The M dwarf GJ 436 hosts a transiting warm Neptune known to experience atmospheric escape. Previous observations revealed the presence of a giant hydrogen exosphere transiting the star for more than ...5 h, and absorbing up to 56% of the flux in the blue wing of the stellar Lyman-α line of neutral hydrogen (H i Lyα). The unexpected size of this comet-like exosphere prevented observing the full transit of its tail. In this Letter, we present new Lyα observations of GJ 436 obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. The stability of the Lyα line over six years allowed us to combine these new observations with archival data sets, substantially expanding the coverage of the exospheric transit. Hydrogen atoms in the tail of the exospheric cloud keep occulting the star for 10–25 h after the transit of the planet, remarkably confirming a previous prediction based on 3D numerical simulations with the EVaporating Exoplanet code (EVE). This result strengthens the interpretation that the exosphere of GJ 436b is shaped by both radiative braking and charge exchanges with the stellar wind. We further report flux decreases of 15 ± 2% and 47 ± 10% in the red wing of the Lyα line and in the line of ionised silicon (Si iii). Despite some temporal variability possibly linked with stellar activity, these two signals occur during the exospheric transit and could be of planetary origin. Follow-up observations will be required to assess the possibility that the redshifted Lyα and Si iii absorption signatures arise from interactions between the exospheric flow and the magnetic field of the star.
The combination of high-contrast imaging and high-dispersion spectroscopy, which has successfully been use to detect the atmosphere of a giant planet, is one of the most promising potential probes of ...the atmosphere of Earth-size worlds. The forthcoming generation of extremely large telescopes (ELTs) may obtain sufficient contrast with this technique to detect O2 in the atmosphere of those worlds that orbit low-mass M dwarfs. This is strong motivation to carry out a census of planets around cool stars for which habitable zones can be resolved by ELTs, i.e. for M dwarfs within ~5 parsec. Our HARPS survey has been a major contributor to that sample of nearby planets. Here we report on our radial velocity observations of Ross 128 (Proxima Virginis, GJ447, HIP 57548), an M4 dwarf just 3.4 parsec away from our Sun. This source hosts an exo-Earth with a projected mass m sini = 1.35 M⊕ and an orbital period of 9.9 days. Ross 128 b receives less than 1.5 times as much flux as Earth from the Sun and its equilibrium ranges in temperature between 269 K for an Earth-like albedo and 213 K for a Venus-like albedo. Recent studies place it close to the inner edge of the conventional habitable zone. An 80-day long light curve from K2 campaign C01 demonstrates that Ross 128 b does not transit. Together with the All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS) photometry and spectroscopic activity indices, the K2 photometry shows that Ross 128 rotates slowly and has weak magnetic activity. In a habitability context, this makes survival of its atmosphere against erosion more likely. Ross 128 b is the second closest known exo-Earth, after Proxima Centauri b (1.3 parsec), and the closest temperate planet known around a quiet star. The 15 mas planet-star angular separation at maximum elongation will be resolved by ELTs (>3λ∕D) in the optical bands of O2.
We present high-resolution near-infrared spectropolarimetric observations using the SPIRou instrument at Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) during a transit of the recently detected young planet ...AU Mic b, with supporting spectroscopic data from iSHELL at NASA InfraRed Telescope Facility. We detect Zeeman signatures in the Stokes
V
profiles and measure a mean longitudinal magnetic field of ¯
B
ℓ
= 46.3 ± 0.7 G. Rotationally modulated magnetic spots likely cause long-term variations of the field with a slope of d
B
ℓ
/d
t
= −108.7 ± 7.7 G d
−1
. We apply the cross-correlation technique to measure line profiles and obtain radial velocities through CCF template matching. We find an empirical linear relationship between radial velocity and
B
ℓ
, which allows us to estimate the radial-velocity induced by stellar activity through rotational modulation of spots for the five hours of continuous monitoring of AU Mic with SPIRou. We model the corrected radial velocities for the classical Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, using MCMC to sample the posterior distribution of the model parameters. This analysis shows that the orbit of AU Mic b is prograde and aligned with the stellar rotation axis with a sky-projected spin-orbit obliquity of
λ
= 0°
−15°
+18°
. The aligned orbit of AU Mic b indicates that it formed in the protoplanetary disk that evolved into the current debris disk around AU Mic.
The naked-eye star 55 Cancri hosts a planetary system with five known planets, including a hot super-Earth (55 Cnc e) extremely close to its star and a farther out giant planet (55 Cnc b), found in ...milder irradiation conditions with respect to other known hot Jupiters. This system raises important questions on the evolution of atmospheres for close-in exoplanets, and the dependence with planetary mass and irradiation. These questions can be addressed by Lyman-α transit observations of the extended hydrogen planetary atmospheres, complemented by contemporaneous measurements of the stellar X-ray flux. In fact, planet “e” has been detected in transit, suggesting the system is seen nearly edge-on. Yet, planet “b” has not been observed in transit so far. Here, we report on Hubble Space Telescope STIS Lyα and Chandra ACIS-S X-ray observations of 55 Cnc. These simultaneous observations cover two transits of 55 Cnc e and two inferior conjunctions of 55 Cnc b. They reveal the star as a bright Lyα target and a variable X-ray source. While no significant signal is detected during the transits of 55 Cnc e, we detect a surprising Lyα absorption of 7.5 ± 1.8% (4.2σ) at inferior conjunctions of 55 Cnc b. The absorption is only detected over the range of Doppler velocities where the stellar radiation repels hydrogen atoms towards the observer. We calculate a false-alarm probability of 4.4%, which takes the a-priori unknown transit parameters into account. This result suggests the possibility that 55 Cnc b has an extended upper H i atmosphere, which undergoes partial transits when the planet grazes the stellar disc. If confirmed, it would show that planets cooler than hot Jupiters can also have extended atmospheres.
Context. The search for extra-solar planets similar to Earth is becoming a reality, but as the level of the measured radial-velocity reaches the sub-m s-1, stellar intrinsic sources of noise capable ...of hiding the signal of these planets from scrutiny become more important. Aims: Other stars are known to have magnetic cycles similar to that of the Sun. The relationship between these activity variations and the observed radial-velocity is still not satisfactorily understood. Following our previous work, which studied the correlation between activity cycles and long-term velocity variations for K dwarfs, we now expand it to the lower end of the main sequence. In this first paper our aim is to assess the long-term activity variations in the low end of the main sequence, having in mind a planetary search perspective. Methods: We used a sample of 30 M0-M5.5 stars from the HARPS M-dwarf planet search program with a median timespan of observations of 5.2 years. We computed chromospheric activity indicators based on the Ca ii H and K, Hα, He i D3, and Na i D1 and D2 lines. All data were binned to average out undesired effects such as rotationally modulated atmospheric inhomogeneities. We searched for long-term variability of each index and determined the correlations between them. Results: While the SCa II, Hα, and Na i indices showed significant variability for a fraction of our stellar sample (39%, 33%, and 37%, respectively), only 10% of our stars presented significant variability in the He i index. We therefore conclude that this index is a poor activity indicator at least for this type of stars. Although the Hα shows good correlation with SCa II for the most active stars, the correlation is lost when the activity level decreases. This result appears to indicate that the Ca ii - Hα correlation is dependent on the activity level of the star. The Na i lines correlate very well with the SCa II index for the stars with low activity levels we used, and are thus a good chromospheric activity proxy for early-M dwarfs. We therefore strongly recommend the use of the Na i activity index because the signal-to-noise ratio in the sodium lines spectral region is always higher than for the calcium lines. Based on observations made with the HARPS instrument on the ESO 3.6-m telescope at La Silla Observatory under programme ID 072.C-0488(E).
Context.
Different relationships between the H
α
and Ca II chromospheric emissions have been reported in solar-type stars. In particular, the time-series of emissions in these two lines are clearly ...anti-correlated for a few percent of the stars, contrary to what is observed on the Sun.
Aims.
Our objective is to characterise these relationships in more detail using complementary criteria, and to constrain the properties of filaments and plages that are necessary to explain the observations.
Methods.
We analysed the average level and variability of the H
α
and Ca II emission for 441 F-G-K stars, paying particular attention to their (anti-)correlations on both short and long timescales. We also computed synthetic H
α
and Ca II time-series for different assumptions of plage and filament properties and compared them with the observations.
Results.
We were not able to find plage properties that, alone, are sufficient to reproduce the observations at all timescales simultaneously, even when allowing different H
α
and Ca II emission relationships for different stars. We also specified the complex and surprising relationship between the average activity levels of both indexes, in particular for low-activity stars.
Conclusions.
We conclude that plages alone are unlikely to explain the observed variety of relationships between Ca II and H
α
emission, and that the presence of other phenomena like filaments may help to reconcile the models with observations.
Abstract
Based on optical high-resolution spectra obtained with CFHT/ESPaDOnS, we present new measurements of activity and magnetic field proxies of 442 low-mass K5–M7 dwarfs. The objects were ...analysed as potential targets to search for planetary-mass companions with the new spectropolarimeter and high-precision velocimeter, SPIRou. We have analysed their high-resolution spectra in an homogeneous way: circular polarization, chromospheric features and Zeeman broadening of the FeH infrared line. The complex relationship between these activity indicators is analysed; while no strong connection is found between the large-scale and small-scale magnetic fields, the latter relates with the non-thermal flux originating in the chromosphere. We then examine the relationship between various activity diagnostics and the optical radial-velocity (RV) jitter available in the literature, especially for planet host stars. We use this to derive for all stars an activity merit function (higher for quieter stars) with the goal of identifying the most favourable stars, where the RV jitter is low enough for planet searches. We find that the main contributors to the RV jitter are the large-scale magnetic field and the chromospheric non-thermal emission. In addition, three stars (GJ 1289, GJ 793 and GJ 251) have been followed along their rotation using the spectropolarimetric mode, and we derive their magnetic topology. These very slow rotators are good representatives of future SPIRou targets. They are compared to other stars, where the magnetic topology is also known. The poloidal component of the magnetic field is predominent in all three stars.
Context. The temperate Earth-mass planet Proxima b is the closest exoplanet to Earth and represents what may be our best ever opportunity to search for life outside the Solar System. Aims. We aim at ...directly detecting Proxima b and characterizing its atmosphere by spatially resolving the planet and obtaining high-resolution reflected-light spectra. Methods. We propose to develop a coupling interface between the SPHERE high-contrast imager and the new ESPRESSO spectrograph, both installed at ESO VLT. The angular separation of 37 mas between Proxima b and its host star requires the use of visible wavelengths to spatially resolve the planet on a 8.2-m telescope. At an estimated planet-to-star contrast of ~10-7 in reflected light, Proxima b is extremely challenging to detect with SPHERE alone. However, the combination of a ~103–104 contrast enhancement from SPHERE to the high spectral resolution of ESPRESSO can reveal the planetary spectral features and disentangle them from the stellar ones. Results. We find that significant but realistic upgrades to SPHERE and ESPRESSO would enable a 5σ detection of the planet and yield a measurement of its true mass and albedo in 20–40 nights of telescope time, assuming an Earth-like atmospheric composition. Moreover, it will be possible to probe the O2 bands at 627, 686 and 760 nm, the water vapour band at 717 nm, and the methane band at 715 nm. In particular, a 3.6σ detection of O2 could be made in about 60 nights of telescope time. Those would need to be spread over three years considering optimal observability conditions for the planet. Conclusions. The very existence of Proxima b and the SPHERE-ESPRESSO synergy represent a unique opportunity to detect biosignatures on an exoplanet in the near future. It is also a crucial pathfinder experiment for the development of extremely large telescopes and their instruments, in particular the E-ELT and its high-resolution visible and near-IR spectrograph.
High-precision spectrographs play a key role in exoplanet searches and Doppler asteroseismology using the radial velocity technique. The 1 m s-1level of precision requires very high stability and ...uniformity of the illumination of the spectrograph. In fiber-fed spectrographs such as SOPHIE, the fiber-link scrambling properties are one of the main conditions for high precision. To significantly improve the radial velocity precision of the SOPHIE spectrograph, which was limited to 5–6 m s-1, we implemented a piece of octagonal-section fiber in the fiber link. We present here the scientific validation of the upgrade of this instrument, demonstrating a real improvement. The upgraded instrument, renamed SOPHIE+, reaches radial velocity precision in the range of 1–2 m s-1. It is now fully efficient for the detection of low-mass exoplanets down to 5–10 M⊕ and for the identification of acoustic modes down to a few tens of cm s-1.
Metallicity of M dwarfs Neves, V; Bonfils, X; Santos, N C ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
03/2013, Letnik:
551
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Aims. The aim of this work is the study of the planet-metallicity and the planet-stellar mass correlations for M dwarfs from the HARPS GTO M dwarf subsample. Methods. We use a new method that takes ...advantage of the HARPS high-resolution spectra to increase the precision of metallicity, using previous photometric calibrations of Fe/H and effective temperature as starting values. Results. In this work we use our new calibration (rms = 0.08 dex) to study the planet-metallicity relation of our sample. The wellknown correlation for giant planet FGKM hosts with metallicity is present. Regarding Neptunians and smaller hosts no correlation is found but there is a hint that an anti-correlation with Fe/H may exist. We combined our sample with the California Planet Survey late-K and M-type dwarf sample to increase our statistics but found no new trends. We fitted a power law to the frequency histogram of the Jovian hosts for our sample and for the combined sample, f sub(p)= C10 super( alpha Fe/H), using two different approaches: a direct bin fitting and a Bayesian fitting procedure. We obtained a value for C between 0.02 and 0.04 and for alpha between 1.26 and 2.94. Regarding stellar mass, an hypothetical correlation with planets was discovered, but was found to be the result of a detection bias.
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