28 research outputs found
Chemical abundances of 1111 FGK stars from the HARPS-GTO planet search sample. III. Sulfur
Context. Elemental abundances are of prime importance to help us reconstruct
the origin and evolution of stars and galaxies in our Universe. Sulfur
abundances have not been as heavily studied as other elements, so some details
regarding its behaviour are still unclear. Aims. We aim to investigate [S/Fe]
ratios in stars of the solar neighbourhood in order to analyse the chemical
evolution of sulfur and probe for possible differences in abundances of planet
host and non-planet host stars. Methods. We use the code MOOG to perform
spectral synthesis and derive v*sin(i) values and [S/Fe] ratios for 719 FGK
stars with high-resolution (R~115000) and high-quality spectra from the
HARPS-GTO program. We find the best fit and corresponding parameter values by
performing chi-square minimisation of the deviation between synthetic profiles
and observational spectra. Results. Our results reveal that sulfur behaves as a
typical alpha-element, with low abundances in young thin disk stars and high
abundances in old thick disk stars, following what was expected from our
understanding of the Galactic chemical evolution (GCE). Nevertheless, further
studies into the abundances of sulfur in very metal-poor stars are required as
our sample only derived sulfur abundances to stars with metallicity as low as
[Fe/H]=-1.13 dex. High-alpha metal rich stars are more enhanced in sulfur
compared to their thin disk counterparts at the same metallicity. We compare
our results to GCE models from other authors in the [S/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] plane.
The [S/Fe]-age relationship is a good proxy for time, just like it is the case
with other alpha-elements. We report no differences in the abundances of sulfur
between stars with and without planetary companions in the metallicity range
[Fe/H] >= -0.3 dex.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures. Paper has been accepted for publication in
Astronomy & Astrophysic
One of the closest exoplanet pairs to the 3:2 Mean Motion Resonance: K2-19b \& c
The K2 mission has recently begun to discover new and diverse planetary
systems. In December 2014 Campaign 1 data from the mission was released,
providing high-precision photometry for ~22000 objects over an 80 day timespan.
We searched these data with the aim of detecting further important new objects.
Our search through two separate pipelines led to the independent discovery of
K2-19b \& c, a two-planet system of Neptune sized objects (4.2 and 7.2
), orbiting a K dwarf extremely close to the 3:2 mean motion
resonance. The two planets each show transits, sometimes simultaneously due to
their proximity to resonance and alignment of conjunctions. We obtain further
ground based photometry of the larger planet with the NITES telescope,
demonstrating the presence of large transit timing variations (TTVs), and use
the observed TTVs to place mass constraints on the transiting objects under the
hypothesis that the objects are near but not in resonance. We then
statistically validate the planets through the \texttt{PASTIS} tool,
independently of the TTV analysis.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, accepted to A&A, updated to match published
versio
TESS asteroseismology of the known red-giant host stars HD 212771 and HD 203949
International audienc
Stellar Astrophysics and Exoplanet Science with the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE)
The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) is a planned 11.25-m aperture
facility with a 1.5 square degree field of view that will be fully dedicated to
multi-object spectroscopy. A rebirth of the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope
on Maunakea, MSE will use 4332 fibers operating at three different resolving
powers (R ~ 2500, 6000, 40000) across a wavelength range of 0.36-1.8mum, with
dynamical fiber positioning that allows fibers to match the exposure times of
individual objects. MSE will enable spectroscopic surveys with unprecedented
scale and sensitivity by collecting millions of spectra per year down to
limiting magnitudes of g ~ 20-24 mag, with a nominal velocity precision of ~100
m/s in high-resolution mode. This white paper describes science cases for
stellar astrophysics and exoplanet science using MSE, including the discovery
and atmospheric characterization of exoplanets and substellar objects, stellar
physics with star clusters, asteroseismology of solar-like oscillators and
opacity-driven pulsators, studies of stellar rotation, activity, and
multiplicity, as well as the chemical characterization of AGB and extremely
metal-poor stars.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figures; To appear as a chapter for the Detailed Science
Case of the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explore
Determination of stellar parameters for Ariel targets: a comparison analysis between different spectroscopic methods
Ariel has been selected as the next ESA M4 science mission and it is expected to be launched in 2028. During its 4-year mission, Ariel will observe the atmospheres of a large and diversified population of transiting exoplanets. A key factor for the achievement of the scientific goal of Ariel is the selection strategy for the definition of the input target list. A meaningful choice of the targets requires an accurate knowledge of the planet hosting star properties and this is necessary to be obtained well before the launch. In this work, we present the results of a bench-marking analysis between three different spectroscopic techniques used to determine stellar parameters for a selected number of targets belonging to the Ariel reference sample. We aim to consolidate a method that will be used to homogeneously determine the stellar parameters of the complete Ariel reference sample. Homogeneous, accurate and precise derivation of stellar parameters is crucial for characterising exoplanet-host stars and in turn is a key factor for the accuracy of the planet properties
The SAPP pipeline for the determination of stellar abundances and atmospheric parameters of stars in the core program of the PLATO mission
We introduce the SAPP (Stellar Abundances and atmospheric Parameters Pipeline), the prototype of the code that will be used to determine parameters of stars observed within the core program of the PLATO space mission. The pipeline is based on the Bayesian inference and provides effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, chemical abundances, and luminosity. The code in its more general version has a much wider range of potential applications. It can also provide masses, ages, and radii of stars and can be used with stellar types not targeted by the PLATO core program, such as red giants. We validate the code on a set of 27 benchmark stars that includes 19 FGK-type dwarfs, 6 GK-type subgiants, and 2 red giants. Our results suggest that combining various observables is the optimal approach, as this allows the degeneracies between different parameters to be broken and yields more accurate values of stellar parameters and more realistic uncertainties. For the PLATO core sample, we obtain a typical uncertainty of 27 (syst.) ± 37 (stat.) K for Teff, 0.00 ± 0.01 dex for log g, 0.02 ± 0.02 dex for metallicity [Fe/H], −0.01 ± 0.03 R⊙ for radii, −0.01 ± 0.05 M⊙ for stellar masses, and −0.14 ± 0.63 Gyr for ages. We also show that the best results are obtained by combining the νmax scaling relation with stellar spectra. This resolves the notorious problem of degeneracies, which is particularly important for F-type stars
Ariel stellar characterisation. I. Homogeneous stellar parameters of 187 FGK planet host stars: Description and validation of the method
Context. In 2020 the European Space Agency selected Ariel as the next mission to join the space fleet of observatories to study planets outside our Solar System. Ariel will be devoted to the characterisation of 1000 planetary atmospheres in order to understand what exoplanets are made of, how they form, and how they evolve. To achieve the last two goals all planets need to be studied within the context of their own host stars, which in turn must be analysed with the same technique, in a uniform way. Aims: We present the spectro-photometric method we developed to infer the atmospheric parameters of the known host stars in the Tier 1 of the Ariel Reference Sample. Methods: Our method is based on an iterative approach that combines spectral analysis, the determination of the surface gravity from Gaia data, and the determination of stellar masses from isochrone fitting. We validated our approach with the analysis of a control sample, composed of members of three open clusters with well-known ages and metallicities. Results: We measured effective temperature Teff, surface gravity log g, and the metallicity [Fe/H] of 187 F-G-K stars within the Ariel Reference Sample. We presented the general properties of the sample, including their kinematics, which allows us to classify them into thin- and thick-disc populations. Conclusions: A homogeneous determination of the parameters of the host stars is fundamental in the study of the stars themselves and their planetary systems. Our analysis systematically improves agreement with theoretical models and decreases uncertainties in the mass estimate (from 0.21 ± 0.30 to 0.10 ± 0.02 M⊙), providing useful data for the Ariel consortium and the astronomical community at large. Tables A.1 and A.2 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/663/A161</A
The homogeneous characterisation of Ariel host stars
The Ariel mission will characterise the chemical and thermal properties of the atmospheres of about a thousand exoplanets transiting their host star(s). The observation of such a large sample of planets will allow to deepen our understanding of planetary and atmospheric formation at the early stages, providing a truly representative picture of the chemical nature of exoplanets, and relating this directly to the type and chemical environment of the host star. Hence, the accurate and precise determination of the host star fundamental properties is essential to Ariel for drawing a comprehensive picture of the underlying essence of these planetary systems. We present here a structured approach for the characterisation of Ariel stars that accounts for the concepts of homogeneity and coherence among a large set of stellar parameters. We present here the studies and benchmark analyses we have been performing to determine robust stellar fundamental parameters, elemental abundances, activity indices, and stellar ages. In particular, we present results for the homogeneous estimation of the activity indices S and log (RHK') , and preliminary results for elemental abundances of Na, Al, Mg, Si, C, N. In addition, we analyse the variation of a planetary spectrum, obtained with Ariel, as a function of the uncertainty on the stellar effective temperature. Finally, we present our observational campaign for precisely and homogeneously characterising all Ariel stars in order to perform a meaningful choice of final targets before the mission launch
VizieR Online Data Catalog: Complete line list and solar values (Baratella+, 2020)
Line list used in this study (table2.dat), complete of the atomic data, references of the log(gf) values adopted and with equivalent width and abundances measured in the Sun. (1 data file)