3 research outputs found
The RoPES project with HARPS and HARPS-N. I. A system of super-Earths orbiting the moderately active K-dwarf HD 176986
We report the discovery of a system of two super-Earths orbiting the
moderately active K-dwarf HD 176986. This work is part of the RoPES RV program
of G- and K-type stars, which combines radial velocities (RVs) from the HARPS
and HARPS-N spectrographs to search for short-period terrestrial planets. HD
176986 b and c are super-Earth planets with masses of 5.74 and 9.18
M, orbital periods of 6.49 and 16.82 days, and distances of 0.063
and 0.119 AU in orbits that are consistent with circular. The host star is a
K2.5 dwarf, and despite its modest level of chromospheric activity (log(R'hk) =
- 4.90 +- 0.04), it shows a complex activity pattern. Along with the discovery
of the planets, we study the magnetic cycle and rotation of the star. HD 176986
proves to be suitable for testing the available RV analysis technique and
further our understanding of stellar activity.Comment: 21 pages, 24 figures, 7 table
Hot Exoplanet Atmospheres Resolved with Transit Spectroscopy (HEARTS) - II. A broadened sodium feature on the ultra-hot giant WASP-76b
High-resolution optical spectroscopy is a powerful tool to characterise
exoplanetary atmospheres from the ground. The sodium D lines, with their large
cross sections, are especially suited to study the upper layers of atmospheres
in this context. We report on the results from HEARTS, a spectroscopic survey
of exoplanet atmospheres, performing a comparative study of hot gas giants to
determine the effects of stellar irradiation. In this second installation of
the series, we highlight the detection of neutral sodium on the ultra-hot giant
WASP-76b. We observed three transits of the planet using the HARPS
high-resolution spectrograph at the ESO 3.6m telescope and collected 175
spectra of WASP-76. We repeatedly detect the absorption signature of neutral
sodium in the planet atmosphere (; in a
\r{A} passband). The sodium lines have a Gaussian profile with full width at
half maximum (FWHM) of km s. This is significantly broader
than the line spread function of HARPS ( km s). We surmise that the
observed broadening could trace the super-rotation in the upper atmosphere of
this ultra-hot gas giant.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures; accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics
(29.01.2019
Near-IR and optical radial velocities of the active M-dwarf star Gl 388 (AD Leo) with SPIRou at CFHT and SOPHIE at OHP
Context: The search for extrasolar planets around the nearest M-dwarfs is a
crucial step towards identifying the nearest Earth-like planets. One of the
main challenges in this search is that M-dwarfs can be magnetically active and
stellar activity can produce radial velocity (RV) signals that could mimic
those of a planet.
Aims: We aim to investigate whether the 2.2 day period observed in optical
RVs of the nearby active M-dwarf star Gl 388 (AD Leo) is due to stellar
activity or to a planet which co-rotates with the star as suggested in the
past.
Methods: We obtained quasi-simultaneous optical RVs of Gl 388 from 2019 to
2021 with SOPHIE (R75k) at the OHP in France, and near-IR RV and Stokes V
measurements with SPIRou at the CFHT (R70k).
Results: The SOPHIE RV time-series displays a periodic signal with
2.230.01 days period and 23.60.5 m/s amplitude, which is consistent
with previous HARPS observations obtained in 2005-2006. The SPIRou RV
time-series is flat at 5 m/s rms and displays no periodic signals. RV signals
of amplitude higher than 5.3 m/s at a period of 2.23 days can be excluded with
a confidence level higher than 99%. Using the modulation of the longitudinal
magnetic field (Bl) measured with SPIRou, we derive a stellar rotation period
of 2.23050.0016 days.
Conclusions: SPIRou RV measurements provide solid evidence that the periodic
variability of the optical RVs of Gl 388 is due to stellar activity rather than
to a co-rotating planet. The magnetic activity nature of the optical RV signal
is further confirmed by the modulation of Bl with the same period. The SPIRou
campaign on Gl 388 demonstrates the power of near-IR RV to confirm or infirm
planet candidates discovered in the optical around active stars. SPIRou
observations reiterate how effective spectropolarimetry is at determining the
stellar rotation period.Comment: 25 pages, 23 figures, Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic