Lines of research: Exoplanetary Systems & Solar System (SEYSS)

Exoplanetary Systems & Solar System (SEYSS)

The area of planetary and solar systems involves several research groups working on Exoplanets, Solar System and Cultural Astronomy. Our main objectives are:

  • The detection and characterization of giant and rocky planets around nearby stars using the most advanced instruments (CARMENES, ESPRESSO, HARPS Norte y Sur, SONG, LCO, MUSCAT2) and space missions (CoRoT, Kepler K2, CHEOPS, TESS and PLATO). The group is particularly interested in the study of terrestrial planets in the habitable zone of their host stars where water can be in liquid form.
  • The characterization of the atmospheres of planets to know their structure and composition, both by transits and direct imaging, using ground-based telescopes such as GTC and space missions such as CHEOPS.
  • Investigate the formation of exoplanet systems by studying the chemical composition of planet host stars, and the dynamical evolution of exoplanets at their early stages of formation.
  • Study the physical properties of different families of minor bodies of the Solar System (asteroids, comets, trans-neptunian objects, etc.) to understand the origin and evolution of Solar System with GTC and space missions such as OSIRIS-REx.
  • The study of ancient cosmologies through cultural astronomy and the defense of cultural heritage through the astronomy.
  • Publication
    A 5M<SUB>Jup</SUB> non-transiting coplanar circumbinary planet around Kepler-1660AB
    Over a dozen transiting circumbinary planets have been discovered around eclipsing binaries. Transit detections are biased towards aligned planet and binary...
  • Publication
    A Blueprint for the Milky Way's Stellar Populations. IV. A String of Pearls-the Galactic Starburst Sequence
    We continue our series of papers on phase-space distributions of stars in the Milky Way based on photometrically derived metallicities and Gaia astrometry, with...
  • Publication
    A broadband thermal emission spectrum of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-18b
    Close-in giant exoplanets with temperatures greater than 2,000 K (`ultra-hot Jupiters') have been the subject of extensive efforts to determine their...
  • Publication
    A Candidate Location for Planet Nine from an Interstellar Meteoroid: The Messenger Hypothesis
    The existence of a hypothetical Planet Nine lurking in the outer solar system has been invoked as a plausible explanation for the anomalous clustering in the...
  • Publication
    A candidate short-period sub-Earth orbiting Proxima Centauri
    Context. Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the Sun. This small, low-mass, mid M dwarf is known to host an Earth-mass exoplanet with an orbital period of...
  • Publication
    A candidate super-Earth planet orbiting near the snow line of Barnard's star
    Barnard's star is a red dwarf, and has the largest proper motion (apparent motion across the sky) of all known stars. At a distance of 1.8 parsecs1, it is the...
  • Publication
    A Cautionary Tale: MARVELS Brown Dwarf Candidate Reveals Itself to be a Very Long Period, Highly Eccentric Spectroscopic Stellar Binary
    We report the discovery of a highly eccentric, double-lined spectroscopic binary star system (TYC 3010-1494-1), comprising two solar-type stars that we had...
  • Publication
    A census of very-low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in the σ Orionis cluster
    Context: The knowledge of the initial mass function (IMF) in open clusters constitutes one way of constraining the formation of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs...
  • Publication
    A Chemical and Kinematical Analysis of the Intermediate-age Open Cluster IC 166 from APOGEE and Gaia DR2
    IC 166 is an intermediate-age open cluster (OC) (˜1 Gyr) that lies in the transition zone of the metallicity gradient in the outer disk. Its location, combined...