A Metal-biased Planet Search
Abstract
We have begun a metal-rich planet search project using the HARPS instrument in La Silla, Chile to target planets with a high potential to transit their host star and add to the number of bright benchmark transiting planets. The sample currently consists of 100, bright (7.5<=V<=9.5) solar-type stars (0.5<=B-V<=0.9) in the southern hemisphere which are both inactive (log R'HK<=-4.5) and metal-rich ([Fe/H]>=0.1 dex). We determined the chromospheric activity and metallicity status of our sample using high resolution FEROS spectra. We also introduce the first result from our HARPS planet search and show that the radial-velocity amplitude of this star is consistent with an orbiting planetary-mass companion (i.e. M sin i<0.5 MJ) with a period of ~5 days. We are currently engaged in follow-up to confirm this signal as a bonafide orbiting planet.
- Publication:
-
15th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun
- Pub Date:
- February 2009
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.3099144
- arXiv:
- arXiv:0810.0201
- Bibcode:
- 2009AIPC.1094..449J
- Keywords:
-
- 97.82.-j;
- 97.10.Bt;
- 95.55.-n;
- Extrasolar planetary systems;
- Star formation;
- Astronomical and space-research instrumentation;
- extrasolar planets;
- star formation;
- telescopes;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the Cool Stars 15 conference