Selection and characterisation of the M dwarf targets in the PLATO Input Catalogue

Context . The aim of the European Space Agency’s PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars (PLATO) mission is to detect planets orbiting around dwarfs and subgiant stars with spectral type F5 or later, including M dwarfs. The PLATO Input Catalogue (PIC) contains all PLATO targets available for observation by the PLATO nominal science. The latest version, PIC2.1.0.1, focuses on the Southern PLATO field, named LOPS2, selected as the first long observation field, and includes the P4 sample, one of the four target samples outlined in the Science Requirement Document. P4 includes the M dwarfs with magnitudes brighter than V=16 located within LOPS2. Aims . A characterisation of the M dwarfs in the PIC is essential for assessing their potentiality to host exoplanets, and eventually for estimating the hosted planet(s) properties. The purpose of this paper is to describe how we selected the P4 M dwarf targets, and obtained their fundamental parameters and properties. Methods . Measuring stellar parameters is a challenging task. Interferometry provides direct estimates of radii, whereas alternative approaches relying on theoretical assumptions are still affected by significant uncertainties. In this work, we introduce the P4 sample and detail the methodologies, all based on photometric criteria, adopted for the measurement of their stellar parameters. Results . Based on a statistical analysis of the P4 sample, we assess both the photometric and volume completeness, and classify the stellar populations according to their Galactic spatial-velocity components. The adopted stellar parameters are validated by comparison with independent methods from the literature used to estimate stellar radii. Conclusions . We conclude that the P4 sample is compliant with the PLATO science requirements. Being magnitude limited, its volume completeness decreases going towards distances larger than 30 pc, where late-type targets are progressively less covered. The observed large spread in the colour-magnitude diagram is likely due to the combination of several effects such as metallicity, age, binarity, and activity. The strategy we adopted for deriving stellar parameters provides results consistent with those obtained in the literature with different and independent methods.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2025-12-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202557757
Primary Topic
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Selection and characterisation of the M dwarf targets in the PLATO Input Catalogue

D. Pollacco, I. Pagano, L. Malavolta, U. Heiter et al.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
article

Selection and characterisation of the M dwarf targets in the PLATO Input Catalogue

D. Pollacco, I. Pagano, L. Malavolta, U. Heiter, S. Ortolani, R. Claudi, V. Nascimbeni, H. Rauer, G. Micela, A. Maggio, A. F. Lanza, F. Damiani, L. Affer, G. Piotto, S. Udry, J. Maldonado, J. Cabrera, L. Prisinzano, C. Argiroffi, Alessandro Sozzetti, S. Benatti, Roberto Ragazzoni, K. Belkacem, S. Marinoni, G. Altavilla, E. Flaccomio, S. Cassisi, M. Fabrizio, P. M. Marrese, V. Granata, M. Deleuil, D. Nardiello, L. Gizon, M. Montalto, S. Desidera, M. J. Goupil
article en

Abstract

Context . The aim of the European Space Agency’s PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars (PLATO) mission is to detect planets orbiting around dwarfs and subgiant stars with spectral type F5 or later, including M dwarfs. The PLATO Input Catalogue (PIC) contains all PLATO targets available for observation by the PLATO nominal science. The latest version, PIC2.1.0.1, focuses on the Southern PLATO field, named LOPS2, selected as the first long observation field, and includes the P4 sample, one of the four target samples outlined in the Science Requirement Document. P4 includes the M dwarfs with magnitudes brighter than V=16 located within LOPS2. Aims . A characterisation of the M dwarfs in the PIC is essential for assessing their potentiality to host exoplanets, and eventually for estimating the hosted planet(s) properties. The purpose of this paper is to describe how we selected the P4 M dwarf targets, and obtained their fundamental parameters and properties. Methods . Measuring stellar parameters is a challenging task. Interferometry provides direct estimates of radii, whereas alternative approaches relying on theoretical assumptions are still affected by significant uncertainties. In this work, we introduce the P4 sample and detail the methodologies, all based on photometric criteria, adopted for the measurement of their stellar parameters. Results . Based on a statistical analysis of the P4 sample, we assess both the photometric and volume completeness, and classify the stellar populations according to their Galactic spatial-velocity components. The adopted stellar parameters are validated by comparison with independent methods from the literature used to estimate stellar radii. Conclusions . We conclude that the P4 sample is compliant with the PLATO science requirements. Being magnitude limited, its volume completeness decreases going towards distances larger than 30 pc, where late-type targets are progressively less covered. The observed large spread in the colour-magnitude diagram is likely due to the combination of several effects such as metallicity, age, binarity, and activity. The strategy we adopted for deriving stellar parameters provides results consistent with those obtained in the literature with different and independent methods.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 706
University of Geneva (CH), Roma Tre University (IT), Uppsala University (SE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Padua (IT), Délégation Paris 7 (FR), Université Paris Cité (FR), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Galileo Galilei Institute for Theoretical Physics (IT), Astronomical Observatory of Rome (IT), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) (DE), University of Warwick (GB), Sorbonne Université (FR), Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille (FR), Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino (IT), Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (DE), Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique (FR), Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania (IT), Collurania Teramo Observatory (IT), Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo (IT), Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (IT), Freie Universität Berlin (DE), National Institute for Astrophysics (IT), University of Palermo (IT), Politecnico di Milano (IT)
Openalex Percentile: Top 71%
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.