Extrasolar Planets in the Southern Hemisphere: The CORALIE Survey

Abstract.

We are conducting a large survey to detect extrasolar planets by high precision Doppler spectroscopy using the new swiss Euler telescope and the spetrograph CORALIE. The sample includes 1600 nearby G and K stars from the southern hemisphere. The simultaneous thorium technique is used to reach very high precision radial velocity measurements. Less than 6 months after the setup of the instrument two planetary candidates have been detected. Almost 20 planetary candidates have been discovered by various high precision Doppler spectroscopy surveys. The semi-major axis of the planetary candidate orbits ranges from very small (0.05 AU) to 3 AU. Some have eccentric orbits, others have a more massive secondary companion, some have both. This large spread in orbital characteristics is difficult to fit into a single formation scenario. Current results also suggest a planet maximum mass around 7-9 M _J .