HADES RV programme with HARPS-N at TNG XIV. A candidate super-Earth orbiting the M-dwarf GJ 9689 with a period close to half the stellar rotation period

TL;DR

This study reports the discovery of a super-Earth exoplanet orbiting the M-dwarf star GJ 9689, identified through radial velocity measurements that distinguish planetary signals from stellar activity over seven years.

Contribution

It presents the detection of a new super-Earth planet around an M-dwarf using long-term radial velocity data and advanced Gaussian Process analysis to separate stellar activity from planetary signals.

Findings

Discovery of GJ 9689 b with an 18.27-day orbit.

Identification of stellar rotation period at 39.31 days.

Validation of planetary signal independent of stellar activity.

Abstract

Context. It is now well-established that small, rocky planets are common around low-mass stars. However, the detection of such planets is challenged by the short-term activity of the host stars. Aims. The HArps-N red Dwarf Exoplanet Survey (HADES) program is a long-term project at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo aimed at the monitoring of nearby, early-type, M dwarfs, using the HARPS-N spectrograph to search for small, rocky planets. Methods. A total of 174 HARPS-N spectroscopic observations of the M0.5V-type star GJ 9689 taken over the past seven years have been analysed. We combined these data with photometric measurements to disentangle signals related to the stellar activity of the star from possible Keplerian signals in the radial velocity data. We run an MCMC analysis, applying Gaussian Process regression techniques to model the signals present in the data. Results. We identify two periodic signals in the radial velocity time series, with periods of 18.27 d, and 39.31 d. The analysis of the activity indexes, photometric data, and wavelength dependency of the signals reveals that the 39.31 d signal corresponds to the stellar rotation period. On the other hand, the 18.27 d signal shows no relation to any activity proxy or the first harmonic of the rotation period. We, therefore, identify it as a genuine Keplerian signal. The best-fit model describing the newly found planet, GJ 9689 b, corresponds to an period P$_{\rm b}$ = 18.27 $\pm$ 0.01 d, and a minimum mass M$_{\rm P}\sin i$ = 9.65 $\pm$ 1.41 M$_{\oplus}$.