| 1. |
- Marconi, A., et al.
(author)
-
ANDES, the high resolution spectrograph for the ELT : science case, baseline design and path to construction
- 2022
-
In: GROUND-BASED AND AIRBORNE INSTRUMENTATION FOR ASTRONOMY IX. - : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. - 9781510653504 - 9781510653498
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The first generation of ELT instruments includes an optical-infrared high resolution spectrograph, indicated as ELT-HIRES and recently christened ANDES (ArmazoNes high Dispersion Echelle Spectrograph). ANDES consists of three fibre-fed spectrographs (UBV, RIZ, YJH) providing a spectral resolution of similar to 100,000 with a minimum simultaneous wavelength coverage of 0.4-1.8 mu m with the goal of extending it to 0.35-2.4 mu m with the addition of a K band spectrograph. It operates both in seeing- and diffraction-limited conditions and the fibre-feeding allows several, interchangeable observing modes including a single conjugated adaptive optics module and a small diffraction-limited integral field unit in the NIR. Its modularity will ensure that ANDES can be placed entirely on the ELT Nasmyth platform, if enough mass and volume is available, or partly in the Coude room. ANDES has a wide range of groundbreaking science cases spanning nearly all areas of research in astrophysics and even fundamental physics. Among the top science cases there are the detection of biosignatures from exoplanet atmospheres, finding the fingerprints of the first generation of stars, tests on the stability of Nature's fundamental couplings, and the direct detection of the cosmic acceleration. The ANDES project is carried forward by a large international consortium, composed of 35 Institutes from 13 countries, forming a team of more than 200 scientists and engineers which represent the majority of the scientific and technical expertise in the field among ESO member states.
|
|
| 2. |
- Mallorquin, M., et al.
(author)
-
TOI-1801 b: A temperate mini-Neptune around a young M0.5 dwarf
- 2023
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 680
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report the discovery, mass, and radius determination of TOI-1801 b, a temperate mini-Neptune around a young M dwarf. TOI-1801 b was observed in TESS sectors 22 and 49, and the alert that this was a TESS planet candidate with a period of 21.3 days went out in April 2020. However, ground-based follow-up observations, including seeing-limited photometry in and outside transit together with precise radial velocity (RV) measurements with CARMENES and HIRES revealed that the true period of the planet is 10.6 days. These observations also allowed us to retrieve a mass of 5.74 +/- 1.46 M-circle plus, which together with a radius of 2.08 +/- 0.12 R-circle plus, means that TOI-1801 b is most probably composed of water and rock, with an upper limit of 2% by mass of H-2 in its atmosphere. The stellar rotation period of 16 days is readily detectable in our RV time series and in the ground-based photometry. We derived a likely age of 600-800 Myr for the parent star TOI-1801, which means that TOI-1801 b is the least massive young mini-Neptune with precise mass and radius determinations. Our results suggest that if TOI-1801 b had a larger atmosphere in the past, it must have been removed by some evolutionary mechanism on timescales shorter than 1 Gyr.
|
|
| 3. |
- Marconi, Alessandro, et al.
(author)
-
ELT-HIRES, the high resolution spectrograph for the ELT : Phase A study and path to construction
- 2020
-
In: Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII. - : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. - 9781510636828 - 9781510636811
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- HIRES is the high-resolution spectrograph of the European Extremely Large Telescope at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. It consists of three fibre-fed spectrographs providing a wavelength coverage of 0.4-1.8 µm (goal 0.35-2.4 µm) at a spectral resolution of 100,000. The fibre-feeding allows HIRES to have several, interchangeable observing modes including a SCAO module and a small diffraction-limited IFU in the NIR. Therefore, it will be able to operate both in seeing- and diffraction-limited modes. Its modularity will ensure that HIRES can be placed entirely on the Nasmyth platform, if enough mass and volume is available, or part on the Nasmyth and part in the Coud`e room. ELT-HIRES has a wide range of science cases spanning nearly all areas of research in astrophysics and even fundamental physics. Among the top science cases there are the detection of biosignatures from exoplanet atmospheres, finding the fingerprints of the first generation of stars (PopIII), tests on the stability of Nature’s fundamental couplings, and the direct detection of the cosmic acceleration. The HIRES consortium is composed of more than 30 institutes from 14 countries, forming a team of more than 200 scientists and engineers.
|
|
| 4. |
- Chaturvedi, P., et al.
(author)
-
TOI-1468: A system of two transiting planets, a super-Earth and a mini-Neptune, on opposite sides of the radius valley
- 2022
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 666
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We 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 CARMENES and MAROON-X spectrographs, and supplement them with ground-based transit photometry. A joint analysis of all these data reveals that the shorter-period planet, TOI-1468 b (P-b = 1.88 d), has a planetary mass of M-b = 3.21 +/- 0.24M(circle plus) and a radius of R-b = 1.280(-0.039)(+0.038) R-circle plus, resulting in a density of rho(b) = 8.39(-0.92)(+1.05) g cm(-3), which is consistent with a mostly rocky composition. For the outer planet, TOI-1468 c (P-c = 15.53 d), we derive a mass of M-c = 6.64(-0.68)(+0.67) M-circle plus,aradius of R-c = 2.06 +/- 0.04 R-circle plus, and a bulk density of rho(c) = 2.00(-0.19)(+0.21) g cm(-3), which corresponds to a rocky core composition with a H/He gas envelope. These planets are located on opposite sides of the radius valley, making our system an interesting discovery as there are only a handful of other systems with the same properties. This discovery can further help determine a more precise location of the radius valley for small planets around M dwarfs and, therefore, shed more light on planet formation and evolution scenarios.
|
|
| 5. |
- Bluhm, P., et al.
(author)
-
Precise mass and radius of a transiting super-Earth planet orbiting the M dwarf TOI-1235: a planet in the radius gap?
- 2020
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 639
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report the confirmation of a transiting planet around the bright weakly active M0.5 V star TOI-1235 (TYC 4384-1735-1, V ≈ 11.5 mag), whose transit signal was detected in the photometric time series of sectors 14, 20, and 21 of the TESS space mission. We confirm the planetary nature of the transit signal, which has a period of 3.44 d, by using precise RV measurements with the CARMENES, HARPS-N, and iSHELL spectrographs, supplemented by high-resolution imaging and ground-based photometry. A comparison of the properties derived for TOI-1235 b with theoretical models reveals that the planet has a rocky composition, with a bulk density slightly higher than that of Earth. In particular, we measure a mass of Mp = 5.9 ± 0.6 M⊕ and a radius of Rp = 1.69 ± 0.08 R⊕, which together result in a density of ρp = 6.7- 1.1+ 1.3 g cm-3. When compared with other well-characterized exoplanetary systems, the particular combination of planetary radius and mass places our discovery in the radius gap, which is a transition region between rocky planets and planets with significant atmospheric envelopes. A few examples of planets occupying the radius gap are known to date. While the exact location of the radius gap for M dwarfs is still a matter of debate, our results constrain it to be located at around 1.7 R⊕ or larger at the insolation levels received by TOI-1235 b (~60 S⊕). This makes it an extremely interesting object for further studies of planet formation and atmospheric evolution.
|
|
| 6. |
- Goffo, E., et al.
(author)
-
TOI-4438 b: a transiting mini-Neptune amenable to atmospheric characterization
- 2024
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 685
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report the confirmation and mass determination of a mini-Neptune transiting the M3.5 V star TOI-4438 (G 182-34) every 7.44 days. A transit signal was detected with NASA's TESS space mission in the sectors 40, 52, and 53. In order to validate the planet TOI-4438 b and to determine the system properties, we combined TESS data with high-precision radial velocity measurements from the CARMENES spectrograph, spanning almost one year, and ground-based transit photometry. We found that TOI-4438 b has a radius of Rb = 2.52 ± 0.13 R⊕ (5% precision), which together with a mass of Mb = 5.4 ± 1.1 M⊕ (20% precision), results in a bulk density of ρb = 1.85-0.44+0.51 g cm-3 (~28% precision), aligning the discovery with a volatile-rich planet. Our interior structure retrieval with a pure water envelope yields aminimum water mass fraction of 46% (1σ). TOI-4438 b is a volatile-rich mini-Neptune with likely H/He mixed with molecules, such as water, CO2, and CH4. The primary star has a J-band magnitude of 9.7, and the planet has a high transmission spectroscopy metric (TSM) of 136 ± 13. Taking into account the relatively warm equilibrium temperature of Teq = 435 ± 15 K, and the low activity level of its host star, TOI-4438 b is one of the most promising mini-Neptunes around an M dwarf for transmission spectroscopy studies.
|
|
| 7. |
- Murgas, F., et al.
(author)
-
Two super-Earths at the edge of the habitable zone of the nearby M dwarf TOI-2095
- 2023
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 677
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The main scientific goal of TESS is to find planets smaller than Neptune around stars that are bright enough to allow for further characterization studies. Given our current instrumentation and detection biases, M dwarfs are prime targets in the search for small planets that are in (or near) the habitable zone of their host star. In this work, we use photometric observations and CARMENES radial velocity (RV) measurements to validate a pair of transiting planet candidates found by TESS. The data were fitted simultaneously, using a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) procedure and taking into account the stellar variability present in the photometric and spectroscopic time series. We confirm the planetary origin of the two transiting candidates orbiting around TOI-2095 (LSPM J1902+7525). The star is a nearby M dwarf (d = 41.90 ± 0.03 pc, Teff = 3759 ± 87 K, V = 12.6 mag), with a stellar mass and radius of M∗ = 0.44 ± 0.02 M· and R∗ = 0.44 ± 0.02 R·, respectively. The planetary system is composed of two transiting planets: TOI-2095b, with an orbital period of Pb = 17.66484 ± (7 A - 10- 5) days, and TOI-2095c, with Pc = 28.17232 ± (14 A - 10- 5) days. Both planets have similar sizes with Rb = 1.25 ± 0.07 R· and Rc = 1.33 ± 0.08 R· for planet b and planet c, respectively. Although we did not detect the induced RV variations of any planet with significance, our CARMENES data allow us to set stringent upper limits on the masses of these objects. We find Mb < 4.1 M· for the inner and Mc < 7.4 M· for the outer planet (95% confidence level). These two planets present equilibrium temperatures in the range of 300 350 K and are close to the inner edge of the habitable zone of their star.
|
|
| 8. |
- Orell-Miquel, J., et al.
(author)
-
Confirmation of an He I evaporating atmosphere around the 650-Myr-old sub-Neptune HD 235088 b (TOI-1430 b) with CARMENES
- 2023
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 677
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- HD 235088 (TOI-1430) is a young star known to host a sub-Neptune-sized planet candidate. We validated the planetary nature of HD 235088 b with multiband photometry, refined its planetary parameters, and obtained a new age estimate of the host star, placing it at 600- 800 Myr. Previous spectroscopic observations of a single transit detected an excess absorption of He I coincident in time with the planet candidate transit. Here, we confirm the presence of He I in the atmosphere of HD 235088 b with one transit observed with CARMENES. We also detected hints of variability in the strength of the helium signal, with an absorption of -0.91 ± 0.11%, which is slightly deeper (2γ) than the previous measurement. Furthermore, we simulated the He I signal with a spherically symmetric 1D hydrodynamic model, finding that the upper atmosphere of HD 235088 b escapes hydrodynamically with a significant mass loss rate of (1.5-5) × 1010 g s-1 in a relatively cold outflow, with T = 3125 ±375 K, in the photon-limited escape regime. HD 235088 b (Rp = 2.045 ± 0.075 R⊕) is the smallest planet found to date with a solid atmospheric detection - not just of He I but any other atom or molecule. This positions it a benchmark planet for further analyses of evolving young sub-Neptune atmospheres.
|
|
| 9. |
- Hidalgo, D., et al.
(author)
-
Three planets transiting the evolved star EPIC 249893012: a hot 8.8-Mearth super-Earth and two warm 14.7 and 10.2-Mearth sub-Neptunes
- 2020
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 636
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report the discovery of a new planetary system with three transiting planets, one super-Earth and two sub-Neptunes, that orbit EPIC 249893012, a G8 IV-V evolved star (M⋆ = 1.05 ± 0.05 M☉, R⋆ = 1.71 ± 0.04 R☉, Teff = 5430 ± 85 K). The star is just leaving the main sequence. We combined K2 photometry with IRCS adaptive-optics imaging and HARPS, HARPS-N, and CARMENES high-precision radial velocity measurements to confirm the planetary system, determine the stellar parameters, and measure radii, masses, and densities of the three planets. With an orbital period of 3.5949-0.0007+0.0007days, a mass of 8.75-1.08+1.09 M⊕, and a radius of 1.95-0.08+0.09 R⊕, the inner planet b is compatible with nickel-iron core and a silicate mantle (ρb = 6.39-1.04+1.19 g cm-3). Planets c and d with orbital periods of 15.624-0.001+0.001 and 35.747-0.005+0.005 days, respectively, have masses and radii of 14.67-1.89+1,84 M⊕ and 3.67-0.14+0.17 R⊕ and 10.18-2.42+2.46 M⊕ and 3.94-0.12+0.13 R⊕, respectively, yielding a mean density of 1.62-0.29+0.30 and 0.91-0.23+0.25 g cm-3, respectively. The radius of planet b lies in the transition region between rocky and gaseous planets, but its density is consistent with a rocky composition. Its semimajor axis and the corresponding photoevaporation levels to which the planet has been exposed might explain its measured density today. In contrast, the densities and semimajor axes of planets c and d suggest a very thick atmosphere. The singularity of this system, which orbits a slightly evolved star that is just leaving the main sequence, makes it a good candidate for a deeper study from a dynamical point of view.
|
|
| 10. |
- Dorn, R. J., et al.
(author)
-
CRIRES+ on sky at the ESO Very Large Telescope : Observing the Universe at infrared wavelengths and high spectral resolution
- 2023
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 671
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The CRyogenic InfraRed Echelle Spectrograph (CRIRES) Upgrade project CRIRES+ extended the capabilities of CRIRES. It transformed this VLT instrument into a cross-dispersed spectrograph to increase the wavelength range that is covered simultaneously by up to a factor of ten. In addition, a new detector focal plane array of three Hawaii 2RG detectors with a 5.3 mu m cutoff wavelength replaced the existing detectors. Amongst many other improvements, a new spectropolarimetric unit was added and the calibration system has been enhanced. The instrument was installed at the VLT on Unit Telescope 3 at the beginning of 2020 and successfully commissioned and verified for science operations during 2021, partly remotely from Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The instrument was subsequently offered to the community from October 2021 onwards. This article describes the performance and capabilities of the upgraded instrument and presents on sky results.
|
|
