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

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 host stars.

Aims. The HARPS-N red Dwarf Exoplanet Survey programme is a long-term project at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo aimed at monitoring 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 ran 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 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 orbital period of Pb = 18.27 ± 0.01 d and a minimum mass of MP sini = 9.65 ± 1.41 M⊕.