CoRoT pictures transiting exoplanets

TL;DR

The paper reviews the progress in exoplanet detection and characterization, highlighting CoRoT's role in discovering diverse exoplanets and setting the stage for future missions like TESS and PLATO.

Contribution

It provides an overview of CoRoT's achievements in exoplanet discovery and characterization, emphasizing its pioneering role in the field.

Findings

Discovered about thirty new exoplanets with CoRoT

Enhanced understanding of giant exoplanet diversity

First telluric exoplanet detected by CoRoT

Abstract

The detection and characterization of exoplanets have made huge progresses since the first discoveries in the late nineties. In particular, the independent measurement of the mass and radius of planets, by combining the transit and radial-velociy techniques, allowed exploring their density and hence, their internal structure. With CoRoT (2007-2012), the pioneering CNES space-based mission in this investigation, about thirty new planets were characterized. CoRoT has enhanced the diversity of giant exoplanets and discovered the first telluric exoplanet. Following CoRoT, the NASA Kepler mission has extended our knowledge to small-size planets, multiple systems and planets orbiting binaries. Exploring these new worlds will continue with the NASA/TESS (2017) and ESA/PLATO (2024) missions.