DMPP survey finds new planets and high occurrence rates around active stars

Star system: HD 200133 | Distance from the Sun: 359 light years

The Dispersed Matter Planet Project (DMPP) is a survey using the radial velocity method to search for planets around stars that show unusual activity, which may be caused by close-in planets losing their atmospheres. This project aims to understand how common such planets are and to find new examples.

In this study, researchers discovered seven new planetary signals in five different star systems, including DMPP-2c and d, HD67200/DMPP-6b and c, HD118006/DMPP-7b, HD191122/DMPP-8b, and HD200133/DMPP-9b. They also updated the known orbits of planets in several systems, such as DMPP-1, DMPP-2, DMPP-3, and others. The team calculated how sensitive their survey is to finding planets around 24 stars and determined how often planets occur in these environments. They found that the occurrence rates of planets in their sample are much higher than those found by other surveys, supporting the idea that stars with unusual activity are more likely to host close-in, evaporating planets.

Key findings
- Seven new planetary signals were detected in five star systems
- Orbits of known planets in several systems were updated
- The survey determined detection limits for 24 target stars
- Planet occurrence rates in these systems are significantly higher than in other surveys
- Results support the hypothesis that active stars are more likely to host close-in, evaporating planets

Scientific study

The Dispersed Matter Planet Project Sample -- Detection limits, Occurrence Rates and New Planets (external link)