm s}\, r_{\rm s}\, i_{\rm s}\, z_{\rm s}$ (320-1060 nm) images simultaneously on its five CCD cameras, each of 3.1-arcminDhillon, V. S. et al.
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The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Two terrestrial planets orbiting G 264-012 and one terrestrial planet orbiting Gl 393We report the discovery of two planetary systems, namely G 264-012, an M 4.0 dwarf with two terrestrial planets (M b sin i=2.50 −0.30 +0.29 M ⊕ and M c sin i=3.75 −0.47 +0.48 M ⊕), and Gl 393, a bright M 2.0 dwarf with one terrestrial planet (M b sini = 1.71 ± 0.24M ⊕). Although both stars were proposed to belong to young stellar kinematic groupsAmado, P. J. et al.
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TOI-2076 and TOI-1807: Two Young, Comoving Planetary Systems within 50 pc Identified by TESS that are Ideal Candidates for Further Follow UpWe report the discovery of two planetary systems around comoving stars: TOI-2076 (TIC 27491137) and TOI-1807 (TIC 180695581). TOI-2076 is a nearby (41.9 pc) multiplanetary system orbiting a young (204 ± 50 Myr), bright (K = 7.115 in TIC v8.1) start. TOI-1807 hosts a single transiting planet and is similarly nearby (42.58 pc), similarly young (180 ±Hedges, Christina et al.
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The EBLM project - VIII. First results for M-dwarf mass, radius, and effective temperature measurements using CHEOPS light curvesThe accuracy of theoretical mass, radius, and effective temperature values for M-dwarf stars is an active topic of debate. Differences between observed and theoretical values have raised the possibility that current theoretical stellar structure and evolution models are inaccurate towards the low-mass end of the main sequence. To explore this issueSwayne, M. I. et al.
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Detection of Fe and evidence for TiO in the dayside emission spectrum of WASP-33bContext. Theoretical studies predict the presence of thermal inversions in the atmosphere of highly irradiated gas giant planets. Recent observations have identified these inversion layers. However, the role of different chemical species in their formation remains unclear. Aims: We search for the signature of the thermal inversion agents TiO and FeCont, D. et al.
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TOI-220 b: a warm sub-Neptune discovered by TESSIn this paper, we report the discovery of TOI-220 b, a new sub-Neptune detected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and confirmed by radial velocity follow-up observations with the HARPS spectrograph. Based on the combined analysis of TESS transit photometry and high precision radial velocity measurements, we estimate a planetaryHoyer, S. et al.
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TOI-269 b: an eccentric sub-Neptune transiting a M2 dwarf revisited with ExTrAWe present the confirmation of a new sub-Neptune close to the transition between super-Earths and sub-Neptunes transiting the M2 dwarf TOI-269 (TIC 220 479 565, V = 14.4 mag, J = 10.9 mag, R ⋆ = 0.40 R ⊙, M ⋆ = 0.39 M ⊙, d = 57 pc). The exoplanet candidate has been identified in multiple TESS sectors, and validated with high-precision spectroscopyCointepas, M. et al.
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Light-curve classification with recurrent neural networks for GOTO: dealing with imbalanced dataThe advent of wide-field sky surveys has led to the growth of transient and variable source discoveries. The data deluge produced by these surveys has necessitated the use of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) algorithms to sift through the vast incoming data stream. A problem that arises in real-world applications of learning algorithmsBurhanudin, U. F. et al.
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