Speaker
Description
One of the key goals in planetary population studies is to achieve broad coverage of the parameter space, which is not fully covered by the currently confirmed planets. We can fulfil this aim by incorporating validated planets even if they have not been confirmed yet. Therefore, we can validate them through a vetting procedure. Within the Ariel Mission Candidates Sample, the TESS Planet Candidates (TPCs) catalogue includes planet candidates that have not yet been validated. In preparation for the Ariel launch, we selected a subsample of these targets and analysed them through a vetting procedure. We based our methodology on the TRICERATOPS tool to confirm the presence of transiting planets or rule out the candidates. The vetting process consists of a detailed analysis of photometric data to examine periodic, transit-like signals originating from target stars. Its purpose is to classify these signals as either planet candidates or false positives. This process allows for the statistical rejection of astrophysical false-positive scenarios with a high level of confidence. In addition, it is possible to incorporate constraints obtained thanks to follow-up observations, such as high-resolution imaging or ground-based photometry. From the TPCs, we selected all the candidates hosted by stars cooler than 5000 K, yielding a sample of nearly 318 targets. Among these, we validated 68 planets. These results contribute to refining the TPCs by promoting validated candidates to planets and ruling out spurious detections.