We report on observations aimed at searching for flux variations from the proposed IR counterpart of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar (AXP) XTE J1810-197. These data, obtained in March 2004 with the ...adaptive optics camera NAOS-CONICA at the ESO VLT, show that the candidate proposed by Israel et al. (2004a, ApJ, 603, L97) was fainter by Delta H = 0.7 plus or minus 0.2 and Delta K sub(s) = 0.5 plus or minus 0.1 with respect to October 2003, confirming it as the IR counterpart of XTE J1810-197. We also report on an XMM-Newton observation carried out the day before the VLT observations. The 0.5-10 keV absorbed flux of the source was 2.2 x 10 super(-11) erg cm super(-2) s super(-1), which is less by a factor of about two compared to the previous XMM-Newton observation on September 2003. Therefore, we conclude that a similar flux decrease took place in the X-ray and IR bands. We briefly discuss these results in the framework of the proposed mechanism(s) responsible for the IR variable emission of AXPs.
The precision of radial velocity (RV) measurements depends on the precision attained on the wavelength calibration. One of the available options is to use atmospheric lines as a natural, freely ...available wavelength reference. Figueira et al. measured the RV of O2 lines using High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) and showed that the scatter was only of ∼10 m s−1 over a time-scale of 6 yr. Using a simple but physically motivated empirical model, they demonstrated a precision of 2 m s−1, roughly twice the average photon noise contribution. In this paper, we take advantage of a unique opportunity to confirm the sensitivity of the telluric absorption lines' RV to different atmospheric and observing conditions by means of contemporaneous in situ wind measurements. This opportunity is a result of the work done during site testing and characterization for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The HARPS spectrograph was used to monitor telluric standards while contemporaneous atmospheric data were collected using radiosondes. We quantitatively compare the information recovered by the two independent approaches.
The RV model fitting yielded results similar to that of Figueira et al., with lower wind magnitude values and varied wind direction. The probes confirmed the average low wind magnitude and suggested that the average wind direction is a function of time as well. However, these results are affected by large uncertainty bars that probably result from a complex wind structure as a function of height. The two approaches deliver the same results in what concerns wind magnitude and agree on wind direction when fitting is done in segments of a couple of hours. Statistical tests show that the model provides a good description of the data on all time-scales, being always preferable to not fitting any atmospheric variation. The smaller the time-scale on which the fitting can be performed (down to a couple of hours), the better the description of the real physical parameters is. We then conclude that the two methods deliver compatible results, down to better than 5 m s−1 and less than twice the estimated photon noise contribution on O2 lines' RV measurement. However, we cannot rule out that parameters α and γ (dependence on airmass and zero-point, respectively) have a dependence on time or exhibit some cross-talk with other parameters, an issue suggested by some of the results.
The star GJ 676A is an M0 dwarf hosting both gas-giant and super-Earth-type planets that were discovered with radial-velocity measurements. Using FORS2/VLT, we obtained position measurements of the ...star in the plane of the sky that tightly constrain its astrometric reflex motion caused by the super-Jupiter planet “b” in a 1052-day orbit. This allows us to determine the mass of this planet to be Mb = 6.7+1.8-1.5 MJ, which is ~40% higher than the minimum mass inferred from the radial-velocity orbit. Using new HARPS radial-velocity measurements, we improve upon the orbital parameters of the inner low-mass planets “d” and “e” and we determine the orbital period of the outer giant planet “c” to be Pc = 7340 days under the assumption of a circular orbit. The preliminary minimum mass of planet “c” is Mcsini = 6.8 MJ with an upper limit of ~39 MJ that we set using NACO/VLT high-contrast imaging. We also determine precise parallaxes and relative proper motions for both GJ 676A and its wide M3 companion GJ 676B. Although the system is probably quite mature, the masses and projected separations (~0.̋1–0.̋4) of planets “b” and “c” make them promising targets for direct imaging with future instruments in space and on extremely large telescopes. In particular, we estimate that GJ 676A b and GJ 676A c are promising targets for directly detecting their reflected light with the WFIRST space mission. Our study demonstrates the synergy of radial-velocity and astrometric surveys that is necessary to identify the best targets for such a mission.
Context.
Radial velocity (RV) measurements induced by the presence of planets around late-type stars are contaminated by stellar signals that are on the order of a few meters per second in amplitude, ...even for the quietest stars. Those signals are induced by acoustic oscillations, convective granulation patterns, active regions corotating with the stellar surface, and magnetic activity cycles.
Aims.
This study investigates the properties of all coherent stellar signals seen on the Sun on timescales up to its sidereal rotational period. By combining HARPS and HARPS-N solar data spanning several years, we are able to clearly resolve signals on timescales from minutes to several months.
Methods.
We used a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) mixture model to determine the quality of the solar data based on the expected airmass–magnitude extinction law. We then fit the velocity power spectrum of the cleaned and heliocentric RVs with all known variability sources, to recreate the RV contribution of each component.
Results.
After rejecting variations caused by poor weather conditions, we were able to improve the average intra-day root mean square (rms) value by a factor of ∼1.8. On sub-rotational timescales, we were able to fully recreate the observed rms of the RV variations. In order to also include rotational components and their strong alias peaks introduced by nightly sampling gaps, the alias powers were accounted for by being redistributed to the central frequencies of the rotational harmonics.
Conclusions.
In order to enable a better understanding and mitigation of stellar activity sources, their respective impact on the total RV must be well measured and characterized. We were able to recreate RV components up to rotational timescales, which can be further used to analyze the impact of each individual source of stellar signals on the detectability of exoplanets orbiting very quiet solar-type stars and test the observational strategies of RV surveys.
Context. As a probe of the metallicity of proto-planetary disks, stellar metallicity is an important ingredient for giant planet formation, most likely through its effect on the timescales in which ...rocky or icy planet cores can form. Giant planets have been found to be more frequent around metal-rich stars, in agreement with predictions based on the core-accretion theory. In the metal-poor regime, however, the frequency of planets, especially low-mass planets, and the way it depends on metallicity are still largely unknown. Aims. As part of a planet search programme focused on metal-poor stars, we study the targets from this survey that were observed with HARPS on more than 75 nights. The main goals are to assess the presence of low-mass planets and provide a first estimate of the frequency of Neptunes and super-Earths around metal-poor stars. Methods. We performed a systematic search for planetary companions, both by analysing the periodograms of the radial-velocities and by comparing, in a statistically meaningful way, models with an increasing number of Keplerians. Results. A first constraint on the frequency of planets in our metal-poor sample is calculated considering the previous detection (in our sample) of a Neptune-sized planet around HD 175607 and one candidate planet (with an orbital period of 68.42 d and minimum mass Mpsini = 11.14 ± 2.47 M⊕) for HD 87838, announced in the present study. This frequency is determined to be close to 13% and is compared with results for solar-metallicity stars.
We present the detections of three multiple systems within the HARPS volume-limited sample. Among the six planets discussed in this paper, we have identified a “super-Earth” planet with a minimum ...mass of 6.6 M(Earth) and a “Neptune” planet with minimum mass of 18 M(Earth), both orbiting their parent stars within a distance of 0.05 AU and a period of approximately four days. These detections strengthen the argument that low-mass planets are primarily found in multiple-planetary systems.
We report the detection of four new extrasolar planets in orbit around the moderately active stars HD 63765, HD 104067, HIP 70849, and HD 125595 with the HARPS Echelle spectrograph mounted on the ESO ...3.6-m telescope at La Silla. The first planet, HD 63765 b, has a minimum mass of 0.64 M-Jup, a period of 358 days, and an eccentricity of 0.24. It orbits a G9 dwarf at 0.94 AU. The second planet, HD 104067 b, is a 3.6 Neptune-mass-planet with a 55.8-day-period. It orbits its parent K2 dwarf, in a circular orbit with a semi-major axis of a = 0.26 AU. Radial velocity measurements present a approximate to 500-day-oscillation that reveals significant magnetic cycles. The third planet is a 0.77 Neptune-mass-planet in circular orbit around the K4 dwarf, HD 12595, with a 9.67-day-period. Finally, HIP 7849 b is a long-period (5 \textless P \textless 75 years) and massive planet of msin i approximate to 3.5- 15 M-Jup that orbits a late K7 dwarf.
We are conducting a planet search survey with HARPS since seven years. The volume-limited stellar sample includes all F2 to M0 main-sequence stars within 57.5 pc, where extrasolar planetary ...signatures are systematically searched for with the radial-velocity technics. In this paper, we report the discovery of new substellar companions of seven main-sequence stars and one giant star, detected through multiple Doppler measurements with the instrument HARPS installed on the ESO 3.6 m telescope, La Silla, Chile. These extrasolar planets orbit the stars HD1690, HD25171, HD33473A, HD89839, HD113538, HD167677, and HD217786. The already-published giant planet around HD72659 is also analysed here, and its elements are better determined by the addition of HARPS and Keck data. The other discoveries are giant planets in distant orbits, ranging from 0.3 to 29 M-Jup in mass and between 0.7 and 10 years in orbital period. The low metallicity of most of these new planet-hosting stars reinforces the current trend for long-distance planets around metal-poor stars. Long-term radial-velocity surveys allow probing the outskirts of extrasolar planetary systems, although confidence in the solution may be low until more than one orbital period is fully covered by the observations. For many systems discussed in this paper, longer baselines are necessary to refine the radial-velocity fit and derive planetary parameters. The radial-velocity time series of stars BD-114672 and HIP 21934 are also analysed and their behaviour interpreted in terms of the activity cycle of the star, rather than long-period planetary companions.
ESPRESSO at VLT Pepe, F.; Cristiani, S.; Rebolo, R. ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
01/2021, Letnik:
645
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Context.
ESPRESSO is the new high-resolution spectrograph of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). It was designed for ultra-high radial-velocity (RV) precision and extreme spectral fidelity with the aim ...of performing exoplanet research and fundamental astrophysical experiments with unprecedented precision and accuracy. It is able to observe with any of the four Unit Telescopes (UTs) of the VLT at a spectral resolving power of 140 000 or 190 000 over the 378.2 to 788.7 nm wavelength range; it can also observe with all four UTs together, turning the VLT into a 16 m diameter equivalent telescope in terms of collecting area while still providing a resolving power of 70 000.
Aims.
We provide a general description of the ESPRESSO instrument, report on its on-sky performance, and present our Guaranteed Time Observation (GTO) program along with its first results.
Methods.
ESPRESSO was installed on the Paranal Observatory in fall 2017. Commissioning (on-sky testing) was conducted between December 2017 and September 2018. The instrument saw its official start of operations on October 1, 2018, but improvements to the instrument and recommissioning runs were conducted until July 2019.
Results.
The measured overall optical throughput of ESPRESSO at 550 nm and a seeing of 0.65″ exceeds the 10% mark under nominal astroclimatic conditions. We demonstrate an RV precision of better than 25 cm s
−1
during a single night and 50 cm s
−1
over several months. These values being limited by photon noise and stellar jitter shows that the performance is compatible with an instrumental precision of 10 cm s
−1
. No difference has been measured across the UTs, neither in throughput nor RV precision.
Conclusions.
The combination of the large collecting telescope area with the efficiency and the exquisite spectral fidelity of ESPRESSO opens a new parameter space in RV measurements, the study of planetary atmospheres, fundamental constants, stellar characterization, and many other fields.
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