Context. The CARMENES survey is a high-precision radial velocity (RV) programme that aims to detect Earth-like planets orbiting low-mass stars. Aims. We develop least-squares fitting algorithms to derive the RVs and additional spectral diagnostics implemented in the SpEctrum Radial Velocity Analyser (SERVAL), a publicly available python code. Methods. We measured the RVs using high signal-to-noise templates created by coadding all available spectra of each star. We define the chromatic index as the RV gradient as a function of wavelength with the RVs measured in the echelle orders. Additionally, we computed the differential line width by correlating the fit residuals with the second derivative of the template to track variations in the stellar line width. Results. Using HARPS data, our SERVAL code achieves a RV precision at the level of 1 m/s. Applying the chromatic index to CARMENES data of the active star YZ CMi, we identify apparent RV variations induced by stellar activity. The differential line width is found to be an alternative indicator to the commonly used full width half maximum. Conclusions. We find that at the red optical wavelengths (700-900 nm) obtained by the visual channel of CARMENES, the chromatic index is an excellent tool to investigate stellar active regions and to identify and perhaps even correct for activity-induced RV variations.

Aims. We determine the radii and masses of 293 nearby, bright M dwarfs of the CARMENES survey. This is the first time that such a large and homogeneous high-resolution (R > 80 000) spectroscopic survey has been used to derive these fundamental stellar parameters. Methods. We derived the radii using Stefan-Boltzmann's law. We obtained the required effective temperatures T eff from a spectral analysis and we obtained the required luminosities L from integrated broadband photometry together with the Gaia DR2 parallaxes. The mass was then determined using a mass-radius relation that we derived from eclipsing binaries known in the literature. We compared this method with three other methods: (1) We calculated the mass from the radius and the surface gravity log g, which was obtained from the same spectral analysis as T eff . (2) We used a widely used infrared mass-magnitude relation. (3) We used a Bayesian approach to infer stellar parameters from the comparison of the absolute magnitudes and colors of our targets with evolutionary models. Results. Between spectral types M0 V and M7 V our radii cover the range 0.1 R < R < 0.6 R with an error of 2-3% and our masses cover 0.09 M < M < 0.6 M with an error of 3-5%. We find good agreement between the masses determined with these different methods for most of our targets. Only the masses of very young objects show discrepancies. This can be well explained with the assumptions that we used for our methods.Article published by EDP Sciences A68, page 1 of 16 A&A 625, A68 (2019)

Context. The High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectrograph is mounted since 2003 at the ESO 3.6 m telescope in La Silla and provides state-of-the-art stellar radial velocity (RV) measurements with a precision down to ∼ 1 m s −1 . The spectra are extracted with a dedicated data-reduction software (DRS) and the RVs are computed by cross correlating with a numerical mask. Aims. The aim of this study is three-fold: (i) Create an easy access to the public HARPS RV data set. (ii) Apply the new public SpEctrum Radial Velocity AnaLyser (SERVAL) pipeline to the spectra, and produce a more precise RV data set. (iii) Check whether the precision of the RVs can be further improved by correcting for small nightly systematic effects. Methods. For each star observed with HARPS, we downloaded the publicly available spectra from the ESO archive, and recomputed the RVs with SERVAL. This was based on fitting each observed spectrum with a high signal-to-noise ratio template created by co-adding all the available spectra of that star. We then computed nightly zero points (NZPs) by averaging the RVs of quiet stars. Results. Analysing the RVs of the most RV-quiet stars, whose RV scatter is < 5 m s −1 , we find that SERVAL RVs are on average more precise than DRS RVs by a few percent. Investigating the NZP time series, we find three significant systematic effects, whose magnitude is independent of the software used for the RV derivation: (i) stochastic variations with a magnitude of ∼ 1 m s −1 ; (ii) longterm variations, with a magnitude of ∼ 1 m s −1 and a typical timescale of a few weeks; and (iii) 20-30 NZPs significantly deviating by few m s −1 . In addition, we find small ( 1 m s −1 ) but significant intra-night drifts in DRS RVs before the 2015 intervention, and in SERVAL RVs after it. We confirm that the fibre exchange in 2015 caused a discontinuous RV jump, which strongly depends on the spectral type of the observed star: from ∼ 14 m s −1 for late F-type stars, to ∼ −3 m s −1 for M dwarfs. The combined effect of extracting the RVs with SERVAL and correcting them for the systematics we find is an improved average RV precision: ∼ 5% improvement for spectra taken before the 2015 intervention, and ∼ 15% improvement for spectra taken after it. To demonstrate the quality of the new RV data set, we present an updated orbital solution of the GJ 253 two-planet system. Conclusions. Our NZP-corrected SERVAL RVs can be retrieved from a user-friendly, public database. It provides more than 212 000 RVs for about 3000 stars along with many auxiliary information, such as the NZP corrections, various activity indices, and DRS-CCF products.Differential RV from SERVAL corrected for BERV, SA, drift, (non-NZP corrected). (d) RV from DRS corrected for BERV, SA, drift, (non-NZP corrected). (e) Differential RV from SERVAL corrected for BERV, SA, drift, (non-NZP corrected, joint RV calculation with -pre and -post fibre upgrade data.) (f) Chromatic index from SERVAL. (g) Differential line width from SERVAL. (h) Hα index from SERV...

Context. The Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exo-earths with Near-infrared and optical Echelle Spectrographs (CARMENES) survey is searching for Earth-like planets orbiting M dwarfs using the radial velocity method. Studying the stellar activity of the target stars is important to avoid false planet detections and to improve our understanding of the atmospheres of late-type stars. Aims. In this work we present measurements of activity indicators at visible and near-infrared wavelengths for 331 M dwarfs observed with CARMENES. Our aim is to identify the activity indicators that are most sensitive and easiest to measure, and the correlations among these indicators. We also wish to characterise their variability. Methods. Using a spectral subtraction technique, we measured pseudo-equivalent widths of the He I D3, Hα, He I λ10833 Å, and Pa β lines, the Na I D doublet, and the Ca II infrared triplet, which have a chromospheric component in active M dwarfs. In addition, we measured an index of the strength of two TiO and two VO bands, which are formed in the photosphere. We also searched for periodicities in these activity indicators for all sample stars using generalised Lomb-Scargle periodograms. Results. We find that the most slowly rotating stars of each spectral subtype have the strongest Hα absorption. Hα is correlated most strongly with He I D3, whereas Na I D and the Ca II infrared triplet are also correlated with Hα. He I λ10833 Å and Paβ show no clear correlations with the other indicators. The TiO bands show an activity effect that does not appear in the VO bands. We find that the relative variations of Hα and He I D3 are smaller for stars with higher activity levels, while this anti-correlation is weaker for Na I D and the Ca II infrared triplet, and is absent for He I λ10833 Å and Paβ. Periodic variation with the rotation period most commonly appears in the TiO bands, Hα, and in the Ca II infrared triplet.

We present precise photospheric parameters of 282 M dwarfs determined from fitting the most recent version of PHOENIX models to high-resolution CARMENES spectra in the visible (0.52–0.96 μm) and NIR wavelength range (0.96–1.71 μm). With its aim to search for habitable planets around M dwarfs, several planets of different masses have been detected. The characterization of the target sample is important for the ability to derive and constrain the physical properties of any planetary systems that are detected. As a continuation of previous work in this context, we derived the fundamental stellar parameters effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity of the CARMENES M-dwarf targets from PHOENIX model fits using a χ2 method. We calculated updated PHOENIX stellar atmosphere models that include a new equation of state to especially account for spectral features of low-temperature stellar atmospheres as well as new atomic and molecular line lists. We show the importance of selecting magnetically insensitive lines for fitting to avoid effects of stellar activity in the line profiles. For the first time, we directly compare stellar parameters derived from multiwavelength range spectra, simultaneously observed for the same star. In comparison with literature values we show that fundamental parameters derived from visible spectra and visible and NIR spectra combined are in better agreement than those derived from the same spectra in the NIR alone.