Helio and Astero-Seismology and Exoplanets Search

    General
    Description

    The principal objectives of this project are: 1) to study the structure and dynamics of the solar interior, 2) to extend this study to other stars, 3) to search for extrasolar planets using photometric methods (primarily by transits of their host stars) and their characterization (using radial velocity information) and 4) the study of the planetary atmospheres.

    To reach our first objective, we use Global Helioseismology (analysis of the solar oscillation eigenmodes) and Local Helioseismology (that uses travel waves). Solar seismology allows to accurately infer information about the internal structure and dynamics of the Sun,. This project covers the various necessary aspects to attain the aforementioned objectives: instrumental, observational, reduction, analysis and interpretation of data and, finally, theoretical developments of inversion techniques and development of structure and evolution models.

    On the other hand, the Astroseismology aims to obtain a similar knowledge of other stars. Thanks to the huge number of stars observed by CoRoT, Kepler and TESS space missions it is possible to extract seismic global parameters of hundreds of stars; both solar type and red giants. Furthermore, the recent deployment and beginning of observations with the high precision spectrographs of the SONG (Stellar Observations Network Group) ground-based telescopes will substantially improve the characterization of the eigenmodes spectrum in bright stars.

    The strategy of using planetary transits to discover new planets around other stars consists of the photometric detection of the dimming of the light of the star when one of its planets passes, or ‘transits’ in front of it. Currently this method is the preferred one for the study of small planets, not only due to its sensitivity, but also because this method allows a more detailed investigation of the planets found (e.g. Planetary atmospheres). This technique is similar to the one that is used for helio- and asteroseismology and so some of its methods are a logical extension from that. However, it is also important to develop new algorithms and observing methods for the unequivocal detection and analysis of planets and to be able to distinguish them from false alarms.

    The current horizon for studies of exoplanets with space missions involves new missions, beginning with the launch of CHEOPS, followed by TESS, JWST and in 2026, PLATO. Thus, there is presently a window of opportunity for ground-based facilities, and we are pursuing observations using mainly TNG, NOT y GTC.

    Principal investigator

    Milestones

    1. Members of the team (P. G. Beck, H. Deeg, S. Mathur, F. H. Perez, C. Regulo) were involved in the discovery and characterization of a warm Saturn transiting a slightly evolved solar-like star (HD 89345) observed with the NASA K2 mission and confirmed with RV measurements. The seismic analysis of the star led to precise estimates of the stellar parameters.
    2. P.G.Beck lead two papers on binary systems hosting red-giant binaries, using asteroseismic techniques and data from the Kepler space telescope. Beck et al (2018a,b) allow a better understanding of the stellar structure of the stellar components, and the tidal interaction in binary systems. The internal mixing was investigated through measurements lithium.
    3. S. Mathur participated in the analysis of the first planet discovered with the NASA TESS mission, orbiting the star Pi Men. The seismic analysis led to a very marginal detection but gave a hint of the asteroseismic potential with the TESS data (Gandolfi et al. 2018).
    4. Project "Solar-SONG". For the first time, stellar instrumentation (SONG spectrograph) has been used to obtain precise measurements of the radial velocity of the Sun with high temporal cadence (4 sec.) and long duration (57 consecutive days) to allow the detailed study of the spectrum of oscillations ( p-modes) and obtain their global parameters
    5. The researchers Hans J. Deeg and Juan Antonio Belmonte coordinated the edition of the "Handbook of Exoplanets", four volumes with 160 articles by more than 300 specialists in exoplanetology. Three years of intensive work have resulted in a complete documentation on the state of the art of the studies of the planets beyond the Solar System.

    Related publications

    • Reliability of P mode event classification using contemporaneous BiSON and GOLF observations

      We carried out a comparison of the signals seen in contemporaneous BiSON and GOLF data sets. Both instruments perform Doppler shift velocity measurements in integrated sunlight, although BiSON perform measurements from the two wings of potassium absorption line and GOLF from one wing of the NaD1 line. Discrepancies between the two datasets have

      Simoniello, R. et al.

      Advertised on:

      10
      2008
      Citations
      0
    • Misaligned spin-orbit in the XO-3 planetary system?

      The transiting extrasolar planet XO-3b is remarkable, with a high mass and eccentric orbit. These unusual characteristics make it interesting to test whether its orbital plane is parallel to the equator of its host star, as it is observed for other transiting planets. We performed radial velocity measurements of XO-3 with the SOPHIE spectrograph at

      Hébrard, G. et al.

      Advertised on:

      9
      2008
      Citations
      188
    • Helioseismology program for the PICARD satellite

      The PICARD mission is a CNES micro-satellite to be launched in 2009. Its goal is to better understand the Sun and the potential impact of its activity on earth climate by measuring simultaneously the solar total and spectral irradiance, diameter, shape and oscillations. We present the scientific objectives, instrumental requirements and data

      Corbard, T. et al.

      Advertised on:

      6
      2008
      Citations
      6
    • T-Lyr1-17236: A Long-Period Low-Mass Eclipsing Binary

      We describe the discovery of a 0.68+0.52 Msolar eclipsing binary (EB) with an 8.4 day orbital period, found through a systematic search of 10 fields of the Trans-atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES). Such long-period low-mass EBs constitute critical test cases for resolving the long-standing discrepancy between the theoretical and observational mass

      Devor, Jonathan et al.

      Advertised on:

      11
      2008
      Citations
      29
    • Measurement of Low Signal-To-Noise Ratio Solar p-Modes in Spatially Resolved Helioseismic Data

      We present an adaptation of the rotation-corrected, m-averaged spectrum technique designed to observe low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), low-frequency solar p-modes. The frequency shift of each of the 2l + 1 m spectra of a given (n, l) multiplet is chosen that maximizes the likelihood of the m-averaged spectrum. A high S/N can result from combining

      Salabert, D. et al.

      Advertised on:

      5
      2009
      Citations
      18
    • A Stellar Model-fitting Pipeline for Asteroseismic Data from the Kepler Mission

      Over the past two decades, helioseismology has revolutionized our understanding of the interior structure and dynamics of the Sun. Asteroseismology will soon place this knowledge into a broader context by providing structural data for hundreds of Sun-like stars. Solar-like oscillations have already been detected from the ground in several stars

      Metcalfe, T. S. et al.

      Advertised on:

      7
      2009
      Citations
      93
    • A semi-automatic procedure for abundance determination of A- and F-type stars

      A variety of physical processes leading to different types of pulsations and chemical compositions are observed between A- and F-type stars. To investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for these processes in stars with similar locations in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, an accurate abundance determination is needed, among others. Here

      Hekker, S. et al.

      Advertised on:

      7
      2009
      Citations
      4
    • Turbulent eddy-time-correlation in the solar convective zone

      Theoretical modeling of the driving processes of solar-like oscillations is a powerful way of understanding the properties of the convective zones of solar-type stars. In this framework, the description of the temporal correlation between turbulent eddies is an essential ingredient to model mode amplitudes. However, there is a debate between a

      Belkacem, K. et al.

      Advertised on:

      11
      2010
      Citations
      11
    • A Seismic Signature of a Second Dynamo?

      The Sun is a variable star whose magnetic activity varies most perceptibly on a timescale of approximately 11 years. However, significant variation is also observed on much shorter timescales. We observe a quasi-biennial (2 year) signal in the natural oscillation frequencies of the Sun. The oscillation frequencies are sensitive probes of the solar

      Fletcher, Stephen T. et al.

      Advertised on:

      7
      2010
      Citations
      112
    • Seismic signatures of stellar cores of solar-like pulsators: Dependence on mass and age

      Useful information from the inner layers of stellar pulsators may be derived from the study of their oscillations. In this paper we analyse three diagnostic tools suggested in the literature built from the oscillation frequencies computed for a set of main sequence models with masses between 1.0 M&sun; and 1.6 M&sun;, to check what information they

      Brandão, I. M. et al.

      Advertised on:

      12
      2010
      Citations
      10
    • Mode visibilities in radial velocity and photometric Sun-as-a-star helioseismic observations

      We analyze more than 5000 days of high-quality Sun-as-a-star, radial velocity GOLF and photometric VIRGO/SPM helioseismic observations to extract precise estimates of the visibilities of the low-degree p modes and the m-height ratios of the l = 2 and 3 multiplets in the solar acoustic spectrum. The mode visibilities are shown to be larger during

      Salabert, D. et al.

      Advertised on:

      4
      2011
      Citations
      18
    • Search for radial velocity variations in eight M-dwarfs with NIRSPEC/Keck II

      Context. Radial velocity (RV) measurements from near-infrared spectra have become a potentially powerful tool to search for planets around cool stars and sub-stellar objects. As part of a large survey to characterize M-dwarfs using NIRSPEC at Keck II, we obtained spectra of eight late M-dwarfs (spectral types M5.0-M8.0) during two or more observing

      Rodler, F. et al.

      Advertised on:

      2
      2012
      Citations
      19
    • The quest for the solar g modes

      Solar gravity modes (or g modes)—oscillations of the solar interior on which buoyancy acts as the restoring force—have the potential to provide unprecedented inference on the structure and dynamics of the solar core, inference that is not possible with the well-observed acoustic modes (or p modes). The relative high amplitude of the g-mode

      Appourchaux, T. et al.

      Advertised on:

      2
      2010
      Citations
      102
    • The quasi-biennial periodicity (QBP) in velocity and intensity helioseismic observations. The seismic QBP over solar cycle 23

      Aims: We looked for signatures of quasi-biennial periodicity (QBP) over different phases of solar cycle by means of acoustic modes of oscillation. Low-degree p-mode frequencies are shown to be sensitive to changes in magnetic activity due to the global dynamo. Recently there has been reported evidence of two-year variations in p-mode frequencies

      Simoniello, R. et al.

      Advertised on:

      3
      2012
      Citations
      35
    • On the Solar Origin of the Signal at 220.7 μHz: A Possible Component of a g-Mode?

      Gravity modes in the Sun have been the object of a long and difficult search in recent decades. Thanks to the data accumulated with the last generation of instruments (BiSON, GONG, and three helioseismic instruments aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)), scientists have been able to find signatures of their presence. However, the

      Jiménez, A. et al.

      Advertised on:

      10
      2009
      Citations
      17
    • Acoustic power absorption and enhancement generated by slow and fast MHD waves. Evidence of solar cycle velocity/intensity amplitude changes consistent with the mode conversion theory

      We used long duration, high quality, unresolved (Sun-as-a star) observations collected by the ground based network BiSON and by the instruments GOLF and VIRGO on board the ESA/NASA SOHO satellite to search for solar-cycle-related changes in mode characteristics in velocity and continuum intensity for the frequency range between 2.5 mHz

      Simoniello, R. et al.

      Advertised on:

      6
      2010
      Citations
      11
    • Doppler tomography of transiting exoplanets: a prograde, low-inclined orbit for the hot Jupiter CoRoT-11b

      We report the detection of the Doppler shadow of the transiting hot Jupiter CoRoT-11b. Our analysis is based on line-profile tomography of time-series, Keck/HIRES high-resolution spectra acquired during the transit of the planet. We measured a sky-projected, spin-orbit angle λ = 0.1° ± 2.6°, which is consistent with a very low-inclined orbit with

      Gandolfi, D. et al.

      Advertised on:

      7
      2012
      Citations
      36
    • Characterization of the HD 17156 planetary system

      Aims: We present data to improve the known parameters of the HD 17156 system (peculiar due to the eccentricity and long orbital period of its transiting planet) and constrain the presence of stellar companions. Methods: Photometric data were acquired for 4 transits, and high precision radial velocity measurements were simultaneously acquired with

      Barbieri, M. et al.

      Advertised on:

      8
      2009
      Citations
      36
    • Absolute parameters of the Algol binary Z Vul

      Spectra in the wavelength range 4230-9150 Å and the first light curves of Z Vul in the infrared J, H and K bands are presented. Our infrared JHK light curves and radial velocities, together with published radial velocity and UBV data are analyzed in order to determine a new set of stellar parameters. This allows us to determine new absolute

      Lazaro, C. et al.

      Advertised on:

      8
      2009
      Citations
      10
    • The impact of seismicity on high angular resolution astronomy: the case of El Teide Observatory, Canary Islands

      Seismicity induces ground vertical and horizontal displacements that could affect the image quality obtained by telescopes in a similar fashion than atmospheric turbulence. In this work, we study the effect of local seismicity relative to atmospheric turbulence upon the image quality of astronomical observations at El Teide observatory, Canary

      Eff-Darwich, Antonio et al.

      Advertised on:

      8
      2008
      Citations
      1

    Related talks

    No related talks were found.

    Related conferences

    No related conferences were found.