Exoplanet detection. Comment on "Stellar activity masquerading as planets in the habitable zone of the M dwarf Gliese 581"

Guillem Anglada-Escudé; Mikko Tuomi

doi:10.1126/science.1260796

Exoplanet detection. Comment on "Stellar activity masquerading as planets in the habitable zone of the M dwarf Gliese 581"

Science. 2015 Mar 6;347(6226):1080. doi: 10.1126/science.1260796.

Authors

Guillem Anglada-Escudé¹, Mikko Tuomi²

Affiliations

¹ School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK. Centre for Astrophysics Research, University of Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB, Hatfield, UK. guillem.anglada@gmail.com.
² Centre for Astrophysics Research, University of Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB, Hatfield, UK.

PMID: 25745156
DOI: 10.1126/science.1260796

Abstract

Robertson et al. (Reports, 25 July 2014, p. 440) claimed that activity-induced variability is responsible for the Doppler signal of the proposed planet candidate GJ 581d. We point out that their analysis using periodograms of residual data is inappropriate and promotes inadequate tools. Because the claim challenges the viability of the method to detect exo-Earths, we encourage reanalysis and a deliberation on what the field-standard methods should be.

Publication types

Comment
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't