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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Brown dwarf companions in microlensing binaries detected during the 2016-2018 seasonsAims: With the aim of finding microlensing binaries containing brown dwarf (BD) companions, we investigate the microlensing survey data collected during the 2016-2018 seasons. Methods: For this purpose, we first modeled lensing events with light curves exhibiting anomaly features that are likely to be produced by binary lenses. We then sorted outHan, Cheongho et al.
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112022 -
Two temperate super-Earths transiting a nearby late-type M dwarfContext. In the age of JWST, temperate terrestrial exoplanets transiting nearby late-type M dwarfs provide unique opportunities for characterising their atmospheres, as well as searching for biosignature gases. In this context, the benchmark TRAPPIST-1 planetary system has garnered the interest of a broad scientific community. Aims: We report hereDelrez, L. et al.
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112022 -
Non-detection of He I in the Atmosphere of GJ 1214b with Keck/NIRSPEC, at a Time of Minimal Telluric ContaminationObservations of helium in exoplanet atmospheres may reveal the presence of large gaseous envelopes and indicate ongoing atmospheric escape. Orell-Miquel et al. (2022) used CARMENES to measure a tentative detection of helium for the sub-Neptune GJ 1214b, with a peak excess absorption reaching over 2% in-transit depth at 10830 Å. However, several nonSpake, Jessica J. et al.
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112022 -
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 zoneContext. 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 planets with orbital periods of up to ~250 days, and that at least one such planet is likely located within the habitable zone. M dwarfs are therefore primary targets to search forDamasso, M. et al.
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102022 -
TOI-2196 b: Rare planet in the hot Neptune desert transiting a G-type starThe hot Neptune desert is a region hosting a small number of short-period Neptunes in the radius-instellation diagram. Highly irradiated planets are usually either small (R ≲ 2 R ⊕) and rocky or they are gas giants with radii of ≳1 R J. Here, we report on the intermediate-sized planet TOI-2196 b (TIC 372172128.01) on a 1.2 day orbit around a G-typePersson, Carina M. et al.
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102022 -
Precise mass determination for the keystone sub-Neptune planet transiting the mid-type M dwarf G 9-40Context. Despite being a prominent subset of the exoplanet population discovered in the past three decades, the nature and provenance of sub-Neptune-sized planets is still one of the open questions in exoplanet science. Aims: For planets orbiting bright stars, precisely measuring the orbital and planet parameters of the system is the best approachLuque, R. et al.
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102022 -
TOI-1468: A system of two transiting planets, a super-Earth and a mini-Neptune, on opposite sides of the radius valleyWe report the discovery and characterization of two small transiting planets orbiting the bright M3.0V star TOI-1468 (LSPM J0106+1913), whose transit signals were detected in the photometric time series in three sectors of the TESS mission. We confirm the planetary nature of both of them using precise radial velocity measurements from the CARMENESChaturvedi, P. et al.
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102022 -
Confirmation and characterisation of three giant planets detected by TESS from the FIES/NOT and Tull/McDonald spectrographsWe report the confirmation and characterisation of TOI-1820 b, TOI-2025 b, and TOI-2158 b, three Jupiter-sized planets on short-period orbits around G-type stars detected by TESS. Through our ground-based efforts using the FIES and Tull spectrographs, we have confirmed these planets and characterised their orbits, and find periods of around 4.9 dKnudstrup, Emil et al.
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112022 -
The HD 93963 A transiting system: A 1.04 d super-Earth and a 3.65 d sub-Neptune discovered by TESS and CHEOPSWe present the discovery of two small planets transiting HD 93963A (TOI-1797), a GOV star (M * = 1.109 ± 0.043M ⊙, R * = 1.043 ± 0.009 R ⊙) in a visual binary system. We combined TESS and CHEOPS space-borne photometry with MuSCAT 2 ground-based photometry, `Alopeke and PHARO high-resolution imaging, TRES and FIES reconnaissance spectroscopy, and
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112022 -
Is binning always sinning? The impact of time-averaging for exoplanet phase curvesWe explore how finite integration time or temporal binning can affect the analysis of exoplanet phase curves. We provide analytical formulae to account for this effect or, if neglected, to estimate the potential biases in the retrieved parameters. As expected, due to their smoother variations over longer time-scales, phase curves can be binned moreMorello, Giuseppe et al.
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122022 -
The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Stable radial-velocity variations at the rotation period of AD Leonis: A test case study of current limitations to treating stellar activityContext. A challenge with radial-velocity (RV) data is disentangling the origin of signals either due to a planetary companion or to stellar activity. In fact, the existence of a planetary companion has been proposed, as well as contested, around the relatively bright, nearby M3.0 V star AD Leo at the same period as the stellar rotation of 2.23Kossakowski, D. et al.
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102022 -
The stable climate of KELT-9b,★Even among the most irradiated gas giants, so-called ultra-hot Jupiters, KELT-9b stands out as the hottest planet thus far discovered with a dayside temperature of over 4500 K. At these extreme irradiation levels, we expect an increase in heat redistribution efficiency and a low Bond albedo owed to an extended atmosphere with molecular hydrogenJones, K. et al.
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102022 -
Detection of barium in the atmospheres of the ultra-hot gas giants WASP-76b and WASP-121b. Together with new detections of Co and Sr+ on WASP-121bContext. High-resolution spectroscopy studies of ultra-hot Jupiters have been key in our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres. Observing into the atmospheres of these giant planets allows for direct constraints on their atmospheric compositions and dynamics while laying the groundwork for new research regarding their formation and evolutionAzevedo Silva, T. et al.
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102022 -
Detection of Na and K in the Atmosphere of the Hot Jupiter HAT-P-1b with P200/DBSPWe present a new optical transmission spectrum of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-1b based on two transits observed with the Double Spectrograph (DBSP) on the Palomar 200-inch (P200) telescope. The DBSP transmission spectrum, covering a wavelength range from 3250 to 10007 Å, is consistent with that observed with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), but theChen, Guo et al.
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112022 -
Fundamental physics with ESPRESSO: Constraining a simple parametrisation for varying αContext. The spectrograph ESPRESSO recently obtained a limit on the variation of the fine-structure constant, α, through measurements along the line of sight of a bright quasar with a precision of 1.36 ppm at 1σ level. This imposes new constraints on cosmological models with a varying α. We assume such a model where the electromagnetic sector isda Fonseca, Vitor et al.
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102022 -
Validation and atmospheric exploration of the sub-Neptune TOI-2136b around a nearby M3 dwarfContext. The NASA space telescope TESS is currently in the extended mission of its all-sky search for new transiting planets. Of the thousands of candidates that TESS is expected to deliver, transiting planets orbiting nearby M dwarfs are particularly interesting targets since they provide a great opportunity to characterize their atmospheres byKawauchi, K. et al.
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102022 -
A hot sub-Neptune in the desert and a temperate super-Earth around faint M dwarfs. Color validation of TOI-4479b and TOI-2081bAims: We report the discovery and validation of two TESS exoplanets orbiting faint M dwarfs: TOI-4479b and TOI-2081b. Methods: We jointly analyzed space (TESS mission) and ground-based (MuSCAT2, MuSCAT3 and SINISTRO instruments) light curves using our multicolor photometry transit analysis pipeline. This allowed us to compute contamination limitsEsparza-Borges, E. et al.
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102022 -
HD 23472: a multi-planetary system with three super-Earths and two potential super-MercuriesContext. Comparing the properties of planets orbiting the same host star, and thus formed from the same accretion disc, helps in constraining theories of exoplanet formation and evolution. As a result, the scientific interest in multi-planetary systems is growing with the increasing number of detections of planetary companions. Aims: We report theBarros, S. C. C. et al.
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92022 -
A detailed analysis of the Gl 486 planetary systemContext. The Gl 486 system consists of a very nearby, relatively bright, weakly active M3.5 V star at just 8 pc with a warm transiting rocky planet of about 1.3 R ⊕ and 3.0 M ⊕. It is ideal for both transmission and emission spectroscopy and for testing interior models of telluric planets. Aims: To prepare for future studies, we aim to thoroughlyCaballero, J. A. et al.
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92022 -
GJ 3090 b: one of the most favourable mini-Neptune for atmospheric characterisationWe report the detection of GJ 3090 b (TOI-177.01), a mini-Neptune on a 2.9-day orbit transiting a bright (K = 7.3 mag) M2 dwarf located at 22 pc. The planet was identified by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and was confirmed with the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher radial velocities. Seeing-limited photometry and speckleAlmenara, J. M. et al.
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92022
