225 research outputs found
Evidence of vacuum birefringence from the polarisation of the optical emission from an Isolated Neutron Star
Isolated Neutron Stars are some of the most exciting stellar objects known to
astronomers: they have the most extreme magnetic fields, with values up to
G, and, with the exception of stellar-mass black holes, they are the
most dense stars, with densities of g cm. As such,
they are perfect laboratories to test theories of electromagnetism and nuclear
physics under conditions of magnetic field and density unattainable on Earth.
In particular, the interaction of radiation with strong magnetic fields is the
cause of the {\em vacuum birefringence}, an effect predicted by quantum
electrodynamics in 1936 but that lacked an observational evidence until now.
Here, we show how the study of the polarisation of the optical radiation from
the surface of an isolated neutron star yielded such an observational evidence,
opening exciting perspectives for similar studies at other wavelengths.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, Contributed to the 13th Patras Workshop on Axions,
WIMPs and WISPs, Thessaloniki, May 15 to 19, 201
The Spitzer search for the transits of HARPS low-mass planets - II. Null results for 19 planets
Short-period super-Earths and Neptunes are now known to be very frequent
around solar-type stars. Improving our understanding of these mysterious
planets requires the detection of a significant sample of objects suitable for
detailed characterization. Searching for the transits of the low-mass planets
detected by Doppler surveys is a straightforward way to achieve this goal.
Indeed, Doppler surveys target the most nearby main-sequence stars, they
regularly detect close-in low-mass planets with significant transit
probability, and their radial velocity data constrain strongly the ephemeris of
possible transits. In this context, we initiated in 2010 an ambitious Spitzer
multi-Cycle transit search project that targeted 25 low-mass planets detected
by radial velocity, focusing mainly on the shortest-period planets detected by
the HARPS spectrograph. We report here null results for 19 targets of the
project. For 16 planets out of 19, a transiting configuration is strongly
disfavored or firmly rejected by our data for most planetary compositions. We
derive a posterior probability of 83% that none of the probed 19 planets
transits (for a prior probability of 22%), which still leaves a significant
probability of 17% that at least one of them does transit. Globally, our
Spitzer project revealed or confirmed transits for three of its 25 targeted
planets, and discarded or disfavored the transiting nature of 20 of them. Our
light curves demonstrate for Warm Spitzer excellent photometric precisions: for
14 targets out of 19, we were able to reach standard deviations that were
better than 50ppm per 30 min intervals. Combined with its Earth-trailing orbit,
which makes it capable of pointing any star in the sky and to monitor it
continuously for days, this work confirms Spitzer as an optimal instrument to
detect sub-mmag-deep transits on the bright nearby stars targeted by Doppler
surveys.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 23 pages, 21
figure
The planet search programme at the ESO CES and HARPS. IV. The search for Jupiter analogues around solar-like stars
In 1992 we began a precision radial velocity (RV) survey for planets around
solar-like stars with the Coude Echelle Spectrograph and the Long Camera (CES
LC) at the 1.4 m telescope in La Silla (Chile). We have continued the survey
with the upgraded CES Very Long Camera (VLC) and HARPS, both at the 3.6 m
telescope, until 2007. The observations for 31 stars cover a time span of up to
15 years and the RV precision permit a search for Jupiter analogues. We perform
a joint analysis for variability, trends, periodicities, and Keplerian orbits
and compute detection limits. Moreover, the HARPS RVs are analysed for
correlations with activity indicators (CaII H&K and CCF shape). We achieve a
long-term RV precision of 15 m/s (CES+LC, 1992-1998), 9 m/s (CES+VLC,
1999-2006), and 2.8 m/s (HARPS, 2003-2009, including archive data), resp. This
enables us to confirm the known planets around Iota Hor, HR 506, and HR 3259. A
steady RV trend for Eps Ind A can be explained by a planetary companion. On the
other hand, we find previously reported trends to be smaller for Beta Hyi and
not present for Alp Men. The candidate planet Eps Eri b was not detected
despite our better precision. Also the planet announced for HR 4523 cannot be
confirmed. Long-term trends in several of our stars are compatible with known
stellar companions. We provide a spectroscopic orbital solution for the binary
HR 2400 and refined solutions for the planets around HR 506 and Iota Hor. For
some other stars the variations could be attributed to stellar activity. The
occurrence of two Jupiter-mass planets in our sample is in line with the
estimate of 10% for the frequency of giant planets with periods smaller than 10
yr around solar-like stars. We have not detected a Jupiter analogue, while the
detections limits for circular orbits indicate at 5 AU a sensitivity for
minimum mass of at least 1 M_Jup (2 M_Jup) for 13% (61%) of the stars.Comment: 63 pages, 24 figures (+33 online figures), 13 Tables, accepted for
publication in A&A (2012-11-13
Evidence of vacuum birefringence from the polarisation of the optical emission from an Isolated Neutron Star
Isolated Neutron Stars are some of the most exciting stellar objects known to astronomers:
they have the most extreme magnetic fields, with values up to 1015 G, and, with the exception
of stellar-mass black holes, they are the most dense stars, with densities of ≈ 1014
g cm−3
. As such, they are perfect laboratories to test theories of electromagnetism and
nuclear physics under conditions of magnetic field and density unattainable on Earth. In
particular, the interaction of radiation with strong magnetic fields is the cause of the vacuum
birefringence, an effect predicted by quantum electrodynamics in 1936 but that lacked
an observational evidence until now. Here, we show how the study of the polarisation of the
optical radiation from the surface of an isolated neutron star yielded such an observational
evidence, opening exciting perspectives for similar studies at other wavelengths
The HARPS search for southern extrasolar planets. XXIII. 8 planetary companions to low-activity solar-type stars
In this paper, we present our HARPS radial-velocity data for eight
low-activity solar-type stars belonging to the HARPS volume-limited sample:
HD6718, HD8535, HD28254, HD290327, HD43197, HD44219, HD148156, and HD156411.
Keplerian fits to these data reveal the presence of low-mass companions around
these targets. With minimum masses ranging from 0.58 to 2.54 MJup, these
companions are in the planetary mass domain. The orbital periods of these
planets range from slightly less than one to almost seven years. The eight
orbits presented in this paper exhibit a wide variety of eccentricities: from
0.08 to above 0.8.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in A&
The HARPS search for southern extrasolar planets: XXXIII. New multi-planet systems in the HARPS volume limited sample: a super-Earth and a Neptune in the habitable zone
The vast diversity of planetary systems detected to date is defying our
capability of understanding their formation and evolution. Well-defined
volume-limited surveys are the best tool at our disposal to tackle the problem,
via the acquisition of robust statistics of the orbital elements. We are using
the HARPS spectrograph to conduct our survey of ~850 nearby solar-type stars,
and in the course of the past nine years we have monitored the radial velocity
of HD103774, HD109271, and BD-061339. In this work we present the detection of
five planets orbiting these stars, with m*sin(i) between 0.6 and 7 Neptune
masses, four of which are in two multiple systems, comprising one super-Earth
and one planet within the habitable zone of a late-type dwarf. Although for
strategic reasons we chose efficiency over precision in this survey, we have
the capability to detect planets down to the Neptune and super-Earth mass
range, as well as multiple systems, provided that enough data points are made
available.Comment: 7 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication by A&A, 04-01-201
The HARPS search for southern extra-solar planets. XXIV. Companions to HD 85390, HD 90156 and HD 103197: A Neptune analogue and two intermediate mass planets
We report the detection of three new extrasolar planets orbiting the solar
type stars HD 85390, HD 90156 and HD 103197 with the HARPS spectrograph mounted
on the ESO 3.6-m telescope at La Silla observatory. HD 85390 has a planetary
companion with a projected intermediate mass (42.0 Earth masses) on a 788-day
orbit (a=1.52 AU) with an eccentricity of 0.41, for which there is no analogue
in the solar system. A drift in the data indicates the presence of another
companion on a long period orbit, which is however not covered by our
measurements. HD 90156 is orbited by a warm Neptune analogue with a minimum
mass of 17.98 Earth masses (1.05 Neptune masses), a period of 49.8 days (a=0.25
AU) and an eccentricity of 0.31. HD 103197 has an intermediate mass planet on a
circular orbit (P=47.8 d, Msini=31.2 Earth masses). We discuss the formation of
planets of intermediate mass (about 30-100 Earth masses) which should be rare
inside a few AU according to core accretion formation models.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. Accepted to A&
The HARPS search for southern extra-solar planets I. HD330075 b: a new 'hot Jupiter'
We report on the first extra-solar planet discovered with the brand new HARPS
instrument. The planet is a typical 'hot Jupiter' with m2sini = 0.62 MJup and
an orbital period of 3.39 days, but from the photometric follow-up of its
parent star HD330075 we can exclude the presence of a transit. The induced
radial-velocity variations exceed 100 m/s in semi-amplitude and are easily
detected by state-of-the-art spectro-velocimeters. Nevertheless, the faint
magnitude of the parent star (V = 9.36) benefits from the efficient instrument:
With HARPS less than 10 observing nights and 3 hours of total integration time
were needed to discover the planet and characterize its orbit. The orbital
parameters determined from the observations made during the first HARPS run in
July 2003 have been confirmed by 7 additional observations carried out in
February 2004. The bisector analysis and a photometric follow-up give no hint
for activity-induced radial-velocity variations, indicating that the velocity
curve is best explained by the presence of a low-mass companion to the star. In
this paper we present a set of 21 measurements of excellent quality with
weighted rms as low as 2.0 m/s. These measurements lead to a well defined orbit
and consequently to the precise orbital parameters determination of the
extra-solar planet HD330075b.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication by Astronomy and
Astrophysics, see also http://obswww.unige.ch/~udry/planet/planet.htm
The HARPS search for southern extra-solar planets. XXVII. Up to seven planets orbiting HD 10180: probing the architecture of low-mass planetary systems
Context. Low-mass extrasolar planets are presently being discovered at an
increased pace by radial velocity and transit surveys, opening a new window on
planetary systems. Aims. We are conducting a high-precision radial velocity
survey with the HARPS spectrograph which aims at characterizing the population
of ice giants and super-Earths around nearby solar-type stars. This will lead
to a better understanding of their formation and evolution, and yield a global
picture of planetary systems from gas giants down to telluric planets. Methods.
Progress has been possible in this field thanks in particular to the sub-m/s
radial velocity precision achieved by HARPS. We present here new high-quality
measurements from this instrument. Results. We report the discovery of a
planetary system comprising at least five Neptune-like planets with minimum
masses ranging from 12 to 25 M_Earth, orbiting the solar-type star HD 10180 at
separations between 0.06 and 1.4 AU. A sixth radial velocity signal is present
at a longer period, probably due to a 65-M_Earth object. Moreover, another body
with a minimum mass as low as 1.4 M_Earth may be present at 0.02 AU from the
star. This is the most populated exoplanetary system known to date. The planets
are in a dense but still well-separated configuration, with significant secular
interactions. Some of the orbital period ratios are fairly close to integer or
half-integer values, but the system does not exhibit any mean-motion
resonances. General relativity effects and tidal dissipation play an important
role to stabilize the innermost planet and the system as a whole. Numerical
integrations show long-term dynamical stability provided true masses are within
a factor ~3 from minimum masses. We further note that several low-mass
planetary systems exhibit a rather "packed" orbital architecture with little or
no space left for additional planets. (Abridged)Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Planets around stars in young nearby associations *** radial Velocity searches: a feasibility study, and first results
Stars in young nearby associations are the only targets allowing giant planet
searches at all separations in the near future, by coupling indirect techniques
such as radial velocity and deep imaging. These stars are first priorities
targets for the forthcoming planets imagers on 10-m class telescopes. Young
stars rotate more rapidly and are more active than their older counterparts.
Both effects can limit the capability to detect planets using RV. We wish to
explore the planet detection capabilities of a representative sample of stars
in close and young associations with radial velocity data and explore the
complementarity between this technique and direct imaging. We observed 26 such
targets with spectral types from A to K and ages fromComment: submitte
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