High Precision Near Infrared Velocimetry: Reduction, Optimization, and Analysis of Data from the CARMENES Survey

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ansgar Reiners
• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2014 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 268189529

With the goal to discover Earth-like extrasolar planets aroundlow-mass stars, the CARMENES project will start in 2015 to obtainhigh-precision near-infrared spectroscopy from several hundredstars. Novel data extraction and analysis algorithms are required tosuccessfully apply high-precision velocimetry methods at longwavelengths. We propose to optimize data extraction and analysistechniques for m/s Doppler measurements at near-infrared wavelengths,which is central to several upcoming and planned velocimetry missions,to utilize our tools to maximize the performance of the CARMENESsurvey, and to search for planets in this survey. The proposal hasthree main scientific goals: (i) the optimization of data extractionand analysis techniques for the use at near-infrared wavelengths, (ii)the search for extrasolar planets, and (iii) the extraction ofhigh-quality spectra from the CARMENES stars.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants