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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Atmospheric Rossiter-McLaughlin effect and transmission spectroscopy of WASP-121b with ESPRESSOContext. Ultra-hot Jupiters are excellent laboratories for the study of exoplanetary atmospheres. WASP-121b is one of the most studied; many recent analyses of its atmosphere report interesting features at different wavelength ranges. Aims: In this paper we analyze one transit of WASP-121b acquired with the high-resolution spectrograph ESPRESSO atBorsa, F. et al.
Advertised on:
12021 -
An enhanced slope in the transmission spectrum of the hot Jupiter WASP-104bWe present the optical transmission spectrum of the hot Jupiter WASP-104b based on one transit observed by the blue and red channels of the Double Spectrograph (DBSP) at the Palomar 200-inch telescope and 14 transits observed by the MuSCAT2 four-channel imager at the 1.52-m Telescopio Carlos Sánchez. We also analyse 45 additional K2 transits, afterChen, G. et al.
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12021 -
TOI-519 b: A short-period substellar object around an M dwarf validated using multicolour photometry and phase curve analysisContext. We report the discovery of TOI-519 b (TIC 218795833), a transiting substellar object (R = 1.07 R Jup) orbiting a faint M dwarf (V = 17.35) on a 1.26 d orbit. Brown dwarfs and massive planets orbiting M dwarfs on short-period orbits are rare, but more have already been discovered than expected from planet formation models. TOI-519 is aParviainen, H. et al.
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12021 -
Vetting of 384 TESS Objects of Interest with TRICERATOPS and Statistical Validation of 12 Planet CandidatesWe present TRICERATOPS, a new Bayesian tool that can be used to vet and validate TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs). We test the tool on 68 TOIs that have been previously confirmed as planets or rejected as astrophysical false positives. By looking in the false-positive probability (FPP)-nearby false-positive probability (NFPP) plane, we defineGiacalone, Steven et al.
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12021 -
Maintaining the Ephemeris of 20 CoRoT Planets: Transit Minimum Times and Potential Transit Timing VariationsWe present 33 transit minimum times of 20 transiting planets discovered by the CoRoT space mission. These have been obtained from ground-based observations since the missionís end in 2012, with the objective to maintain the ephemeris of these planets and to identify potential transit time variations. Twelve of the observed planets are in the CoRoTDeeg, H. J. et al.
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122020 -
WASP-127b: a misaligned planet with a partly cloudy atmosphere and tenuous sodium signature seen by ESPRESSOContext. The study of exoplanet atmospheres is essential for understanding the formation, evolution, and composition of exoplanets. The transmission spectroscopy technique is playing a significant role in this domain. In particular, the combination of state-of-the-art spectrographs at low- and high-spectral resolution is key to our understanding ofAllart, R. et al.
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122020 -
The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. LP 714-47 b (TOI 442.01): populating the Neptune desertWe report the discovery of a Neptune-like planet (LP 714-47 b, P = 4.05204 d, m b = 30.8 ± 1.5M ⊕, R b = 4.7 ± 0.3 R ⊕) located in the "hot Neptune desert". Confirmation of the TESS Object of Interest (TOI 442.01) was achieved with radial-velocity follow-up using CARMENES, ESPRESSO, HIRES, iSHELL, and PFS, as well as from photometric data usingDreizler, S. et al.
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122020 -
Broadband transmission spectroscopy of HD 209458b with ESPRESSO: evidence for Na, TiO, or bothContext. The detection and characterization of exoplanet atmospheres is currently one of the main drivers pushing the development of new observing facilities. In this context, high-resolution spectrographs are proving their potential and showing that high-resolution spectroscopy will be paramount in this field. Aims: We aim to make use of ESPRESSOSantos, N. C. et al.
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122020 -
The widest broadband transmission spectrum (0.38-1.71 μm) of HD 189733b from ground-based chromatic Rossiter-McLaughlin observationsMultiband photometric transit observations (spectro-photometric) have been used mostly so far to retrieve broadband transmission spectra of transiting exoplanets in order to study their atmospheres. An alternative method was proposed, and has only been used once, to recover broadband transmission spectra using chromatic Rossiter-McLaughlinOshagh, M. et al.
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112020 -
Going back to basics: accelerating exoplanet transit modelling using Taylor-series expansion of the orbital motionA significant fraction of an exoplanet transit model evaluation time is spent calculating projected distances between the planet and its host star. This is a relatively fast operation for a circular orbit, but slower for an eccentric one. However, because the planet's position and its time derivatives are constant for any specific point in orbitalParviainen, H. et al.
Advertised on:
92020 -
Machine learning for transient recognition in difference imaging with minimum sampling effortThe amount of observational data produced by time-domain astronomy is exponentially increasing. Human inspection alone is not an effective way to identify genuine transients from the data. An automatic real-bogus classifier is needed and machine learning techniques are commonly used to achieve this goal. Building a training set with a sufficientlyMong, Y. -L. et al.
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102020 -
The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Rubidium abundances in nearby cool starsDue to their ubiquity and very long main-sequence lifetimes, abundance determinations in M dwarfs provide a powerful and alternative tool to GK dwarfs to study the formation and chemical enrichment history of our Galaxy. In this study, abundances of the neutron-capture elements Rb, Sr, and Zr are derived, for the first time, in a sample of nearby MAbia, C. et al.
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102020 -
The hot dayside and asymmetric transit of WASP-189 b seen by CHEOPSThe CHEOPS space mission dedicated to exoplanet follow-up was launched in December 2019, equipped with the capacity to perform photometric measurements at the 20 ppm level. As CHEOPS carries out its observations in a broad optical passband, it can provide insights into the reflected light from exoplanets and constrain the short-wavelength thermalLendl, M. et al.
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112020 -
The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Three temperate-to-warm super-EarthsWe announce the discovery of two planets orbiting the M dwarfs GJ 251 (0.360 ± 0.015M ☉) and HD 238090 (0.578 ± 0.021M ☉) based on CARMENES radial velocity (RV) data. In addition, we independently confirm with CARMENES data the existence of Lalande 21185 b, a planet that has recently been discovered with the SOPHIE spectrograph. All three planetsStock, S. et al.
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112020 -
Discriminating between hazy and clear hot-Jupiter atmospheres with CARMENESContext. Relatively large radii of some hot Jupiters observed in the ultraviolet and blue-optical are generally interpreted to be due to Rayleigh scattering by high-altitude haze particles. However, the haze composition and its production mechanisms are not fully understood, and observational information is still limited. Aims: We aim to study theSánchez-López, A. et al.
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112020 -
K2-111: an old system with two planets in near-resonanceThis paper reports on the detailed characterization of the K2-111 planetary system with K2, WASP, and ASAS-SN photometry, as well as high-resolution spectroscopic data from HARPS-N and ESPRESSO. The host, K2-111, is confirmed to be a mildly evolved (log g = 4.17), iron-poor ([Fe/H] = -0.46), but alpha-enhanced ([α/Fe]=0.27), chromospherically quietMortier, A. et al.
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102020 -
Discovery of a hot, transiting, Earth-sized planet and a second temperate, non-transiting planet around the M4 dwarf GJ 3473 (TOI-488)We present the confirmation and characterisation of GJ 3473 b (G 50-16, TOI-488.01), a hot Earth-sized planet orbiting an M4 dwarf star, whose transiting signal (P = 1.1980035 ± 0.0000018 d) was first detected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Through a joint modelling of follow-up radial velocity observations with CARMENES, IRDKemmer, J. et al.
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102020 -
TOI 564 b and TOI 905 b: Grazing and Fully Transiting Hot Jupiters Discovered by TESSWe report the discovery and confirmation of two new hot Jupiters discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS): TOI 564 b and TOI 905 b. The transits of these two planets were initially observed by TESS with orbital periods of 1.651 and 3.739 days, respectively. We conducted follow-up observations of each system from the groundDavis, Allen B. et al.
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112020 -
Transmission spectroscopy and Rossiter-McLaughlin measurements of the young Neptune orbiting AU MicAU Mic b is a Neptune-sized planet on an 8.47-day orbit around the nearest pre-main sequence (~20 Myr) star to the Sun, the bright (V = 8.81) M dwarf AU Mic. The planet was preliminary detected in Doppler radial velocity time series and recently confirmed to be transiting with data from the TESS mission. AU Mic b is likely to be cooling andPalle, E. et al.
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112020 -
The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Two planets on opposite sides of the radius gap transiting the nearby M dwarf LTT 3780We present the discovery and characterisation of two transiting planets observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) orbiting the nearby (d ⋆ ≈ 22 pc), bright (J ≈ 9 mag) M3.5 dwarf LTT 3780 (TOI-732). We confirm both planets and their association with LTT 3780 via ground-based photometry and determine their masses using preciseNowak, G. et al.
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102020
