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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Two temperate Earth-mass planets orbiting the nearby star GJ 1002We report the discovery and characterisation of two Earth-mass planets orbiting in the habitable zone of the nearby M-dwarf GJ 1002 based on the analysis of the radial-velocity (RV) time series from the ESPRESSO and CARMENES spectrographs. The host star is the quiet M5.5 V star GJ 1002 (relatively faint in the optical, V ~ 13.8 mag, but brighter inSuárez Mascareño, A. et al.
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22023 -
Connecting photometric and spectroscopic granulation signals with CHEOPS and ESPRESSOContext. Stellar granulation generates fluctuations in photometric and spectroscopic data whose properties depend on the stellar type, composition, and evolutionary state. Characterizing granulation is key for understanding stellar atmospheres and detecting planets. Aims: We aim to detect the signatures of stellar granulation, link spectroscopicSulis, S. et al.
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22023 -
Examining the orbital decay targets KELT-9 b, KELT-16 b, and WASP-4b, and the transit-timing variations of HD 97658 bContext. Tidal orbital decay is suspected to occur for hot Jupiters in particular, with the only observationally confirmed case of this being WASP-12b. By examining this effect, information on the properties of the host star can be obtained using the so-called stellar modified tidal quality factor Q * ', which describes the efficiency with whichHarre, J. -V. et al.
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12023 -
TOI-969: a late-K dwarf with a hot mini-Neptune in the desert and an eccentric cold JupiterContext. The current architecture of a given multi-planetary system is a key fingerprint of its past formation and dynamical evolution history. Long-term follow-up observations are key to complete their picture. Aims: In this paper, we focus on the confirmation and characterization of the components of the TOI-969 planetary system, where TESSLillo-Box, J. et al.
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12023 -
Radial velocity confirmation of a hot super-Neptune discovered by TESS with a warm Saturn-mass companionWe report the discovery and confirmation of the planetary system TOI-1288. This late G dwarf harbours two planets: TOI-1288 b and TOI-1288 c. We combine TESS space-borne and ground-based transit photometry with HARPS-N and HIRES high-precision Doppler measurements, which we use to constrain the masses of both planets in the system and the radius ofKnudstrup, E. et al.
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32023 -
Identification of carbon dioxide in an exoplanet atmosphereCarbon dioxide (CO2) is a key chemical species that is found in a wide range of planetary atmospheres. In the context of exoplanets, CO2 is an indicator of the metal enrichment (that is, elements heavier than helium, also called ‘metallicity’)1–3 , and thus the formation processes of the primary atmospheres of hot gas giants4–6 . It is also one of
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92022 -
55 Cancri e's occultation captured with CHEOPSPast occultation and phase-curve observations of the ultra-short period super-Earth 55 Cnc e obtained at visible and infrared wavelengths have been challenging to reconcile with a planetary reflection and emission model. In this study, we analyse a set of 41 occultations obtained over a two-year timespan with the CHEOPS satellite. We report theDemory, B. -O. et al.
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12023 -
The EBLM project - IX. Five fully convective M-dwarfs, precisely measured with CHEOPS and TESS light curvesEclipsing binaries are important benchmark objects to test and calibrate stellar structure and evolution models. This is especially true for binaries with a fully convective M-dwarf component for which direct measurements of these stars' masses and radii are difficult using other techniques. Within the potential of M-dwarfs to be exoplanet hostSebastian, D. et al.
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32023 -
HD 191939 revisited: New and refined planet mass determinations, and a new planet in the habitable zoneHD 191939 (TOI-1339) is a nearby (d = 54 pc), bright (V = 9 mag), and inactive Sun-like star (G9 V) known to host a multi-planet transiting system. Ground-based spectroscopic observations confirmed the planetary nature of the three transiting sub-Neptunes (HD 191939 b, c, and d) originally detected by TESS and were used to measure the masses forOrell-Miquel, J. et al.
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12023 -
Self-supervised clustering on image-subtracted data with deep-embedded self-organizing mapDeveloping an effective automatic classifier to separate genuine sources from artifacts is essential for transient follow-ups in wide-field optical surveys. The identification of transient detections from the subtraction artifacts after the image differencing process is a key step in such classifiers, known as real-bogus classification problem. WeMong, Y. -L. et al.
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12023 -
Discovery of TOI-1260d and the characterization of the multiplanet systemWe report the discovery of a third planet transiting the star TOI-1260, previously known to host two transiting sub-Neptune planets with orbital periods of 3.127 and 7.493 d, respectively. The nature of the third transiting planet with a 16.6-d orbit is supported by ground-based follow-up observations, including time-series photometry, high-angularLam, K. W. F. et al.
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22023 -
HD 20329b: An ultra-short-period planet around a solar-type star found by TESSContext. Ultra-short-period (USP) planets are defined as planets with orbital periods shorter than one day. This type of planets is rare, highly irradiated, and interesting because their formation history is unknown. Aims: We aim to obtain precise mass and radius measurements to confirm the planetary nature of a USP candidate found by theLivingston, J. et al.
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122022 -
Characterization of the HD 108236 system with CHEOPS and TESS Confirmation of a fifth transiting planetContext. The HD 108236 system was first announced with the detection of four small planets based on TESS data. Shortly after, the transit of an additional planet with a period of 29.54 d was serendipitously detected by CHEOPS. In this way, HD 108236 (V = 9.2) became one of the brightest stars known to host five small transiting planets (R p < 3 R ⊕Hoyer, S. et al.
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122022 -
CHEOPS finds KELT-1b darker than expected in visible light. Discrepancy between the CHEOPS and TESS eclipse depthsRecent studies based on photometry from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) have suggested that the dayside of KELT-1b, a strongly irradiated brown dwarf, is significantly brighter in visible light than what would be expected based on Spitzer observations in the infrared. We observed eight eclipses of KELT-1b with CHaracterisingParviainen, H. et al.
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122022 -
Lower-than-expected flare temperatures for TRAPPIST-1Aims: Stellar flares emit thermal and nonthermal radiation in the X-ray and ultraviolet (UV) regime. Although high energetic radiation from flares is a potential threat to exoplanet atmospheres and may lead to surface sterilization, it might also provide the extra energy for low-mass stars needed to trigger and sustain prebiotic chemistry. DespiteMaas, A. J. et al.
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122022 -
Atmospheric characterization of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33b. Detection of Ti and V emission lines and retrieval of a broadened line profileUltra-hot Jupiters are highly irradiated gas giant exoplanets on close-in orbits around their host stars. The dayside atmospheres of these objects strongly emit thermal radiation due to their elevated temperatures, making them prime targets for characterization by emission spectroscopy. We analyzed high-resolution spectra from CARMENES, HARPS-NCont, D. et al.
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122022 -
A CHEOPS-enhanced view of the HD 3167 system,★Much remains to be understood about the nature of exoplanets smaller than Neptune, most of which have been discovered in compact multi-planet systems. With its inner ultra-short period planet b aligned with the star and two larger outer planets d-c on polar orbits, the multi-planet system HD 3167 features a peculiar architecture and offers theBourrier, V. et al.
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122022 -
Phase curve and geometric albedo of WASP-43b measured with CHEOPS, TESS, and HST WFC3/UVISContext. Observations of the phase curves and secondary eclipses of extrasolar planets provide a window onto the composition and thermal structure of the planetary atmospheres. For example, the photometric observations of secondary eclipses lead to the measurement of the planetary geometric albedo, A g, which is an indicator of the presence ofScandariato, G. et al.
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122022 -
Density, not radius, separates rocky and water-rich small planets orbiting M dwarf starsExoplanets smaller than Neptune are common around red dwarf stars (M dwarfs), with those that transit their host star constituting the bulk of known temperate worlds amenable for atmospheric characterization. We analyze the masses and radii of all known small transiting planets around M dwarfs, identifying three populations: rocky, water-rich, andLuque, Rafael et al.
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92022 -
TOI-3884 b: A rare 6-R<SUB>E</SUB> planet that transits a low-mass star with a giant and likely polar spotThe Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission identified a deep and asymmetric transit-like signal with a periodicity of 4.5 days orbiting the M4 dwarf star TOI-3884. The signal has been confirmed by follow-up observations collected by the ExTrA facility and Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope, which reveal that the transit is chromaticAlmenara, J. M. et al.
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