In the last 20 years since the first planet was discovered, the search for and detection of Earth-like planets has become a dominant focus in exoplanetary and global research, allowing the number of discoveries to increase exponentially. The current sample is large enough to begin to understand how planetary systems similar to ours have formed and to assimilate that stars with planets in orbit are the rule, not the exception.
We have also begun to understand that these systems cover a great diversity in architecture, some very different from that of our own solar system, which also implies a diversity in their formation and evolution. Recently we have begun to investigate the atmospheres and internal structures of these extrasolar planets with the objective of finding and characterizing those that present analogies with our Earth.
Spain has only recently joined this field, but it has done so with reference contributions from both space and Earth. This is the case of the CARMENES project, co-led by Spain, which since 2016 is discovering planets and contributing to their characterization.
The objectives of the meeting are to present and update the community on the scientific and technical status of the CARMENES project, providing detailed information on the specifications of CARMENES, as well as on data management and policy and all the information needed to facilitate proposals, access to the instrument and analysis of data from Spanish groups interested in observing with CARMENES.
In addition, the meeting will allow us, both the consortium and the rest of the community groups, to present our research with CARMENES data, whether ongoing or published, as well as new ideas for using the instrument, with the aim of strengthening collaboration and synergies between projects.
Finally, the organization of this meeting in the same week and place as the Spanish Network of Exoplanets (Exonet) will facilitate the discussion of the future of CARMENES, as well as the community's interests in other similar instruments in which Spain is involved (ESPRESSO, HIRES)