The GAPS Programme at TNG

Context. Detecting and characterising exoworlds around very young stars (age ≤10 Myr) are key aspects of exoplanet demographic studies, especially for understanding the mechanisms and timescales of planet formation and migration. Any reliable theory for such physical phenomena requires a robust observational database to be tested. However, detection using the radial velocity method alone can be very challenging because the amplitude of the signals caused by the magnetic activity of such stars can be orders of magnitude larger than those induced even by massive planets. Aims. We observed the very young (~2 Myr) and very active star V830 Tau with the HARPS-N spectrograph between October 2017 and March 2020 to independently confirm and characterise the previously reported hot Jupiter V830 Tau b (Kb = 68 ± 11 m s−1; mb sin ib = 0.57 ± 0.10 MJup; Pb = 4.927 ± 0.008 d). Methods. Because of the observed ~1 km s−1 radial velocity scatter that can clearly be attributed to the magnetic activity of V830 Tau, we analysed radial velocities extracted with different pipelines and modelled them using several state-of-the-art tools. We devised injection-recovery simulations to support our results and characterise our detection limits. The analysis of the radial velocities was aided by a characterisation of the stellar activity using simultaneous photometric and spectroscopic diagnostics. Results. Despite the high quality of our HARPS-N data and the diversity of tests we performed, we were unable to detect the planet V830 Tau b in our data and cannot confirm its existence. Our simulations show that a statistically significant detection of the claimed planetary Doppler signal is very challenging. Conclusions. It is important to continue Doppler searches for planets around young stars, but utmost care must be taken in the attempt to overcome the technical difficulties to be faced in order to achieve their detection and characterisation. This point must be kept in mind when assessing their occurrence rate, formation mechanisms, and migration pathways, especially without evidence of their existence from photometric transits.

So close, so different: characterization of the K2-36 planetary system with HARPS-N

Context. K2-36 is a K dwarf orbited by two small (Rb = 1.43 ± 0.08 R⊕ and Rc = 3.2 ± 0.3 R⊕), close-in (ab = 0.022 au and ac = 0.054 au) transiting planets discovered by the Kepler/K2 space observatory. They are representatives of two distinct families of small planets (Rp < 4 R⊕) recently emerged from the analysis of Kepler data, with likely a different structure, composition and evolutionary pathways. Aims. We revise the fundamental stellar parameters and the sizes of the planets, and provide the first measurement of their masses and bulk densities, which we use to infer their structure and composition. Methods. We observed K2-36 with the HARPS-N spectrograph over ~3.5 yr, collecting 81 useful radial velocity measurements. The star is active, with evidence for increasing levels of magnetic activity during the observing time span. The radial velocity scatter is ~17 m s−1 due to the stellar activity contribution, which is much larger that the semi-amplitudes of the planetary signals. We tested different methods for mitigating the stellar activity contribution to the radial velocity time variations and measuring the planet masses with good precision. Results. We find that K2-36 is likely a ~1 Gyr old system, and by treating the stellar activity through a Gaussian process regression, we measured the planet masses mb = 3.9 ± 1.1 M⊕ and mc = 7.8 ± 2.3 M⊕. The derived planet bulk densities ρb = 7.2−2.1+2.5 g cm−3 and ρc = 1.3−0.5+0.7 g cm−3 point out that K2-36 b has a rocky, Earth-like composition, and K2-36 c is a low-density sub-Neptune. Conclusions. Composed of two planets with similar orbital separations but different densities, K2-36 represents an optimal laboratory for testing the role of the atmospheric escape in driving the evolution of close-in, low-mass planets after ~1 Gyr from their formation. Due to their similarities, we performed a preliminary comparative analysis between the systems K2-36 and Kepler-36, which we deem worthy of a more detailed investigation.

Large-scale Motion of Solar Filaments

Precise measurements of heliographic position of solar filaments were used for determination of the proper motion of solar filaments on the time-scale of days. The filaments have a tendency to make a shaking or waving of the external structure and to make a general movement of whole filament body, coinciding with the transport of the magnetic flux in the photosphere. The velocity scatter of individual measured points is about one order higher than the accuracy of measurements.