Spectroscopic characterisation of CARMENES target candidates from FEROS, CAFE and HRS high-resolution spectra

TL;DR

This study characterizes M-dwarf stars in the CARMENES survey using high-resolution spectra to determine fundamental stellar parameters, aiding in the detection of low-mass exoplanets in habitable zones.

Contribution

It provides a detailed spectroscopic analysis of approximately 480 M-dwarfs using advanced models, establishing a baseline for the CARMENES target selection and preliminary exoplanet search results.

Findings

Good agreement between models and observed spectra.

Parameter and spectral type distributions characterized.

Initial results from CARMENES spectra presented.

Abstract

CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exoearths with Near-infrared and optical Echelle Spectrographs) started a new planet survey on M-dwarfs in January this year. The new high-resolution spectrographs are operating in the visible and near-infrared at Calar Alto Observatory. They will perform high-accuracy radial-velocity measurements (goal 1 m s-1) of about 300 M-dwarfs with the aim to detect low-mass planets within habitable zones. We characterised the candidate sample for CARMENES and provide fundamental parameters for these stars in order to constrain planetary properties and understand star-planet systems. Using state-of-the-art model atmospheres (PHOENIX-ACES) and chi2-minimization with a downhill-simplex method we determine effective temperature, surface gravity and metallicity [Fe/H] for high-resolution spectra of around 480 stars of spectral types M0.0-6.5V taken with FEROS, CAFE and HRS. We find good agreement between the models and our observed high-resolution spectra. We show the performance of the algorithm, as well as results, parameter and spectral type distributions for the CARMENES candidate sample, which is used to define the CARMENES target sample. We also present first preliminary results obtained from CARMENES spectra.