Related papers: Comparison of different exoplanet mass detection l…
We explored two aspects of the problem of characterizing cool extrasolar giant planets in scattered optical light with a space based coronagraph. First, for a number of the known radial velocity (RV) giants we computed traditional forward…
We present simulations of multi-year RV follow up campaigns of the {\it TESS} small exoplanet yield on the Automated Planet Finder telescope, using four different schemes to sample the transiting planets' RV phase curves. For planets below…
I present an initial investigation into a new planet detection technique that uses the transit timing of a known, transiting planet. The transits of a solitary planet orbiting a star occur at equally spaced intervals in time. If a second…
Precise mass measurements of exoplanets discovered by the direct imaging or transit technique are required to determine planet bulk properties and potential habitability. Furthermore, it is generally acknowledged that, for the foreseeable…
The goal of this paper is to investigate the optimal parameters space for using the reloaded Rossiter-McLaughlin technique to detect differential rotation (DR) and centre-to-limb convective variations. We simulated a star-planet system with…
In contrast to radial velocity surveys, results from microlensing surveys indicate that giant planets with masses greater than the critical mass for core accretion ($\sim 0.1~M_{\rm Jup}$) are relatively common around low-mass stars. Using…
Aims. To date, more than 600 multi-planetary systems have been discovered. Due to the limitations of the detection methods, our knowledge of the systems is usually far from complete. In particular, for planetary systems discovered with the…
We present a detection criterion for exo-planets to be used with the space mission COROT. This criterion is based on the transit method, which suggests the observation of star dimming caused by partial occulations by planetary companions.…
The quest for Earth-like, extrasolar planets (exoplanets), especially those located inside the habitable zone of their host stars, requires techniques sensitive enough to detect the faint signals produced by those planets. The radial…
One of the great quests of astronomy is to obtain the spectrum of a terrestrial planet orbiting within the habitable zone of its star, and the dominant challenge in doing so is to isolate the light of the planet from that of the star.…
Kepler will monitor enough stars that it is likely to detect single transits of planets with periods longer than the mission lifetime. We show that by combining the Kepler photometry of such transits with precise radial velocity (RV)…
Extreme precision radial velocity (EPRV) surveys usually require extensive observational baselines to confirm planetary candidates, making them resource-intensive. Traditionally, periodograms are used to identify promising candidate signals…
We report the discovery of long-period radial velocity (RV) variations in six intermediate-mass K-giant stars using precise RV measurements. These discoveries are part of the Search for Exoplanets around Northern Circumpolar Stars (SENS)…
Stars show various amounts of radial velocity (RV) jitter due to varying stellar activity levels. The typical amount of RV jitter as a function of stellar age and observational timescale has not yet been systematically quantified, although…
Co-rotating spots at different latitudes on the stellar surface generate periodic photometric variability and can be useful proxies to detect Differential Rotation (DR). DR is a major ingredient of the solar dynamo but observations of…
Jupiter-mass planets with large semi-major axes ($a > 1.0$ AU) occur at a higher rate around evolved intermediate mass stars. There is a pronounced paucity of close-in ($a < 0.6$ AU), intermediate period ($5 < P < 100$ days), low-mass…
We develop a general method to fit the planetary distribution function (PLDF) to exoplanet survey data. This maximum likelihood method accommodates more than one planet per star and any number of planet or target star properties.…
We report on a survey devoted for the search of exo-planets around young and nearby stars carried out with NACO at the VLT. The detection limit for 28 among the best available targets vs. the angular separation from the star is presented.…
Of the approximately 350 extrasolar planets currently known, of order 10% orbit evolved stars with radii R >~ 2.5 R_sun. These planets are of particular interest because they tend to orbit more massive hosts, and have been subjected to…
We quantify the scientific potential for exoplanet imaging with the Mid-infrared E-ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS) foreseen as one of the instruments of the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). We focus on two main science cases:…