arXiv subjects

C. Di Maio

Publications and source records attributed to C. Di Maio.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The GAPS Programme at TNG. LXXIII. Confirmation of the hot sub-Neptune TOI-4602 b (HD 25295 b), a key target for future atmospheric characterization

Precise mass and radius measurements of small, transitional exoplanets, such as super-Earths and sub-Neptunes, are essential to constrain their bulk density and formation history, serving as prerequisites for atmospheric characterization. The ArMS Large Programme, carried out within GAPS using the HARPS-N spectrograph at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, aims to confirm and characterize transitional planets in the radius valley through high-precision radial-velocity (RV) measurements. The ultimate goal is to identify ideal targets for atmospheric follow-up observations with next-generation facilities like the James Webb Space Telescope and the future ESA Ariel satellite. We present the first mass determination of a sub-Neptune planet using data entirely collected within the ArMS programme, focusing on the validated planet TOI-4602b. We monitored TOI-4602, which hosts a close-in validated sub-Neptune (P ~ 3.98 d) detected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), searching for planet-induced RV variations. We then performed a joint analysis of these RV measurements together with the TESS photometric data. We determined that TOI-4602b is a sub-Neptune with a radius of Rp = 2.5 Rearth and a mass of Mp = 5.5 Mearth. The resulting bulk density (rho_p = 2.1 ) and atmospheric evolution modelling suggest the planet is retaining a tenuous envelope while evolving toward a bare core, consistent with a position immediately above the radius valley. g cm^ -3 Given its bright (V = 8.4) and quiet host star and the high Transmission Spectroscopy Metric (TSM) value (140 +/- 54), TOI-4602,b is a prime target for atmospheric characterization. Simulated retrievals indicate that JWST and Ariel can effectively constrain its atmospheric composition, offering a unique window into the physical processes driving the sub-Neptune to super-Earth transition.

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arXiv2026

The GAPS programme at TNG LXXI. A sub-Neptune suitable for atmospheric characterization in a multiplanet and mutually inclined system orbiting the bright K dwarf TOI-5789 (HIP 99452)

Sub-Neptunes with planetary radii of $R_{p} \simeq 2-4 R_{\oplus}$ are the most common planets around solar-type stars in short-period ($P<100$ d) orbits. It is still unclear, however, what their most likely composition is, that is whether they are predominantly gas dwarfs or water worlds. The sub-Neptunes orbiting bright host stars are very valuable because they are suitable for atmospheric characterization, which can break the well-known degeneracy in planet composition from the planet bulk density, when combined with a precise and accurate mass measurement. Here we report on the characterization of the sub-Neptune TOI-5789 c, which transits in front of the bright ($V=7.3$ mag and $K_{s}=5.35$ mag) and magnetically inactive K1V dwarf HIP 99452 every 12.93 days, thanks to TESS photometry and 141 high-precision radial velocities obtained with the HARPS-N spectrograph. We find that its radius, mass, and bulk density are $R_{c}=2.86^{+0.18}_{-0.15} R_\oplus$, $M_{c}=5.00 \pm 0.50 M_\oplus$, and $ρ_{c}=1.16 \pm 0.23$ g cm$^{-3}$, and we show that TOI-5789 c is a promising target for atmospheric characterization with both JWST and, in the future, Ariel. By analyzing the HARPS-N radial velocities with different tools, we also detected three additional non-transiting planets, namely TOI-5789 b, d, and e, with orbital periods and minimum masses of $P_{b}=2.76$ d, $M_{b}\sin{i}=2.12 \pm 0.28 M_\oplus$, $P_{d}=29.6$ d, $M_{d}\sin{i}=4.29 \pm 0.68 M_\oplus$, and $P_{e}=63.0$ d, $M_{e}\sin{i}=11.61 \pm 0.97 M_\oplus$. TOI-5789 is a mutually inclined system as the difference between the orbital inclinations of planets b and c must be higher than $\sim4$ deg. Nevertheless, from sensitivity studies based on both the HARPS-N and archival HIRES radial-velocity measurements, we can exclude that these relatively high mutual inclinations are due to the perturbation by an outer gaseous giant planet.

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arXiv2026

The GAPS Programme at the TNG: LXX. TOI-5734b: A hot sub-Neptune orbiting a relatively young K dwarf with an Earth-like density

Increasing interest in young exoplanets is leading to a growing effort to understand the formation and evolutionary processes responsible for their different architectures. One interesting target is TOI-5734, a relatively young K3-K4 dwarf star ($500_{-150}^{+300}$ Myr) showing a transiting candidate in photometric observations followed up with high-resolution spectroscopic data. Using Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry and High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern hemisphere (HARPS-N) radial-velocity (RV) data, we aim to validate the presence of the companion TOI-5734b, measure its planetary mass, size, and its orbital parameters after having characterised its host star. We then aim to study its possible planetary composition and atmospheric evolution. By simultaneously modelling photometry and high-cadence RVs, we measured the radius, mass, and density of TOI-5734b precisely. In particular, we employed Gaussian processes (GPs) with a flexible kernel to discriminate between the stellar activity of the young host and planetary signals. We confirmed the planetary nature of TOI-5734b and measured its orbital period ($P_{\rm b}\sim6.18$ d), radius ($R_{\rm b} = 2.10^{+0.12}_{-0.12}$ $R_\oplus$), and mass ($M_{\rm b}=9.1^{+2.6}_{-2.6}$ $M_\oplus$). By measuring its density ($ρ_{\rm b}=0.98_{-0.30}^{+0.36}$ $ρ_\oplus$), we infer that TOI-5734b is close to having a rocky composition and an almost completely depleted primary envelope. Our results point toward the possibility of considering the target for atmospheric studies with present and future ground- and space-based facilities.

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arXiv2025

The GAPS Programme at TNG. LXIX.The Dayside of WASP-76b revealed by GIANO-B, HARPS-N and ESPRESSO: Evidence for Three-Dimensional Atmospheric Effects

The study of the atmosphere of ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) with equilibrium temperature $\geq$2000 K provides valuable insights into atmospheric physics under such extreme conditions. We aim to characterise the dayside thermal spectrum of the UHJ WASP-76b and investigate its properties. We analysed data gathered with three high-resolution spectrographs, specifically two nights with simultaneous observations of HARPS-N and GIANO-B, and four nights of publicly available ESPRESSO optical spectra. We observed the planet's dayside covering orbital phases between quadratures (0.25 < $ϕ$ < 0.75). We performed a homogeneous analysis of the GIANO-B, HARPS-N and ESPRESSO data and co-added the signal of thousands of planetary lines through cross-correlation with simulated spectra of the planetary atmosphere. We report the detection of CO in the dayside atmosphere of WASP-76b with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 10.4 in the GIANO-B spectra. In addition, we detect Fe I in both the HARPS-N and ESPRESSO datasets, with S/N of 3.5 and 6.2, respectively. A signal from Fe I is also identified in one of the two GIANO-B observations, with a S/N of 4.0. Interestingly, a qualitatively similar pattern - with a weaker detection in one epoch compared to the other - is also observed in the two HARPS-N nights. The GIANO-B results are therefore consistent with those obtained with HARPS-N. Finally, we compared our strongest detections of CO (GIANO-B) and Fe I (ESPRESSO), with predictions from Global Circulation Models (GCMs). Both cross-correlation and likelihood analyses favour the GCM that includes atmospheric dynamics over a static (no-dynamics) model when applied to the ESPRESSO data. This study adds to the growing body of literature employing GCMs to interpret high-resolution spectroscopic measurements of exoplanet atmospheres.

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arXiv2024

The GAPS programme at TNG -- LXIII. Photo-evaporating puzzle: Exploring the enigmatic nature of TOI-5398 b atmospheric signal

Atmospheric characterization is key to understanding exoplanetary systems, offering insights into the planets current and past conditions. By analyzing key lines like H alpha and the He I triplet, we can trace the evolution of planets through atmospheric photo-evaporation. While ultra-hot Jupiters have been the focus for years, attention is shifting toward smaller, colder planets, which are more challenging to study due to weaker signals, requiring more precise techniques. This study aims to characterize the atmosphere of TOI-5398 b, a warm Saturn with a 10.59-day orbit around a young (650 Myr) G-type star. The system also hosts a smaller inner planet, TOI-5398 c, with a 4.77-day orbit. Both planets are ideal for atmospheric studies due to their proximity to the host star, which drives strong photo-evaporation, especially in planet b, whose high transmission spectroscopy metric (288) makes it a prime target. We analyzed data from a transit observed with the HARPS-N and GIANO-B high-resolution spectrographs, using cross-correlation and single-line analysis to search for atomic species. During this observation, planet c was also transiting, so we investigated the source of the signals. Based on photo-evaporation models, we attribute the signal mainly to planet b, which is expected to lose more mass. We detected H alpha and He I triplets, key markers of photo-evaporation, corresponding to atmospheric heights of 2.33 Rp and 1.65 Rp, respectively. The ATES models supported our observations, predicting a similar He I absorption for planet b and suggesting an He/H ratio of 1/99. Additionally, we detected an Na I doublet via single-line analysis, though cross-correlation did not reveal other atomic species.

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arXiv2024

The GAPS programme at TNG: TBD. Studies of atmospheric FeII winds in ultra-hot Jupiters KELT-9b and KELT-20b using HARPS-N spectrograph

Ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) are gas giant planets orbiting close to their host star, with equilibrium temperatures exceeding 2000 K, and among the most studied planets in terms of their atmospheric composition. Thanks to a new generation of ultra-stable high-resolution spectrographs, it is possible to detect the signal from the individual lines of the species in the exoplanetary atmospheres. We employed two techniques in this study. First, we used transmission spectroscopy, which involved examining the spectra around single lines of FeII. Then we carried out a set of cross-correlation studies for two UHJs: KELT-9b and KELT-20b. Both planets orbit fast-rotating stars, which resulted in the detection of the strong Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) effect and center-to-limb variations in the transmission spectrum. These effects had to be corrected to ensure a precise analysis. Using the transmission spectroscopy method, we detected 21 single lines of FeII in the atmosphere of KELT-9b. All of the detected lines are blue-shifted, suggesting strong day-to-night side atmospheric winds. The cross-correlation method leads to the detection of the blue-shifted signal with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 13.46. Our results are in agreement with models based on non-local thermodynamical equilibrium (NLTE) effects, with a mean micro-turbulence of nu_mic = 2.73 +/- 1.5 km/s and macro-turbulence of nu_mac = 8.22 +/- 3.85 km/s. In the atmosphere of KELT-20b, we detected 17 single lines of FeII. Considering different measurements of the systemic velocity of the system, we conclude that the existence of winds in the atmosphere of KELT-20b cannot be determined conclusively. The detected signal with the cross-correlation method presents a S/N of 11.51. The results are consistent with NLTE effects, including means of nu_mic = 3.04 +/- 0.35 km/s and nu_mac = 6.76 +/- 1.17 km/s.

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arXiv2024

The GAPS programme at TNG LX Atmospheric characterisation of KELT-9 b via single-line analysis: Detection of six H I Balmer lines, Na I, Ca I, Ca II, Fe I, Fe II, Mg I, Ti II, Sc II, and Cr II

We analysed six primary transits of the ultra-hot Jupiter KELT-9,b obtained with the HARPS-N high-resolution spectrograph in the context of the Global Architecture of Planetary Systems (GAPS2) project, to characterise the atmosphere via single-line analysis. We extracted the transmission spectrum of each individual line by comparing the master out-of-transit spectrum with the in-transit spectra and computing the weighted average of the tomography in the planet reference frame. We corrected for the centre-to-limb variation and the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect by modelling the region of the star disc obscured by the planet during the transit and subtracting it from the master-out spectrum. We detected all six observable lines of the Balmer series within the HARPS-N wavelength range, from H$α$ to H$ζ$, with a significance exceeding 5$σ$. We focussed on metal species, detecting Na I, Ca I, Ca II, Fe I, Fe II, Mg I, Ti II, Sc II, and Cr II lines. This is the first detection in the atmosphere of an exoplanet of H$ε$ and H$ζ$ lines, as well as of individual lines of Sc II and Cr II. Our detections are supported by a comparison with published synthetic transmission spectra of KELT-9b obtained accounting for non-local thermodynamic equilibrium effects. The results underline the presence of a systematic blueshift due to night-side to day-side winds. The single-line analysis allowed us not only to assess the presence of atomic species in the atmosphere of KELT-9 b, but also to further characterise the local stratification of the atmosphere. Coupling the height distribution of the detected species with the velocity shift retrieved, we acknowledged the height distribution of night-side to day-side winds. Moreover, the study of the rotational broadening of different species supports the prediction of a tidally locked planet rotating as a rigid body.

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arXiv2024

The GAPS Programme at TNG. XXX: Characterization of the low-density gas giant HAT-P-67 b with GIARPS

HAT-P-67 b is one of the lowest-density gas giants known to date, making it an excellent target for atmospheric characterization through the transmission spectroscopy technique. In the framework of the GAPS large programme, we collected four transit events, with the aim of studying the exoplanet atmosphere and deriving the orbital projected obliquity. We exploited the high-precision GIARPS observing mode of the TNG, along with additional archival TESS photometry, to explore the activity level of the host star. We performed transmission spectroscopy, both in the VIS and in the nIR wavelength range, and analysed the RML effect both fitting the RVs and the Doppler shadow. Based on the TESS photometry, we redetermined the transit parameters of HAT-P-67 b. By modelling the RML effect, we derived a sky-projected obliquity of ($2.2\pm0.4$)° indicating an aligned planetary orbit. The chromospheric activity index $\log\,R^{\prime}_{\rm HK}$, the CCF profile, and the variability in the transmission spectrum of the H$α$ line suggest that the host star shows signatures of stellar activity and/or pulsations. We found no evidence of atomic or molecular species in the VIS transmission spectra, with the exception of pseudo-signals corresponding to Cr I, Fe I, H$α$, Na I, and Ti I. In the nIR range, we found an absorption signal of the He I triplet of 5.56$^{+0.29}_{-0.30}$%(19.0$σ$), corresponding to an effective planetary radius of $\sim$3$R_p$ (where $R_p\sim$2$R_J$) which extends beyond the planet's Roche Lobe radius. Owing to the stellar variability, together with the high uncertainty of the model, we could not confirm the planetary origin of the signals found in the optical transmission spectrum. On the other hand, we confirmed previous detections of the infrared He I triplet, providing a 19.0$σ$ detection. Our finding indicates that the planet's atmosphere is evaporating.

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arXiv2023

The GAPS programme at TNG LII. Spot modeling of V1298 Tau using SpotCCF tool

The intrinsic variability due to the magnetic activity of young active stars is one of the main challenges in detecting and characterising exoplanets. We present a method able to model the stellar photosphere and its surface inhomogeneities (starspots) in young/active and fast-rotating stars, based on the cross-correlation function (CCF) technique, to extract information about the spot configuration of the star. Within the Global Architecture of Planetary Systems (GAPS) Project at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, we analysed more than 300 spectra of the young planet-hosting star V1298 Tau provided by HARPS-N high-resolution spectrograph. By applying the SpotCCF model to the CCFs we extracted the spot configuration (latitude, longitude and projected filling factor) of this star, and also provided the new RVs time series of this target. We find that the features identified in the CCF profiles of V1298 Tau are modulated by the stellar rotation, supporting our assumption that they are caused by starspots. The analysis suggests a differential rotation velocity of the star with lower rotation at higher latitudes. Also, we find that SpotCCF provides an improvement in RVs extraction with a significantly lower dispersion with respect to the commonly used pipelines, with consequent mitigation of the stellar activity contribution modulated with stellar rotation. A detection sensitivity test, by the direct injection of a planetary signal into the data, confirmed that the SpotCCF model improves the sensitivity and ability to recover planetary signals. Our method enables the modelling of the stellar photosphere, extracting the spot configuration of young/active and rapidly rotating stars. It also allows for the extraction of optimised RV time series, thereby enhancing our detection capabilities for new exoplanets and advancing our understanding of stellar activity.

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arXiv2023

The GAPS programme at TNG XLIII. A massive brown dwarf orbiting the active M dwarf TOI-5375

Context. Massive substellar companions orbiting active low-mass stars are rare. They, however, offer an excellent opportunity to study the main mechanisms involved in the formation and evolution of substellar objects. Aims. We aim to unravel the physical nature of the transit signal observed by the TESS space mission on the active M dwarf TOI-5375. Methods. We analysed the available TESS photometric data as well as high-resolution (R $\sim$ 115000) HARPS-N spectra. We combined these data to characterise the star TOI-5375 and to disentangle signals related to stellar activity from the companion transit signal in the light-curve data. We ran an MCMC analysis to derive the orbital solution and apply state-of-the-art Gaussian process regression to deal with the stellar activity signal. Results. We reveal the presence of a companion in the brown dwarf / very-low-mass star boundary orbiting around the star TOI-5375. The best-fit model corresponds to a companion with an orbital period of 1.721564 $\pm$ 10$^{\rm -6}$ d, a mass of 77 $\pm$ 8 $M_{\rm J}$ and a radius of 0.99 $\pm$ 0.16 $R_{\rm J}$. Conclusions. We derive a rotation period for the host star of 1.9692 $\pm$ 0.0004 d, and we conclude that the star is very close to synchronising its rotation with the orbital period of the companion.

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arXiv2022

Analysis of the planetary mass uncertainties on the accuracy of atmospherical retrieval

Characterising the properties of exoplanet atmospheres relies on several interconnected parameters, which makes it difficult to determine them independently. Planetary mass plays a role in determining the scale height of atmospheres, similarly to the contribution from the average molecular weight of the gas. We investigate the relevance of planetary mass knowledge in spectral retrievals, identifying cases where mass measurements are needed for clear or cloudy and primary or secondary atmospheres, along with the relevant precision, in the context of the ESA M4 Ariel Mission. We used TauREx to simulate the Ariel transmission spectra of representative targets of the Ariel mission reference sample, assuming different scenarios: a primordial cloudy atmosphere of a hot Jupiter and a hot Neptune, as well as the secondary atmosphere of a super-Earth that also exhibits a cloud presence. We extracted information on the various properties of the atmospheres for the cases of unknown mass or mass with different uncertainties. We also tested how the signal-to-noise ratio impacts atmospheric retrieval for different wavelength ranges. We accurately retrieved the primordial atmospheric composition independently from mass uncertainties for clear atmospheres, while we found that the uncertainties increased for high altitude clouds. We highlight the importance of the signal-to-noise ratio in the Rayleigh scattering region of the spectrum. For the secondary atmosphere cases, a mass uncertainty no larger than 50% is sufficient to retrieve the atmospheric parameters, even in the presence of clouds. Our analysis suggests that even in the worst-case scenario, a 50% mass precision level is enough for producing reliable retrievals, while an atmospheric retrieval without any knowledge of a planetary mass could lead to biases in cloudy primary atmospheres as well as in secondary atmospheres.

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arXiv2020

HADES RV Programme with HARPS-N at TNG XII. The abundance signature of M dwarf stars with planets

Most of our current knowledge on planet formation is still based on the analysis of main-sequence, solar-type stars. Conversely, detailed chemical studies of large samples of M-dwarf planet hosts are still missing. We develop for the first time a methodology to determine stellar abundances of elements others than iron for M dwarf stars from high-resolution, optical spectra. Our methodology is based on the use of principal component analysis and sparse Bayesian's methods. We made use of a set of M dwarfs orbiting around an FGK primary with known abundances to train our methods. We applied our methods to derive stellar metalliticies and abundances of a large sample of M dwarfs observed within the framework of current radial velocity surveys. We then used a sample of nearby FGK stars to cross-validate our technique by comparing the derived abundance trends in the M dwarf sample with those found on the FGK stars. The metallicity distribution of the different subsamples shows that M dwarfs hosting giant planets show a planet-metallicity correlation as well as a correlation with the stellar mass. M dwarfs hosting low-mass planets do not seem to follow the planet-metallicity correlation. We also found that the frequency of low-mass planets does not depend on the mass of the stellar host. These results seem in agreement with previous works. However, we note that for giant planet hosts our metallicities predict a weaker planet metallicity correlation but a stronger mass-dependency than photometric values. We show, for the first time, that there seems to be no differences in the abundance distribution of elements different from iron between M dwarfs with and without known planets. Our data shows that low-mass stars with planets follow the same metallicity, mass, and abundance trends than their FGK counterparts.

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arXiv2020

The GAPS programme at TNG XXVI. Magnetic activity in M stars: spectroscopic monitoring of AD Leonis

Understanding stellar activity in M dwarfs is fundamental to improving our knowledge of the physics of stellar atmospheres and for planet search programmes. High levels of stellar activity (also with flare events) can cause additional variations in the stellar emission that contaminate the signal induced by a planet and that need to be corrected. The study of activity indicators in active stars can improve our capability of modelling this signal. Our aim is to understand the behaviour of stellar chromospheres of M stars, studying the more sensitive chromospheric activity indicators, characterising their variability and on finding the correlations among these indicators to obtain information on the origin of the magnetic activity in low-mass stars. We studied the main optical activity indicators (Ca II H&K, Balmer lines, Na I D$_{1,2}$ doublet, He I D$_3$ and other helium lines) measured for AD Leonis using the data provided by HARPS-N in 2018 and by HARPS in 2006. We measured excess flux of the selected activity indicators and analysed the correlation between the different indicators as well as the temporal evolution of fluxes. A stellar flare was identified during the 2018 observing run and the H$α$, H$β$, He I 4471 A and He I 5876 A lines were analysed in detail by fitting the line profiles with two Gaussian components. We found that the Ca II H&K flux excesses are strongly correlated with each other, but the Ca II H&K doublet is generally less correlated with the other indicators. Moreover, H$α$ is correlated with Na I doublet and helium lines. Analysing the time variability of flux of the studied lines, we found a higher level of activity of the star during the observations in 2018 than in 2006, while Ca II H&K showed more intense emission on spectra obtained during the observations in 2006. We investigated the flare evaluating the mass motion during the event.

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